Overview

BTBU is one of the earliest institutions in China to establish a Supply Chain Management program. As a new and emerging discipline crucial to the national development of new productivity, this program began national recruitment in 2020 and was selected in 2021 as one of the first pilot programs for the new liberal arts construction by the Ministry of Education’s Logistics Management and Engineering Teaching Advisory Committee. Guided by the industry positioning of “Digital Element-Driven” and “Smart Green Development,” the program is based in the capital, serving nationwide and globally, utilizing cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data analysis, and deep learning, focusing on the digital transformation of supply chains to support supply chain operations, consulting, finance, and high-quality economic development.

Educational Objectives

The Supply Chain Management program aims to enhance the national industry and supply chain optimization and upgrading. It is designed to cultivate high-caliber supply chain management professionals who systematically understand supply chain optimization and operations, are familiar with supply chain management knowledge in a global context, possess international perspectives and leadership abilities, have complex data analysis skills, scientific research capabilities, and logical thinking skills. Graduates will be prepared for roles in supply chain design, organization, finance, international investment and trade, urban supply chain planning, and other areas.

Program Features and Advantages

The program evolved from the Logistics Management major, which was recognized as a national-level first-class undergraduate program. It continues the foundation and strengths of logistics management while leveraging BTBU’s location in the capital to absorb various industry demands and training suggestions for supply chain management professionals. It has developed a comprehensive international-oriented training system with three distinctive directions: digital supply chain management, supply chain finance, and international supply chain management. This approach cultivates innovative supply chain management talent with a blend of liberal arts and sciences, engineering and management, and interdisciplinary integration, providing a well-rounded, distinctive education system with clear pathways for employment and further study.

Faculty Competence

The program boasts a robust academic and teaching team, including members of national-level excellent teaching teams, experts receiving special government allowances from the State Council, Beijing teaching masters, Beijing Great Wall Scholars, and youth talents selected for the Youth Talent Support Project by the Beijing Municipal Organization Department. The faculty comprises 24 full-time teachers, including 9 professors, 9 associate professors, 8 doctoral supervisors, and 22 master’s supervisors. Among them, 23 hold doctoral degrees, and 17 have overseas visiting or study experience, capable of teaching in English and possessing broad international perspectives.

In the past five years, the faculty has led over 40 national and provincial-level research projects, published over 20 monographs, and undertaken over 60 applied research projects from government agencies and large and medium-sized enterprises. They have also published more than 50 high-quality research papers in authoritative journals such as FMS Management Science, SCI, SSCI, and prominent journals like Journal of Management World, Chinese Journal of Management Science, IEEE Transactions, and TR series journals.

Core Courses

Supply Chain Management (Bilingual), Intelligent Supply Chain Management Technology, Supply Chain Quality Management (Bilingual), Supply Chain System Planning and Design (English), Supply Chain Finance, Supply Chain Modeling and Simulation, Business Data Analysis and Application, Supply Chain Risk Management, Data Mining and Business Intelligence, Python Programming, etc. The courses within the program include 1 Beijing Excellence Course, 1 course selected for the National Logistics Teaching Advisory Committee’s ideological and political teaching case library, and several course textbooks awarded provincial and ministerial first and second prizes.

Practical Teaching

The program emphasizes integrating academic and practical experience, constructing a “Corporate Mentor + Practice Base + Discipline Competition” triad practical teaching system in line with national development strategies such as the “Four Centers” (national political center, cultural center, center for international exchanges and center for technological innovation) construction in the capital, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development, and supply chain optimization and upgrading.

1. A “Academic Mentor + Practice Mentor” collaborative education model is implemented. Notable industry leaders serve as practice mentors to enhance students’ interest and practical skills, achieving an innovative talent cultivation goal that integrates modern supply chain management theory with corporate practice.

2. Multiple teaching practice bases have been established, offering internship and employment opportunities. Recent partnerships with industry associations and relevant enterprises provide students with abundant internship and career prospects, laying a solid foundation for their career planning.

3. Leveraging academic competitions to enhance students’ comprehensive practical and innovative abilities, students are actively encouraged to participate in national and international competitions such as the National Supply Chain Competition and the International Supply Chain Modeling Competition. These competitions have significantly improved students’ interdisciplinary knowledge application and practical innovation skills. A total of 12 teams have won first, second, and third prizes in Beijing-level competitions, while 2 teams have won first prizes in the 1st and 3rd National Supply Chain Competitions.

Graduates’ Employment and Further Study

The 2024 Report on the Work of the Government highlights “supply chains” multiple times, signaling an increased demand for supply chain management professionals. Renowned companies such as Walmart, Intel, Huawei, JD.com, Midea, ByteDance, and Decathlon have established roles in supply chain operations, procurement, and planning. Graduates have clear pathways for further study, with opportunities at prestigious domestic institutions like Renmin University of China, Central University of Finance and Economics, University of International Business and Economics, Nankai University, Fudan University, and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Internationally, top institutions such as MIT, Rotterdam School of Management, and the University of Manchester offer graduate programs in supply chain management. The department offering this program holds the authority to grant master’s degrees in the first-level discipline of “Management Science and Engineering,” the second-level discipline of “Technology Economics and Management,” and the professional master’s degree in “Logistics Engineering and Management.” In this way, students will have a well-defined pathway for advancing to further studies through graduate school entrance examinations or recommendation for postgraduate study.