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When you think of transportation and warehousing careers, academia may not be the immediate forum that comes to mind. But the opportunities to maximize salaries in this traditionally blue-collar field are increasing rapidly.
While college degrees in transportation studies are nothing new, the field of study is expanding to include aspects of management, public relations, finance, marketing and almost any other business angle you can think of. That means the type of job -- and salary -- you could obtain after getting a logistics degree is up for grabs. The logistics industry, eager for new talent, is doling out money to help give willing entrants a leg up.
Evolving Studies
"Logistics programs themselves are really more recent history, probably starting in the 1970s," says Kathleen Hedland, director of education and research for the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals(CSCMP). Dozens of colleges offer three- to five-day certification programs, but bachelor's and master's degrees in logistics vary according to institution. For example, a technical school might offer logistics classes emphasizing information technology, while a business school would incorporate logistics into management courses. Only a handful of colleges offer full departments of logistics and transportation, notes Hedland.
But that is changing as global supply chain management -- the odyssey of a container of goods from one country to another -- grows by leaps and bounds. In the US alone, movement of containers is expected to increase by 350 percent in the next 20 years. Security and antiterrorism concerns coupled with just-in-time delivery concepts, when goods arrive on the specific day needed, mean greater emphasis on technology and personnel.
"Logistics and supply chain management have been around for thousands of years," says Oliver Hedgepeth, chairman of logistics at the University of Alaska, Anchorage. "However, in US companies, having a person named the logistics manager has only been around for 15 years. They're beginning to recognize that they need specialists in logistics to succeed, because we live in a global business world environment."
Several years ago, the University of Alaska -- located in the key global shipping hub of Anchorage -- worked with companies such as FedEx, UPS and two local shipping lines to create an academic program that reflects practical skills needed by those companies. This includes first-ever classes on Radio Frequency ID tags (RFID). Three courses have been taught to date. Half the attendees are students, and the other half are industry professionals, says Hedgepeth.
The university also has an online graduate certificate program in conjunction with the University of Boise, says Hedgepeth. Universities in Hawaii and Reno will eventually contribute tourism and reverse logistics tracks. (Wikipedia defines reverse logistics as the process of removing new or used products from their initial point in a supply chain and redistributing them.)
Getting In
Whether you're a high school senior considering logistics as a course of study or already in the workforce, scholarships and financial aid are available.
For example, CSCSMP offers scholarships of more than $20,000 focused on those pursuing graduate degrees, says Hedland. The CSCMP sponsors a vast number of "roundtables" globally that include scholarships to specific schools or grants for those pursuing specific research projects. Organizations focusing on specific aspects of global supply chain management -- such as engineering, customer service and IT -- also offer scholarships. CSCMP also links to organizations and universities on its Web site and offers online training courses, student internship opportunities and other resources.
You can also get paid to pursue a logistics degree if you already work for a participating company. For example, FedEx will reimburse employees' tuition, says spokesman Ed Coleman. "Permanent full-time and permanent part-time employees can participate in the company's tuition assistance program," he says. "The program reimburses tuition and mandatory enrollment fees for eligible courses."
