Business is all about being as efficient and cost-effective as possible. A supply chain is a network between the business and its suppliers that help to produce and send out a product to the consumer. Using a supply chain can be a useful tool for businesses because it helps reduce costs to stay competitive in a tough marketplace. To help learn this vital skill, some people turn to online supply chain courses to master techniques and reinforce lessons.
A Quick Look: Best Supply Chain Courses
Take a sneak peek at Benzinga’s top picks for supply chain courses:
What Makes a Supply Chain Course Great?
As you start to explore supply chain courses, keep the following considerations in mind.
Covers Relevant Information
There are many aspects of the supply chain that you can study: logistics, operations, planning, sourcing and management. Are you interested in the big picture or want to hone your skills in one particular niche aspect of the supply chain? Consider your goals before committing to a class to make sure you are taking one that fulfills your needs.
Experienced Instructor
Does the instructor have business experience working with supply chains? What do the reviews say about the instructor? Look carefully at what past students have said in the reviews about how the material is presented. Watch a few introductory videos to check out the teaching style to see if you can learn well from the instructor. If you’re a beginner, you might want a course that starts slow and builds a solid foundation.
Includes Real-World Examples
Whether you are new to learning about the supply chain or you have the experience, studying real-world examples can help reinforce the lessons you learn. Having access to the case studies and examples can help you see what has worked and what hasn’t in a risk-free way.
Our Top Picks
Benzinga has scoured the internet to find the 9 best online supply chain courses. Some of the best come from the following sources:
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- LinkedIn Learning
- Rutgers University
- The New York Institute of Finance
- Udemy
The courses are split into 3 categories by skill level: beginner, intermediate and advanced. And even though many of these courses come from top universities like MIT and Rutgers, it doesn’t mean you have to pay a premium price to access the material. We’ve sorted the courses by price point as well so you can find a class that fits all your qualifications.
Supply Chain Course for Beginners
These supply chain courses are perfect for people who have little or no business experience. You’ll learn the basic terminology and concepts to help you succeed.
Supply Chain Analytics by Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Who it’s for: Beginners
- Price: Free
Supply Chain Analytics is a great beginner course that starts by teaching you introductory probability and decision analysis. After you have mastered this concept and how uncertainty can be modeled, you’ll learn more about statistics and regression. The last half of the course starts to give you foundational knowledge in optimization modeling, such as nonlinear, mixed-integer linear programming and unconstrained programming.
This course is hands-on. You’ll be creating spreadsheets to apply the concepts and techniques that are presented in various case studies that depict real-world supply chains.
While you don’t need to have any previous experience in working with a supply chain, you do need to have at least secondary school algebra and basic mathematics concepts, as well as some knowledge of statistics and probability to do well in the course.
Supply Chain Management Specialization by Rutgers University
- Who it’s for: Beginners
- Price: Free
Supply Chain Management Specialization contains 5 courses in one. You’ll learn supply chain logistics, operations, planning, sourcing and management strategy. Throughout the 5 courses, you’ll learn concepts like transportation, inventory, Six Sigma techniques, forecasting approachings and supplier relationships. The last task of the specialization is to complete a capstone project where you will solve a real-world business problem.
The course is completely self-paced. You’ll spend approximately 5 hours per week on the course and it will take you about 5 months to complete. Overall, the reviews of these 5 courses are positive, all averaging a 4.7 or higher. If you want a complete crash course in supply chain management, then this is the one for you.
Supply Chain and Operations Management Tips by LinkedIn Learning
Supply Chain and Operations Management Tips covers the foundational knowledge you need to understand the supply chain better. Over the 3-hour course, you’ll learn more about enforcing supply chain security, adopting strategic sourcing and minimizing the Bullwhip Effect.
Each module is split into bite-sized pieces, with each module lasting five minutes or less. You can quickly complete a video during small breaks during the day. Because you watch the video on a phone or tablet, you can even watch them on your commute into work. Once you have finished all the courses, you’ll get a certificate of completion on your LinkedIn that proves the skills you’ve learned.
