About this course

Gain the expertise to manage the movement of goods, people, data or money across a supply chain on this master’s degree course at the University of Southampton. You’ll develop advanced management and analytical skills, and have the chance to work on a real business project during a 3-month industry placement. You’ll be taught by academics from one of the country’s leading analytics research groups, and graduate with the skills and knowledge for a successful career in logistics.

On this MSc Logistics and Supply Chain Analytics degree, you'll learn advanced management skills and the ability to use data to make good business decisions. You'll gain a thorough grounding in:

integrated and international logistics supply chain management
software and programming skills
quantitative, qualitative and technical skills

You'll graduate from the course knowing how to:

formulate a hypothesis and use data to test it
use analytical techniques to support decision making
develop computer-based decision support systems to gain insight from data

We'll give you plenty of support before and during the project, including seminars and workshops, to help you get the most from your placement.

The course is taught in association with the University's cross-disciplinary Centre of Operational Research, Management Sciences and Information Systems (CORMSIS), one of the largest groups of its kind in the UK. This means you'll benefit from a wider choice of optional modules which you can use to pursue your own interests or career plans.

Course lead

Your course leader is Dr Edilson Arruda, Lecturer in Business Analytics. His research focuses on optimisation under uncertainty, with an emphasis on societal and industrial applications, such as healthcare modelling and optimisation, logistics and supply chains, inventory management and queueing models.

Accreditations

Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB)

Course location

This course is based at Highfield.

Awarding body

This qualification is awarded by the University of Southampton.

Download the programme specification

The programme specification sets out the learning outcomes of this course and details how the course is taught and assessed.

PDF

Download 2021-22 programme specification

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Modules

For entry in Academic Year 2021-22

You must study the following modules:

Computational Methods for Logistics

The overreaching goal of this module is to develop your quantitative problem solving skills by improving your algorithmic thinking and computer implementation skills. The module aims to provide you with in-depth knowledge about the contemporary optimisati...

International Logistics

The international logistics module provides a sound foundation in international logistics management in terms of road, rail, air and sea freight transport. The focus is primarily from a user perspective in order to provide a logistics and supply chain man...

Principles and Sustainable Supply Chain Management

This module provides a broad overview of topics relevant to contemporary principles and sustainable Supply Chain Management. It acts as a foundation for your further investigation into areas pertinent to your career choice(s) as well as an integrative mod...

Simulation

This module provides a practical introduction to the theories and techniques of simulation. The approach taken is very broad and covers different forms of simulation, including discrete event simulation, system dynamics and agent-based modelling. The mod...

Strategic Purchasing and Supply Management

Strategic Purchasing and Supply Management aims to provide students with an appreciation and understanding of the roles and position of strategic purchasing and supply within the organisation, the processes that support it, and the implications of electro...

You must also choose from the following modules:

Behavioural Operations

This module aims to develop your capabilities of addressing behavioural issues in an operational context. It goes beyond the typical focus on single decisions taken by an individual to decision making—possibly involving some strategic considerations—in wh...

Credit Risk & Data Analytics

The module will start by defining the concept of data analytics and the CRISP-DM process as consisting of three steps: data pre-processing, data mining and post-processing. Next, we will zoom into the data mining step and distinguish three types of data ...

Dissertation (Analytics)

The dissertation stage of your Postgraduate programme involves an extended, independent investigation of a topic of your own choosing and the preparation of a 15,000 word dissertation describing your work. You will attend 10 sessions where you will work ...

Integrated Logistics

Logistics studies the optimal planning and control of materials, information, and cash-flows through the processes of transformation, transportation, and storage within a system. Integrated logistics studies the management of the logistics across multipl...

Optimisation and Decision Modelling

This module will provide you with a sound foundation in the application of the many tools and techniques of management science. You are expected to learn the tools and the applications of modelling, optimization, computing and programming in solving pract...

Project Risk Management

Project risk management has evolved significantly over many years, but there are conflicting views about what constitutes best practice. This course provides an overview of best practice as outlined in the course text with a critical comparison of alterna...

Python & Forecasting

The module teaches the students the fundamentals of writing structured computer programs and good computer programming practice, also focussing on some special features of python which make it especially useful for Data and Decision Science. In its second...

Risk Taking and Decision Making

The ability to make effective decisions in the face of risk and uncertainty is essential to success in today’s fast changing world. This module seeks to equip you with the knowledge of decision-making processes and models that will help you achieve this o...

Summer Project

The summer project dissertation stage of your Master's programme involves direct work with a company where you will need to develop a solution for a real problem they currently propose, as discussed in the project brief, and the preparation of a 15,000 wo...

