Key information
Duration: 1 year full time
Institution code: R72
Campus: Central London
UK fees*: £12,600
International/EU fees**: £20,700
The course
Logistics and Supply Chain Management (MSc)
Whatever the industry, and whether operating globally or nationally, it’s more important than ever for businesses to manage their supply chains and ecosystems carefully in order to succeed. Companies, government departments, and international organisations cannot survive for long without rigorous, efficient and strategic management of supply chains and logistics. They need to demonstrate their resilience against disruption and adversity, the incorporation of new technologies, and the application of e-security, location, and outsourcing decisions in a world of rapid technological change, global industrial restructuring and retrenchment and onset of dangerous climate change.
On our one-year Logistics and Supply Chain Management MSc, taught at our campus in London, you’ll gain a thorough understanding of the forces at work and knowledge of sophisticated tools to strategically manage both large, complex, technology-based supply chains, as well as more traditional ones. You’ll cover logistics and procurement often across national boundaries, companies, regions, and time-zones.
Our focused and highly relevant curriculum is based on current thinking and real-world experience and needs in managing supply chains globally as technologies, markets and the international business and trade environment are changing fast. You’ll learn from senior academics and experienced practitioners, with input from CEOs and senior executives across a range of industries. These industry connections have informed the content and design of the course.
We recruit students from arts, sciences, manufacturing, business, management, and services and prepare them for successful careers across many industries: high technology manufacturing, engineering, electronics and computing, service sectors, fashion and clothing, food and agriculture, pharmaceuticals and bio medical, aid agencies, disaster relief and NGOs.
This MSc is accredited by The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport and is studied at our campus right in the centre of London.
From time to time, we make changes to our courses to improve the student and learning experience. If we make a significant change to your chosen course, we’ll let you know as soon as possible.
Course structure
Core Modules
This year we will be running the following insightful mandatory modules:
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This module introduces you to the concept and definition of logistics and supply chain management, how it is increasingly recognised as a competitive strategy and the influence of logistics and supply chain management to other major functional activities to a firm's success. Responsiveness, reliability, resilience and relationships are the basis for successful logistics and supply chain management. These key trends are explored through lectures and case studies to understand the theoretical insights as well as the effective practices faced by international supply chains.
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In this module you will be introduced to various information systems and technologies that can contribute to the efficient management of the supply chain. By examining the role of information in international supply chains, students will learn the need for information visibility and transparency across the supply network and the barriers to achieving it.
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This module introduces the concepts and techniques of network design and analysis and uses these to demonstrate how distribution networks are designed and optimised. The basics of managing logistics operations, transport options and warehousing and inventory management are assessed through lectures tutorial and case discussions. You will gain an understanding of optimisation, modelling and network design and working with third parties.
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This module aims to introduce the concepts and techniques of marketplace dynamics and customer service excellence to demonstrate how channel management approaches are used, designed and optimised. You will be introduced to the concept of servitization and will be able to identify the shift from productization to servitization, the rise of omni chain retailing, impact on logistics, sharing economy and the rise of customer centric supply chains.
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This module introduces you to the concept of the circular economy and how it contributes to a more sustainable supply chain. You will be introduced to key aspects of sustainability and climate change and key megatrends impacting the supply chains of the future. Sustainability is a key concern to supply chain managers particularly since the globalisation of supply chains, where economics, ethics and the environment most widely known as the triple bottom line are critical in supply chain decision-making.
- Professional Project Management Skills
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This module is an independent research project. You may select a topic of their choice related to logistics and Supply Chain management which has to be approved by the Course Director. The project should demonstrate both the technical knowledge that is being acquired throughout this Master’s degree programme, and also the ability to integrate knowledge from different subject areas in order to apply it analytically to a business-related, problem.
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The module is a specialist yet multidisciplinary module designed for students with an interest in examining international operations and quality management, and sustainable development, sustainability, and green environmental practices in an ever-changing global world. The module will consider both past practices and approaches of sustainable development, while examining the current and emerging challenges relating to Global Sustainable Development goals for organisations and communities.
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This module will describe the key principles of academic integrity, focusing on university assignments. Plagiarism, collusion and commissioning will be described as activities that undermine academic integrity, and the possible consequences of engaging in such activities will be described. Activities, with feedback, will provide you with opportunities to reflect and develop your understanding of academic integrity principles.