These courses are best for people who have some supply chain experience but want to refine their techniques and learn new strategies.
Supply Chain Fundamentals by Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Who it’s for: Intermediate learners
- Price: Free
The Supply Chain Fundamentals course is another great free course from MIT. It builds on the foundation you might already have in supply chain and logistics. During the 13-week course, you’ll learn how to develop and apply analytical tools, methods and strategies. The instructor places a heavy emphasis on what tools you can use to improve your supply chain’s performance while reducing the overall cost.
You’ll also study real-world supply chain examples so you can apply your knowledge and learn from any mistakes you might make.
By spending 8-12 hours per week studying you can successfully complete this course in a timely manner, but it is self-paced so you can spend more or less time each week, depending on your schedule.
Supply Chain Finance and Blockchain Technology Specialization by the New York Institute of Finance
- Who it’s for: Intermediate learners
- Price: Free
The New York Institute of Finance delivers a high-quality series of courses with its Supply Chain Finance and Blockchain Technology Specialization. In the 4 courses, you’ll gain a better understanding of how traditional trade finance has evolved into supply chain finance. You’ll learn more about certain aspects like the main challenges, technology developments and trends.
The entire specialization will take you about 1 month to complete, as long as you’re spending about 12 hours per week. Of course, the courses are self-paced, so you can take longer if needed.
For those who are dealing with blockchain, these are excellent courses.
Implementing Supply Chain Management by LinkedIn Learning
- Who it’s for: Intermediate learners
- Price: $24.99
The Implementing Supply Chain Management course teaches you the fundamentals of source inputs. The instructor spends time talking about returning products, calculating costs, increasing visibility with a control tower and using AI and machine learning.
By the end of the 1.5-hour course, you’ll be able to identify the challenges that supply chain managers face and the trends that are impacting the industry. You’ll also learn a 5-step process that will help you implement the knowledge you learn in the course more effectively.
Advanced Supply Chain Course
The following advanced supply chain courses are best for people who have experience with supply chain management and want to take their skills and techniques to the next level.
Supply Chain Operations Metrics and KPI’s by Udemy
- Who it’s for: Advanced learners
- Price: $179.99
Supply Chain Operations Metrics and KPI’s focuses on high-performance supply chain management. You’ll learn how to plan for risks, evaluate the costs and improve relationships, all while applying great customer service.
Once you have finished the 1.5-hour course, you’ll be able to create your own strategy, manage the various processes and measure the performance of your supply chain.
Reviews of the course are positive, with many reviews stating that the course helped them channel their processes and improve their supply chain to become more efficient.
Supply Chain Design by Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Who it’s for: Advanced learners
- Price: Free
Supply Chain Design lets you learn from MIT instructors without having to pay thousands of dollars. While it is free to take the course, you can choose to add a verified certificate of completion for $299.
Throughout the 12-week, self-paced course, you’ll learn more about network design, finance, supplier management, production and demand planning, as well as organizational design.
This course is perfect for those who are considering a career as operations manager, supply chain analyst or logistics coordinator.
Supply Chain Technology and Systems by Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Who it’s for: Advanced learners
- Price: Free
Another great course that is free from MIT, Supply Chain Technology and Systems, focuses on the use of technology through the supply chain. By using technology properly, you can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the supply chain.
But because supply chains can be so large and with so many moving places and technology constantly evolves and improves, this course doesn’t focus on any particular software system. Instead, you will learn about core systems, data analysis and fundamental concepts.
The course takes about 13 weeks to complete, but you can take your time as there are no deadlines.
Supply Chain: Choosing the Right Course for You
Not every course will be the right one for you. Make sure to read the reviews, check the curriculum and research instructor credentials to help make sure you can actually apply the knowledge you learn during the course to your business.
