Operations Management Graduate Certificate Program

 This certificate program consists of the following required course:

(1) Operations Analysis

Participants will choose two of the following three courses:

• Global Supply Chain Management
• Project Management
• Strategic Sourcing

The program provides the insights of faculty, case studies, real-world strategies and examples, experiential learning methods, as well as valuable networking opportunities.

Operations Analysis: MGMT 551 (required)

This operations course deals with the systematic design, direction, and control of business processes that transform inputs into services and products. The purpose of this introductory course is to provide students with a thorough introduction to the concepts and analytical skills of operations management needed to understand and improve the business of various organizations. The course aims to expand their managerial (soft) skills as well as hands-on analytical (hard) skills so that they understand how to deliver superior organizational performance in practical business settings. In particular, we will introduce various concepts and decision-making techniques related to issues such as operations strategy, performance measurement, process improvement, quality control, lean management, inventory, and supply chain management.

At the conclusion of the course our students are expected to be able to:

• Explain the basic issues, concepts, and terminologies in operations management theory
• Formulate operations strategies, set and prioritize strategic objectives and relevant action plans
• Demonstrate fundamental skills as how to measure organizational performance, analyze and improve processes, control process quality, manage inventory, and improve customer service
• Clarify problems, generate and evaluate alternatives using appropriate analytical and quantitative techniques, and draw conclusions
• Illustrate capability to apply theory to practical business scenarios and propose possible solutions to improve performance
• Develop perspectives on how and where today’s business and environmental trends fit into the ethical, global atmosphere
• Show effective written and oral communication skills to present and justify operational analysis results including recommendations

Choose two of the following:

Global Supply Chain Management: MGMT 633

Course Descriptions:

Explore the true scope, concepts, and approaches of supply chain management with thorough lectures and real-world cases. Explore processes, metrics and best practices and gain the skills necessary to manage supply chain flows (product, information and money) from sourcing and acquisition through delivery to every customer within the service and manufacturing sectors. By the end of the course, you should have developed an appreciation for the challenges in managing a global supply chain and the ability to apply analytical tools and conceptual frameworks for solving practical value chain problems.

Course Objectives:

At the end of the course our students are expected to be able to:

• Explain the basic issues, concepts, and terminologies in global supply chain management theory
• Illustrate six supply chain performance drivers, formulate business strategy, set and prioritize supply chain decisions in global settings to improve performance
• Demonstrate fundamental skills as how to measure supply chain performance, analyze and improve supply chain, and improve supply chain profitability
• Show effective written and oral communication skills to present and justify relevant value chain analysis results including recommendations

Prerequisites: MGMT 551

Project Management: MGMT 654

Course Descriptions:

Learn and then apply effective project planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. Includes in-depth study of effective project behaviors for teams and managers. Explore both waterfall and Agile project concepts through lectures, cases, and a real-world project. By the end of the course, you will understand and will have practiced important project concepts such as building and leading teams, effectively communicating with stakeholders, managing quality, and making ethical project decisions.

Course Objectives:

• At the end of the course, students are expected to be able to:
• Identify the terminology, concepts, research, and theory related to Project Management
• Identify and execute the variety of tasks a project manager must complete and develop possible solutions to problems
• Address team behavioral issues.
• Make and defend project plan decisions both orally and in writing
• Evaluate ethical and social decisions in project management
• Manage professional relationships with project sponsors and project mentors
• Provide sponsors with a high-quality product, contributing to their organizational effectiveness

Prerequisites: MGMT 551

Strategic Sourcing: MGMT 635

Firms are trying their best to find ways to improve their performance in today’s increasingly competitive and globalized world. Sourcing and purchasing plays a key role in a firm’s ability to be more efficient, more profitable, and more competitive. It has great impact on a firm’s performance and overall competitiveness. It impacts all functional activities of a firm, including marketing and sales, customer service, manufacturing planning and control, inventory management, quality management, product design, human resource management, technology management, financial planning, and e-commerce activities.

During this course, through a combination of case analyses, projects, and article reviews, we will examine the major sourcing and purchasing concepts and issues, including purchasing process and strategy, supply management integration, supplier evaluation, selection and development, worldwide sourcing, cost management, contract management, risk management, negotiation, sourcing proposals analysis, and sourcing/purchasing information systems. Additionally, we will also explore the legal and ethical issues surrounding the sourcing/purchasing decisions.

Prerequisites: MGMT 551

This professional development series gives participants the skills and knowledge to:

• Align operations to your company’s business model and competitive priorities
• Reengineer processes to better serve your customers
• Streamline operations across functions and departments to improve productivity and profits
• Accurately measure operational performance for assessment, benchmarking, and improvement
• Reduce costs by optimizing resource allocation and process management
• Conduct continuous performance improvement
• Design and implement the best value chain design for your company to sustain its operations in the long term