Teaching & assessment
Over the 12 months of this course, you’ll take seven taught course units, attend various seminars and workshops and complete an independent business research project. And at the end of the year, you will apply the techniques and theories you’ve learned during the taught elements in a Masters level thesis of 10,000–12,000 words on a supply chain related topic. The dissertation will typically consist of a literature review followed by empirical work, involving either qualitative or quantitative research.
You’ll learn from highly experienced practitioners, including input from CEOs and senior executives from international firms across a range of industries. These industry connections have informed the content and design of the course, in a way that will not only build on your existing knowledge and experience but increase your chances of finding employment at a salary level higher than the graduate national average wage in your chosen sector.
Entry requirements
2:2
Your first degree should be in a relevant subject.
Normally, we require a UK 2:2 (Honours) or equivalent. Candidates with relevant professional qualifications or professional experience in an associated area will also be considered.
International & EU requirements
English language requirements
All teaching at Royal Holloway is in English. You will therefore need to have good enough written and spoken English to cope with your studies right from the start. Find out what scores we require.
Country-specific requirements
For more information about country-specific entry requirements for your country please see here.
Your future career
Graduates of our supply chain courses have proven to be highly employable and pursued careers across a range of industries.
Roles in supply chain and logistics management can vary and are not limited to professionals who oversee the implementation and operations of supply chains, outsourcing, procurement, transportation, and logistics. A typical role could include taking ownership of a specific aspect of a supply chain project, ensuring that it is delivered to all stakeholders and meets the competitive needs of an organisation. You might be the person who provides detailed knowledge on a specific supply chain management discipline, or provides professional support services to a range of supply chain and procurement needs of an organisation, including international aid and disaster relief logistics management and planning.
With an MSc, you can progress your career in a wide range of positions in industry, make substantial contributions to multidisciplinary teams, strategically managing domestic and international supply chains, logistics, procurement, global sourcing, finance, technology acquisition, and risk management, amongst others. This will help you progress through an organisation into senior management positions or change career paths across industries, government, and NGOs. Some industries you could go into include:
- Electronics, Mobile Communication and Computing
- Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare
- Food and Agriculture
- Energy
- Supermarkets
- Textiles, Clothing and Fashion Industries
- Finance and International Banking
- Manufacturing, Aerospace, Automotive, Heavy Engineering
- High –tech Materials and Components Start-Ups
- Minerals, Oil &Gas
- Commodities Trade, Procurement and Distribution
- Shipping
- Airlines
- Music, Film Production, TV Production
- Government Departments
- International Aid, Disaster Relief and NGO
Fees, funding & scholarships
Home (UK) students tuition fee per year*: £12,600
EU and international students tuition fee per year**: £20,700
Other essential costs***: There are no single associated costs greater than £50 per item on this course
How do I pay for it? Find out more about funding options, including loans, grants, scholarships and bursaries.
* and ** These tuition fees apply to students enrolled on a full-time basis. Students studying on the standard part-time course structure over two years are charged 50% of the full-time applicable fee for each study year.
All postgraduate fees are subject to inflationary increases. This means that the overall cost of studying the course via part-time mode is slightly higher than studying it full-time in one year. Royal Holloway's policy is that any increases in fees will not exceed 5% for continuing students. For further information, please see our terms and conditions. Please note that for research courses, we adopt the minimum fee level recommended by the UK Research Councils for the Home tuition fee. Each year, the fee level is adjusted in line with inflation (currently, the measure used is the Treasury GDP deflator). Fees displayed here are therefore subject to change and are usually confirmed in the spring of the year of entry. For more information on the Research Council Indicative Fee please see the RCUK website.
** The UK Government has confirmed that EU nationals are no longer eligible to pay the same fees as UK students, nor be eligible for funding from the Student Loans Company. This means you will be classified as an international student. At Royal Holloway, we wish to support those students affected by this change in status through this transition. For eligible EU students starting their course with us during the academic year 2023/24, we will award a fee reduction scholarship equivalent to 30% of the difference between the UK and international fee for your course. This will apply for the duration of your course. Find out more
*** These estimated costs relate to studying this particular degree at Royal Holloway during the 2022/23 academic year, and are included as a guide. Costs, such as accommodation, food, books and other learning materials and printing, have not been included.
