PMLSGMAN - MSc Logistics and Supply Chain Management

The MSc Logistics and Supply Chain Management is designed for postgraduate students who aspire to pursue leadership roles in Logistics, Supply Chain Management, and related fields. Students will develop the strategic, technical, and operational competencies required to manage supply networks, enhance logistics processes, and respond to contemporary challenges including digital disruption, global trade volatility, climate change, and socio-political change. The programme combines academic theory with industry insight, with an emphasis on sustainability, digital innovation, and ethical practice across areas including global sourcing, inventory and transport management, supply chain analytics, and risk mitigation.

Students will engage in authentic, work-related learning and assessment designed to reflect real-world professional scenarios. Teaching is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, and tutorials on the on-campus route, and through equivalent synchronous and asynchronous online sessions for students on the distance learning route, with an emphasis on student-centred learning to promote independent enquiry, critical thinking, and reflective practice. Formative feedback is embedded throughout the programme, enabling students to identify knowledge gaps and refine both technical and transferable skills.

The programme is available in 2 delivery modes, on-campus or a distance learning route, with students enrolling on one route at the point of application. On-campus students benefit from a blended learning approach combining face-to-face teaching with web-based technologies. Distance learning students access all teaching through the University's Virtual Learning Environment (Weblearn), with learning materials available 24/7. Studying on our distance learning route will provide you with synchronous lectures and tutorials for each module and, while synchronous online attendance is not mandatory, students are strongly encouraged to participate as these sessions support deeper engagement with the subject and connection with peers and academic staff. All our students will also have access to e-books, academic journals, and relevant industry databases to support independent study and research.

To support flexible learning, recordings of taught sessions, where appropriate, together with additional asynchronous learning materials, are made available via the Virtual Learning Environment. This enables students to access and engage with module content at a time that suits their individual study and professional commitments.

Students who choose the optional Global Immersion and Professional Practice module will undertake an intensive, globally situated boot camp residential, engaging directly with host organisations and industry partners through live professional challenges. This distinctive feature of the programme develops the collaborative capability, professional confidence, and cross-cultural competency increasingly demanded by global employers.

London Metropolitan University is deeply committed to social justice and the transformative power of education. Students will be encouraged to engage fully with their studies and to realise their potential within a supportive learning community that values diverse backgrounds and perspectives.

This course aims to develop students’ knowledge and understanding of the fundamental principles and practices underpinning contemporary Logistics and Supply Chain Management. The programme focuses on key areas, including sustainable and ethical procurement, global supply chain economics and finance, supply chain analytics and information management, logistics systems and operations management, international logistics, transport systems, and project management within supply chain contexts.

The course is designed to equip graduates with the technical, analytical, and managerial competencies required to plan, design, implement, and optimise logistics and supply chain operations in complex organisational environments. It aims to develop students’ ability to evaluate and improve supply chain performance through the application of appropriate analytical tools, digital technologies, and industry-relevant practices.

The programme further seeks to enhance students’ critical thinking and problem-solving capabilities, enabling them to identify, analyse, and respond effectively to operational, strategic, and sustainability challenges across global supply networks. Graduates will be prepared to contribute to the efficient management of logistics processes, including sourcing, transportation, inventory control, distribution, and risk mitigation.

Overall, the course aims to produce graduates who possess the professional knowledge, practical skills, and strategic awareness required to manage integrated logistics and supply chain functions and to support organisational resilience and competitiveness in a rapidly evolving global marketplace.

Through the School’s established links with industry, students will be exposed to contemporary logistics and supply chain practices within real-world contexts. Engagement with UK and international organisations, including opportunities for industry visits or equivalent online engagement with industry professionals for distance learning students, will enable students to gain insight into current sector challenges and operational environments, supporting the development of relevant practical knowledge and enhancing graduate employability within the Logistics and Supply Chain profession.

The programme additionally aims to develop students’ professional confidence, resilience, and capacity for reflective practice through the optional Global Immersion and Professional Practice module, which situates learning within live, real-world professional environments and supports the development of the collaborative and cross-cultural competencies increasingly demanded by global employers.

On successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

University Learning Outcome

1. Demonstrate confidence, resilience, ambition and creativity, and act as inclusive, collaborative and socially responsible practitioners in the field of logistics and supply chain management.

Knowledge and Understanding

2. Critically evaluate advanced knowledge of logistics systems, supply chain operations, global trade dynamics, financial decision making, project management principles, and digital technologies to devise solutions to complex supply chain management problems.

Problem Solving

3. Design integrated logistics and supply chain solutions that demonstrate originality and meet organisational, societal, commercial, environmental, and customer requirements, while considering regulatory frameworks, ethical sourcing, and sustainability principles.

