Explore how the University of Hull’s online MSc in Logistics and Supply Chain Management helps professionals develop strategic expertise, understand global supply chains, and take the next step in their careers.
Dr Richard Farr, Programme Director for Hull Online's MSc in Logistics and Supply Chain Management, shares why this dynamic sector offers strong opportunities for career growth.
This blog post is based on insights shared during one of our information webinars. These events are your opportunity to learn more about our courses and get your questions answered. View our upcoming information webinars.
Hi! I'm Dr Richard Farr, a Lecturer in Logistics at Hull University Business School, and Programme Director for the online MSc.
It's an unusual profession, as you've probably noticed. Very few people grow up telling their family, “One day I want to work in supply chains, logistics and transportation,” but it's a massive employer.
So, what does that mean? It means there are countless people around the world who did an undergraduate degree in something they found interesting, or that they found they had a gift for.
And a few years down the line, you find that your career took an entirely different direction. You might be managing a fleet of vehicles and their drivers. Or you're managing operations in a warehouse, you're a buyer for a retail chain, or something else. Maybe. Perhaps you've been self-employed for years. Maybe you've already had a successful career in the armed forces.
I was a customs officer. I followed my Dad into the civil service, and they put me in drugs intelligence. And that’s the opposite of supply chain management, if you think about it. I was working against the free flow of goods.
Later, my passion was to study manufacturing, so I did manufacturing management. Later still, I worked to construct computer simulations, where I investigated the flow of components as they go to make up large aero engines.
That taught me just how international and complex modern supply chains can be. And ultimately, it gave me the opportunity to start teaching in supply chain management. That's the reality of this field. It's a ravenous industry full of opportunities, because all of us across the globe are buying more things from further away with each passing year.
International trade is booming, but that does bring challenges. So, there's a need for new skills that allow the management of increasingly complex operations. Wherever you are in the world, your supply chain is global.
That shift towards doing business internationally is central to the modern economy, but it doesn't just happen by itself. You need to navigate issues such as new rules on sustainability, geopolitical disruptions, scarcity of resources, and ethical problems.
You'll have to understand risk, and you'll have to work with a wider set of partners. There will also be emerging technologies that you'll have to be informed about.
We've got a strong pedigree in logistics, in part because of our location, which serves as an important maritime hub for the UK. My colleagues and I are doing world-changing research in this sector, and we benefit from great links with industrial partners.
But really, the best thing about the Hull Online MSc is people like you. You're going to meet other professionals in an international community and learn a lot from each other. You'll work through the activities that we've designed and learn from each other in unscripted moments, too.
You’re constantly learning from each other's perspectives. For example, when your preferred solution to a question might involve using trucks and vans, another person might talk about their work in rail transport or air cargo. And a person from the oil and gas industry might say, “we do things very differently when pipelines are being used”.
One student's day-to-day operations might involve moving something where speed doesn't matter, or it's not very valuable; something like iron ore. And another student might be talking about the logistics of life saving medicines, or fast-fashion items, or priceless works of art.
We all have a lot to learn from each other, and that's what we do on this course. That's what excites me most about it.
With each new intake, I never know who I'm going to meet, and what I might learn as a result. I suspect you already work in this industry, so I don't need to hard-sell you the career. But how will you develop your own pathway into the future?
How will you develop analysis and strategy skills that move you from performing an important role, like processing contracts, for example? How will you show that you're ready to take it to the next level and negotiate those contracts?
How will you demonstrate that you’re thinking about the longer-term aspirations of the business and its investment decisions? How will you show you're ready for a senior role? How will you move on into consultancy services?
I think that begins with this process of broadening and formalising your work experience. But it also requires seeing the theoretical side that we get from the taught elements on a course like this.
If you choose to study with us, you'll spend two years studying part time. That's 100% online. You'll do four taught modules, three of them in the first year and the final one as you begin the second year. Each module is assessed via two assignments, and there are no exams.
When you've completed the four taught modules, you'll choose a topic for a dissertation. We'll appoint a supervisor, you'll work with that person, and you’ll get to study that topic in depth.
It could be based on your workplace, it could be aspirational, and it could be something you want to know more about for your next career move.
Our course is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply. So, the CILT or the CIPS could be letters that you add after your name.
Those two accreditations mean you can be confident that our course delivers a qualification that will enhance your employability.
The most important reason I chose Hull was that we're doing things in ethical business and sustainability that mean a lot to me. Ever since William Wilberforce served as Member of Parliament for Hull in the late 18th century, this city has aimed to do the right thing.
Today we're at the centre of a shift to renewable energy, with a huge investment in wind energy in the North Sea in particular. At the university, we remain passionate about human rights, ethical business, and challenging the industries that rely on exploitation.
If you choose to study with us, you'll hear more about those topics in one of the modules that I lead, Strategies for Sustainable Business Logistics.
Whether your own interests lie in analytics, the design of competitive supply networks, or more effective procurement, we have something for you. I hope I'll get to meet you.
Find out more about the Hull Online MSc in Logistics and Supply Chain Management: