Switzerland's first Master's in Logistics and Supply Chain Management launched

The newly ordered bicycle will not be delivered for another year? The blinds can't be repaired because spare parts are missing? The shelves are empty in the neighborhood store? The logistics of goods and resources are based on supply chains that have become increasingly complex and thus more vulnerable in recent decades. For companies today, it is central to be able to rely on functioning supply chains. "It is therefore not surprising that most companies invest a lot in intact logistics and efficient supply chain management," says Ilja Bäumler, head of the new Master in Logistics & Supply Chain Management program, which will be offered at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts starting in the fall semester of 2023. The new master's program explicitly addresses the current and future challenges of global flows of goods, information, and finance.

Logistics as a success factor

Challenges with logistics and supply chains affect various business areas. They arise both in companies in the logistics industry itself and in companies in other industries. "There is now hardly a branch of industry that does not have to deal with the implications of global flows of goods and information," says Bäumler. For the head of the program, it is therefore clear: "Companies can set themselves apart from their competitors through functioning supply chain management and good logistics. They no longer compete only on the quality of their products and services, but also in particular on their supply chains."

Master in Logistics and Supply Chain Management against the shortage of skilled workers

To enable companies to position themselves accordingly, specialists are in demand. However, logistics professionals are in short supply, Ilja Bäumler knows from discussions with practice partners. "The studies in the new logistics master's program enable students to take on demanding specialist and management functions in industries where it is particularly difficult to find qualified specialists today," says the program director. The master's program has a broad thematic focus. In addition to classic logistics and supply chain management topics, students also delve deeper into the areas of information technology and digitalization, applied psychology, data science, and digital leadership. Bäumler is certain: "This results in a particularly high level of qualification for graduates in various professional fields." In concrete terms, students in the Master's in Logistics & Supply Chain Management could later, for example, fill a position in a logistics department in a large corporation, work in an SME as a contract logistics manager, or work independently as a management consultant.

Flexible studies with practical relevance

In order to prepare students as well as possible for real challenges from the business world, the master's program has a practice-oriented structure. In various project work, students deepen their knowledge on the basis of real problems from a wide range of application areas and in cooperation with practical partners. For example, the program is conducted in cooperation with Logistikum Switzerland and Logistikum Upper Austria. Every semester, students attend a block week at the Innovation Lab in Altdorf UR, where they can work with so-called "emerging technologies" (e.g. collaborative robotics, Internet of Things, augmented reality, etc.). "Our lecturers have both sound scientific knowledge and up-to-date practical experience," says Bäumler.

The master's program is deliberately designed as a part-time course. Ilja Bäumler: "We want to make it possible for students to continue working in a professional environment alongside their studies and to be able to bring their practical experience into the classroom." The program will start in the fall semester of 2023 and will run for four semesters part-time, with parallel employment possible.

Source: www.hslu.ch