The Management of Corporate Security

Security management is an essential activity in most organisations, with poor security practices often playing a key role in organisational failure and crises. This has resulted in a need for individuals with specialist knowledge in organisational securit...

Careers

As a graduate of this course, your expertise will be in demand across the manufacturing, retail and transportation sectors.

You could choose to join one of the specialist consultancy firms or software development companies that offer support to large companies in areas such as:

distribution network planning
vehicle route planning
public transport
warehouse management
location decision support
healthcare logistics
workforce planning

Typical roles include:

supply chain analyst
logistics planner
logistics engineer
supply chain manager
supplier relationship manager
inventory and warehouse manager
vehicle fleet manager

The summer placement is a great opportunity to put your skills into practice and gain professional experience on a real industry project.

Our partner organisations include:

British Airways
Carnival
Deloitte Analytics
National Air Traffic Services
NHS
Royal Mail

Careers services at Southampton

We're a top 20 UK university for employability (QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2020). Our Careers and Employability Service will support you throughout your time as a student and for up to 5 years after graduation. This support includes:

work experience schemes
CV/resume and interview skills workshops
networking events
careers fairs attended by top employers
a wealth of volunteering opportunities
study abroad and summer school opportunities

We have a thriving entrepreneurship culture. You'll be able to take advantage of:

our dedicated start-up incubator, Futureworlds
a wide variety of enterprise events run throughout the year
our partnership in the world’s number 1 business incubator, SETsquared

Fees, costs and funding

Tuition fees

Fees for a year's study:

UK students pay £12,608.
EU and international students pay £24,060.

Check fees for other versions of this course.

Deposit

When you accept your offer to study on this course you’ll be asked to pay a deposit. This is non-refundable. The deposit amount is:

UK students: £250
EU and international students: £1,000

Full terms and conditions and details of how to pay this deposit will be sent to you in your offer letter.

What your fees pay for

Your tuition fee covers the full cost of tuition and any exams.

Find out how to pay your tuition fees.

Accommodation and living costs, such as travel and food, are not included in your tuition fees. Explore:

10% alumni discount

If you’re a graduate of the University of Southampton you get a 10% discount on your postgraduate tuition fees.

Postgraduate Master’s Loans (UK nationals only)

This can help with course fees and living costs while you study a postgraduate master's course. Find out if you're eligible.

Funding your postgraduate studies

A variety of additional scholarships, grants and bursaries may be available to help you fund your master’s study, both from the University and from other organisations.

Funding for EU and international students

Find out about funding you could get as an international student.

How to apply

Use the 'apply for this course' button on this page to take you to our online application form.
Search for the course you want to apply for.
Complete the application form and upload any supporting documents.
Submit your application.

Application deadlines

UK students

Applications must be received no later than 4 weeks before the start of the course. You must supply all supporting documentation at least 2 weeks before starting your course.

International students

We recommend you apply at least 6 weeks before the start of the course to ensure you're able to meet our requirements and apply for a visa in time.

We cannot guarantee students who do not meet these deadlines will be able to begin their course.

Application assessment fee

We’ll ask you to pay a £50 application assessment fee if you’re applying for any postgraduate taught course that starts in or after September 2021.

This is an extra one-off charge which is separate to your tuition fees. It covers the work and time it takes us to assess your application. You’ll be prompted to pay when you submit your application which won’t progress until you've paid.

If you're a current or former University of Southampton student, if you're applying for a Master of Research (MRes) degree, or if you're applying for a PGCE course via UCAS, you will not need to pay the fee. Find out if you’re exempt on our terms and conditions page.

Supporting information

When you apply you’ll need to submit a personal statement explaining why you want to take the course.

You’ll need to include information about:

your knowledge of the subject area
why you want to study a postgraduate qualification in this course
how you intend to use your qualification

You'll also need to send 2 academic references.

Please include the required paperwork showing your first degree and your IELTS English language test score (if you are a non-native English speaker) with your application. Without these, your application may be delayed.

Learn more about how to apply with our postgraduate application guide.

What happens after you apply

You'll be able to track your application through our online Applicant Record System.

We'll assess your application on the strength of your:

academic achievements
relevant professional experience
personal statement
academic references

We'll get back to you within 6 weeks with a decision about your application.

Equality and diversity

We treat and select everyone in line with our Equality and Diversity Statement.

Got a question?

Please contact us if you're not sure you have the right experience or qualifications to get onto this course.

Email: enquiries@southampton.ac.uk
Tel: +44(0)23 8059 5000

Logistics and Supply Chain Analytics (MSc)