Analysis

4. Critically analyse complex logistics and supply chain management problems using appropriate quantitative, financial, operational, and digital analytical techniques, evaluating academic and industry-based evidence to reach justified conclusions.

Delivery / Skills / Practice

5. Critically appraise and synthesise appropriate operational strategies, enterprise systems, and performance measurement frameworks to enhance the efficiency, resilience, and sustainability of logistics and supply chain operations across international contexts.

6. Critically appraise team and individual performance within multidisciplinary logistics and supply chain contexts, exercising professional leadership and judgement, and communicating effectively, to deliver effective outcomes in complex and unpredictable environments.

Values and Principles

7. Critically assess the environmental, ethical, and societal impacts of logistics and supply chain strategies, synthesising complex findings into professional communications that demonstrate integrity and a commitment to responsible global practice.

Subject Benchmark Statement: Business and Management

Assessment design across the programme is informed by reflection on professional practice, subject-specific scholarship, and educational research. Assessment tasks require students to develop original, evidence-based responses to complex logistics and supply chain challenges, reflecting the analytical and decision-making demands of professional roles. Methods include coursework reports, case study evaluations, design projects, presentations, professional portfolios, in-class tests, and a dissertation; modules typically incorporate more than one component to allow students to demonstrate knowledge and capability across a range of formats.

At least one summative authentic assessment is included at every level of the course, grounded in industry-informed scenarios that reflect real-world operational contexts. The Global Immersion and Professional Practice module provides the most immersive example of this: Component 1 is an Applied Professional Challenge Report, produced in direct response to a live industry brief during the boot camp residential; Component 2 is a Professional Development and Reflective Portfolio, evidencing sustained critical reflection across all three phases of the module. Full details of both components are set out in the Boot Camp Briefing Document, issued at the start of each cohort year.

Assessment is designed to be inclusive and accessible, in-line with the University's Education for Social Justice Framework. Diverse assessment formats, flexible submission routes, and industry-relevant scenarios ensure that students from all backgrounds can demonstrate their capabilities. Students are encouraged to select topics and contexts for project-based work that reflect their own professional experience and interests, promoting engagement and equity of opportunity.

Staff and students engage in dialogue throughout the programme to promote a shared understanding of academic expectations. Assessment briefs provide clear criteria and standards; formative activities, including workshops, seminars, and draft feedback, are embedded in each module to help students develop good academic practice and prepare for summative submission. For distance learning students, equivalent formative engagement is provided through online discussion boards, synchronous tutorials, and asynchronous VLE activities. Feedback on all summative work is provided in a timely and developmental manner, enabling students to reflect on their performance and apply learning to subsequent assessments.

All summative assessments are submitted electronically through Turnitin via Weblearn. Marking processes, including second marking, moderation, and external examination, are clearly articulated and consistently operated. Students are informed of these procedures during induction and module delivery.

N/A

September Start – 2 Years

Year 1 Autumn Semester

• Supply Chain Systems and Operations Management (core)
• Project Management Principles (core)

Year 1 Spring Semester

• Ethical Procurement and Sustainable Supply Chain Management (core)
• Global Economics and Supply Chain Finance (core)

Year 2 Autumn Semester

• Transportation Engineering Systems and Simulation (core)
• Applied Research Project (core)

Year 2 Spring Semester

Students choose one optional module from:

• Supply Chain Analytics and Information Management (option)
• Global Immersion and Professional Practice (option)
• International Logistics (option)
• Applied Research Project (core)

February start, 2 years + 4 months*

Year 1 Spring Semester (February Start)

• Ethical Procurement and Sustainable Supply Chain Management (core)
• Global Economics and Supply Chain Finance (core)

Year 1 Autumn Semester

• Supply Chain Systems and Operations Management (core)
• Project Management Principles (core)

Year 2 Spring Semester

Students choose one optional module from:

• Supply Chain Analytics and Information Management (option)
• Global Immersion and Professional Practice (option)
• International Logistics (option)
• CO7P00S Applied Research Project (core)

Year 2 Autumn Semester

• Transportation Engineering Systems and Simulation (core)
• CO7P00A(DL) - Applied Research Project (core)

Year 2 + 4 months* Spring Semester core module CO7P00A(DL) Applied Research Project.

*For Spring starters, the Dissertation module (CO7P00S[DL] and CO7P00A[DL]) requires 4 additional months to allow students to write up their dissertation. This is due to the summer months (June, July, August) in Year 1 not utilised for teaching purposes on the course.


Standard Academic University Regulations apply. All modules pass on aggregate.

Postgraduate Diploma (Pg Dip) Logistics and Supply Chain Management (120 credits) - any combination of the modules except for Dissertation Project module.

