Transportation and technology concept.

Supply Chain Management

Ph.D. Program

The University of Tennessee’s Supply Chain Management Ph.D. program is designed for ambitious scholars seeking to make a profound impact in academia, industry, and policy. With a focus on rigorous training in theory, quantitative methods, and cutting-edge research, our program prepares students to tackle complex global challenges. Join a community of dedicated faculty and peers committed to advancing knowledge and shaping the future.

The Haslam College of Business’ supply chain Ph.D. is a five-year program designed to cultivate top scholars in the field. The program cuts across all facets of supply chain management including logistics, procurement and operations.

Our faculty is renowned within the field, and Haslam’s supply chain programs are regularly ranked in the top five nationally by SCM World, Gartner and U.S. News and World Report.

Faculty consistently and extensively publish their research in top academic supply chain journals and were ranked fourth globally for empirical research publications by the SCM Journal List. They also are active in industry research and often quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Supply Chain Management Review, Forbes and Industry Week.

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Supply Chain Management PH.D.

Admissions

The supply chain Ph.D. program is kept small to provide students with close interaction with our faculty and fellow students.

Candidates must apply through UT’s Graduate School.

Competitive applications are welcomed between September and January prior to each admission period. The admission process is highly competitive, and the criteria below are a starting point for positioning in the admission process.

Supply Chain Management PH.D.

Requirements

  • Undergraduate Degree
    All accepted
  • Master’s Degree
    MBA or other master’s preferred
  • Average GPA
    3.5
  • Average GMAT
    640-740, (GRE accepted, but GMAT preferred)
  • Work Experience
    Industry experience preferred
  • English Language Proficiency
  • IELTS
    6.5
  • TOEFL
    IBT 80
    CBT 213
    PBT 550
  • Personal statement and resume are required.

Supply Chain Management PH.D.

Financial Aid

Students accepted into the program are granted assistantships with competitive stipends and full tuition waiver. The tuition waiver does not cover some university fees and departmental fees.

Assistantships require students to either work 20 hours per week during the fall and spring semesters as a research assistant or to teach sections of a class per semester. Students typically teach during one or two semesters while in the program. Consistent with the program’s emphasis on developing the student’s research skills, we strive to have candidates spend most of their time in the program working as a research assistant.

Supply Chain Management PH.D.

Key Dates

Applications are accepted starting in August, and decisions are generally made in late February or early March of each year.

Priority Deadline

February 1

Marketing PH.D.

Testimonials

Vince Castillo

Assistant Professor of Logistics
The Ohio State University

No matter the doctoral program you attend, learning to become a scholar is a challenging process to undertake. What makes UT’s Supply Chain Management (SCM) doctoral program unique is that the faculty create conditions for inquisitive and motivated students to develop into emerging scholars and future business school leaders. As the research standards of academia continue to rise, UT’s SCM faculty not only remain on the leading edge but show their students how to do the same. Having completed the SCM Ph.D. program at UT, I feel that I have a solid foundation of how to conduct rigorous and relevant research that helps shape supply chain management theory and practice.

Susan Golicic

Director of Supply Chain Forum and Professor of Supply Chain Management
Colorado State University

I absolutely loved my experience as a doctoral student at UT! It was challenging and fun and really prepared me for the positions I’ve had and success in academia I’ve experienced. The faculty at Haslam are outstanding scholars and really care about the success of their students.

The supply chain field is getting more challenging with respect to research expectations, and the changes being implemented in the Haslam program will help better prepare students to find the right position for them.

Rodney Thomas

Associate Professor of Marketing & Supply Chain Management
Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management
University of Arkansas

The UT Ph.D. program certainly helped me become a self-sufficient and independent scholar. I think the recent shift to a more an apprentice type of approach holds tremendous merit for helping students get published earlier in their careers, but it can still provide the flexibility for them to also develop their own stream of research.

LaDonna Thorton

Assistant Professor of Supply Chain Management
Florida State University

Attending the University of Tennessee’s Supply Chain Management Ph.D. program was the best decision for me. While the program was demanding, I developed into a scholar because of faculty guidance. I am grateful for my time there and highly recommend the program to people interested in studying Supply Chain Management.

Brian S. Fugate

Oren Harris Endowed Chair in Transportation
University of Arkansas

The UT doctoral program is designed and executed to create future leaders in the supply chain academy. And it delivers on that goal time and time again, creating scholars of both theory and practice. The program created a foundation that served me well in conducting lifelong rigorous and relevant research. The recent changes to the program makes the doctoral experience truly supply chain oriented, with a breadth covering all aspects of supply chain and a depth to address the most important challenges facing business today and in the future.