Program Overview

Introduction to Operations and Supply Chain Analytics

The Operations and Supply Chain Analytics (OSCA) programme equips students with the necessary concepts, methods, and tools to support decision-making processes in operations and supply chain management. By joining the OSCA programme, students will learn how to address complex problems and make more effective decisions based on data, completed consideration of available options, and careful predictions of outcomes and estimates of risk within the field of Operations and Supply Chain Management (OSCM).

OSCM is about planning and controlling the activities of a company as well as coordination between companies, in order to secure that the right product is delivered in the right quantities, to the right customer, at the right time, and at the right price. OSCM is one of the most critical factors in the long-term success of a business. The OSCM decisions involve sourcing, materials management, and operations planning, distribution and logistics planning, sales and demand forecasting, and order fulfillment, etc. A business with an efficient and effective operations and supply chain may significantly reduce all of the operating expenses, which contributes to a greater profit. Analytics helps realise business objectives by analysing data to create predictive models for forecasting and optimising business processes for enhanced performance. The successful applications of OSCA drive business innovation and help companies to stay competitive in real businesses.

Acquired Skills and Competencies

The OSCA programme aims at providing students with theoretical foundation, quantitative and analytical skills, and hand-on experience to challenge and solve the sophisticated OSCM problems. As an Operations and Supply Chain Analyst, students need insight into digital tools for analytics to be able to handle and transform diverse pieces of information and data, and then model and solve problems.

The programme provides students with an in-depth knowledge about:

• Strategy design and performance improvement in OSCM.
• Methods for planning and controlling the flow of goods and information in a company or across supply chains.
• IT-based tools and how to work with data, matching the increased focus on digitalised and data-driven decision-making in OSCM.

The programme prepares students for managerial and consulting roles within the OSCM and provides them with analytical skills that enable them to appraise, systematically structure, and analyse the possible solutions to complex problems in operations and supply chains, so that right decisions can be made. The teaching format of the programme encourages student participation. An internship and Master’s thesis will provide students with self-management and communication skills.

Careers

Operations managers and supply chain managers with analytical skills remain the most in-demand jobs for both profitable and non-profitable organisations. As one of the most important business functions, OSCM also naturally creates rich opportunities for a student job, internship, Master’s thesis, and future career.

The first jobs graduates often get after graduation are, for instance:

• Supply Chain planner/analyst/coordinator
• Logistics coordinator, Production/demand/capacity planner
• Junior management consultant
• Purchaser

Later, they move to more strategic roles as:

• Supply chain manager/developer/specialist
• Sales & Operations manager
• Logistics developer
• Project manager in SC/logistics
• Procurement manager
• Senior business consultant
• Director/head of global planning

With the background of OSCM, it provides a good opportunity to reach the executive jobs:

• VP in operations and SC
• Chief operations officer
• CEO

In general, AU’s holistic, analytical approach to OSCM allows graduates to be versatile in their future careers and to find success across a variety of business sectors.

Admission Requirements

To be admitted to the Operations and Supply Chain Analytics (OSCA) programme, students must meet the following requirements:

• Bachelor degree in Business Administration, Economics, or a related field.
• English language proficiency equivalent to Danish B-level.

The following bachelor degrees give students direct admission to the programme:

• Bachelor degree in Business Administration, HA, from Aarhus University
• Bachelor degree in Economics and Business Administration, BSc, from Aarhus University
• Bachelor degree in Business Administration with specialisation, study programme 2017 and later, from Aarhus University
• Bachelor degree in Business Administration, HA (general business administration), from Copenhagen Business School, University of Southern Denmark, Aalborg University, or Roskilde University

Other degrees may also give admission, depending on the course composition and weight of the student's bachelor degree.

Programme Structure

The programme consists of 4 semesters. The first two semesters have all compulsory courses, while the last two semesters offer students the opportunity to specialise in a desired direction.

• First semester: Students follow foundation courses that form a methodological and academic basis for the subsequent semesters.
• Second semester: Students follow specialisation courses.
• Third semester: Students can choose elective courses within their area of interest. The courses can be taken at Aarhus BSS during the semester, at AU Summer University, or at one of the more than 300 partner universities abroad. Students can also participate in a project-oriented course in a company in Denmark or abroad.
• Fourth semester: Students work on their Master's thesis, which provides them with the opportunity to concentrate on and specialise in a specific area of interest.

Teaching Methods

The teaching methods used in the programme include:

• Lectures
• Group work
• Case studies
• Project work
• Internship
• Master's thesis

The programme encourages student participation and provides students with self-management and communication skills.

Alumni Testimonials

Graduates from the programme appreciate the focus on both strategic OSCM and various analytical tools. They work in many Danish and international companies, and their testimonials highlight the programme's strengths:

• Carl Martin Munkholm, Supply Chain Manager, Salling Group: "The OSCA programme gives students a terrific foundation for their initial steps of their professional carrier. It is the pragmatic thinking of Operations and Supply Chains that benefits the students the most."
• Li Ma, Senior manager in Sales and Operations Planning, Lego: "The programme helped me to build a deep end-to-end understanding on supply chain, meanwhile, to be equipped with analytical mindset and a variety of handful tools."
• Mike Weisbjerg, Partner, Implement Consulting Group: "The programme gave me the necessary theoretical knowledge to advice companies how to improve their Supply Chain Planning. Being introduced to the analytical tools made it possible for me to get a relevant student job and contribute to the real company."
• Mikkel Villadsen, Director of Strategic Network at Vestas: "The programme provided me with an in-depth knowledge about: Methods for planning and controlling flows of goods and information in a company or across supply chains."