Postgraduate Certificate (Pg Cert) Logistics and Supply Chain Management (60 credits) - must include at least one module in Logistics and at least one module in Supply Chain Management core. 

As with many postgraduate disciplines, students are required to develop a robust understanding of advanced subject knowledge, concepts, and discipline-specific terminology within Logistics and Supply Chain Management. This is achieved through engagement with a range of learning resources, including textbooks, academic journals, professional standards, industry reports, and other online materials, supported by independent research.

To facilitate the development of advanced intellectual and professional competencies expected at master’s level, the programme adopts a strong emphasis on project-based and enquiry-based learning. Within this approach, students are presented with open-ended scenarios that reflect contemporary Logistics and Supply Chain Management challenges. These scenarios encourage exploration of multiple potential responses and solutions, requiring students to determine appropriate lines of enquiry and select suitable analytical or operational methods.

Students are expected to draw upon their existing knowledge while identifying individual learning needs in order to address complex supply chain and logistics problems. Academic staff act as facilitators of learning by providing structured guidance, formative feedback, and academic support to enable students to exercise professional judgement, make informed decisions, critically reflect on feedback, and develop practical and sustainable solutions.

Through regular formative and summative assessments, students are encouraged to engage in reflective practice and to evaluate their own learning and development. Opportunities for both synchronous and asynchronous feedback are embedded across the programme to support continuous improvement and personal development.

This student-centred approach promotes independent learning and requires students to take responsibility for their academic and professional progression. Learning activities are designed to reflect real-world Logistics and Supply Chain contexts, where problems may be characterised by uncertainty, incomplete data, and competing operational constraints.

Through engagement with these learning processes, students develop a deeper understanding of subject knowledge alongside transferable skills, including critical thinking, problem-solving, communication, and professional awareness, which are essential for effective practice within the Logistics and Supply Chain Management profession.

The optional Global Immersion and Professional Practice module provides the most structured and immersive vehicle for reflective learning and professional identity development within the programme. Through its three-phase structure of pre-boot camp preparation, boot camp residential, and post-boot camp synthesis, students are supported in critically reflecting on their professional development, evaluating the learning gained through immersive practice, and articulating how this informs their future professional identity. The module’s reflective portfolio assessment is explicitly designed to evidence this developmental process and support students in articulating their professional growth.

CILT

As Logistics and Supply Chain professionals, graduates will develop technical expertise, analytical capability, and strategic management skills that are highly valued by employers across a wide range of sectors, including Transportation and Distribution, Retail, Manufacturing, e-Commerce, Third-Party Logistics (3PL), Warehousing, and International Trade.

The MSc Logistics and Supply Chain Management programme prepares graduates for diverse professional roles within the industry, including positions in Procurement and Sourcing, Supply Chain Analysis, Logistics Planning, Inventory and Operations Management, Transport Coordination, Distribution Management, and Supply Chain Consultancy.

As organisations increasingly rely on efficient and resilient supply chain systems to maintain competitiveness and respond to global market challenges, there is growing demand for professionals who possess both specialised Logistics and Supply Chain knowledge and strong operational and project management skills. Typical employers include logistics service providers, retail and manufacturing organisations, multinational corporations, supply chain consultancies, freight and transportation companies, Public Sector bodies, and international trade organisations.

The technical, managerial, and professional competencies developed through the programme are also transferable to related sectors such as Renewable Energy, Infrastructure, Construction, and Advanced Manufacturing, where integrated supply chain and logistics systems are critical to operational performance.

The optional Global Immersion and Professional Practice module further strengthens graduate employability by providing direct engagement with industry partners, employers, and professional stakeholders through a live residential boot camp. Students who undertake this module gain experience of working on authentic professional challenges within multidisciplinary teams, developing and presenting strategic recommendations to industry panels in a real-world context. This immersive experience, and the professional networks developed through it, are increasingly valued by employers seeking graduates who can operate confidently across organisational and cultural boundaries.

In addition to industry-based career pathways, graduates may also pursue further academic study or research opportunities in Logistics, Supply Chain Management, or related disciplines as part of their continuing professional development.

As a Logistics and Supply Chain Professional, your analytical skills, business knowledge, and communication skills will be valued by employers in a range of sectors – including Business, Retail, Logistics, Supply Chain, Construction, and project management. You could also pursue an academic or research-oriented career.

Typical employers include: Retailers, manufacturers, and logistics companies, as well as organisations in healthcare, technology, and government. These roles exist in almost every industry that handles physical goods, from e-commerce giants like Amazon and DHL to large corporations such as Siemens and PepsiCo, and public sector entities.

You will be required to have:

• Minimum 2:2 honours degree in a related subject

If applying with non-standard qualifications and/or relevant experience: may be considered on an individual basis.