The bachelor’s is the workhorse level of the supply chain degree: 176 institutions awarded CIP 52.0203, logistics, materials, and supply chain management, at bachelor’s level in 2024 (IPEDS Completions, 2024) - more than the master’s (60) and associate (96) tiers combined.
No state licenses supply chain work, so the checks that matter are the school’s accreditation from a recognized institutional accreditor and the actual analytics content of the curriculum. With those in mind, compare online supply chain bachelor’s programs enrolling now:
Colleges Offering This Degree
Every school listed is verified in federal IPEDS data both to award this degree and to offer programs that can be completed entirely by distance education at this level. Whether this exact degree is delivered fully online varies by school, so confirm the format before you apply.
How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention.
Advertising plays no part.
This page lists 10 schools, closest group first, then ordered by
BOC Score with the highest at the top.
10 of them carry a score.
LOCAL RANK
Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal
about the institution rather than about this subject.
Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from
this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
Logistics and transportation management - modes, carriers, routing, and freight economics
Procurement and supplier management - sourcing, contracts, and supplier risk
Inventory and operations management - the classic core of the field
Supply chain analytics - forecasting, optimization, and the data work that now dominates the job
ERP and supply chain systems - the software layer most roles live in
Business core - accounting, finance, and management, since the degree usually sits in a business school
Programs differ most in analytics depth. The field increasingly runs on data, and a curriculum with real forecasting and optimization coursework tracks the actual work better than a purely managerial one.
Who This Realistically Suits
People already working in logistics operations - dispatchers, freight coordinators, warehouse leads, freight brokers - for whom the degree is the standard route from the floor to planning and management roles.
Career starters who want a business degree with a concrete job family attached. Unlike a general business degree, this one points at a measurable, fast-growing occupation.
Military logistics veterans, whose experience maps directly onto the field’s vocabulary and problems. Raise prior training with admissions; credit decisions vary by school.
Credit transfer is decided by the receiving institution and genuinely varies, so request a written transfer evaluation before you enroll.
What These Careers Pay
The occupation the degree most directly feeds, logisticians, earned a median $82,320 with 16.7 percent projected growth - much faster than average. The common promotion target, transportation, storage, and distribution managers, earned a median $107,230 (BLS OEWS, May 2025; BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34).
Bachelor’s in Supply Chain Management at a Glance
Metric
Detail
Source
Median annual wage, logisticians
$82,320
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Wage range, logisticians
$50,890 (10th pct) - $133,160 (90th pct)
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Employment, logisticians
251,040
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Projected change (2024-34)
16.7%, about 26,400 openings per year
BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34
Institutions awarding at bachelor’s level
176
IPEDS Completions, 2024
SOC codes covered
13-1081 logisticians; 11-3071 transportation, storage, and distribution managers
BLS OEWS, May 2025
The Occupations Behind the Degree
Role
Median
90th percentile
Employment
Projected change
Logisticians
$82,320
$133,160
251,040
16.7%
Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
$107,230
$194,900
221,180
6.1%
All wage and employment figures BLS OEWS, May 2025; growth figures BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34.
Career Paths After the Degree
The analyst tier is the standard first stop: logistician roles in planning, procurement, and distribution, at the $82,320 median in the table above. From there the field promotes toward transportation, storage, and distribution management, where the median rises to $107,230.
Two adjacent degree-gated careers draw on the same coursework and are worth comparing while you choose. Industrial production managers run the plants that supply chains feed, and industrial engineers design the processes and throughput both jobs depend on - each has its own measured wage data on this site.
The field also has a genuinely open no-degree entry point: freight brokerage requires FMCSA authority rather than a credential, and brokers who later want the planning and management track often find this degree is the bridge. If you are already working in logistics operations, raise your experience with admissions - it is relevant, even where formal credit for it varies by school.
Is It Worth It?
The case for is a rare combination: a business-school degree pointed at a specific occupation with a $82,320 median and 16.7 percent projected growth, in a field where entry does not require a graduate degree. The voluntary ASCM certifications (CSCP, CPIM) can be added later with experience rather than more tuition.
The case against: much of the field’s entry-level work - dispatch, coordination, brokerage - does not require the degree at all, and experience competes well with credentials. If you are already in logistics operations, weigh the promotion timeline the degree may unlock against four years of tuition and time.
Is college worth it covers the general tradeoff. Individual outcomes may vary.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many schools offer a bachelor's in supply chain management?
176 institutions awarded a bachelor's in CIP 52.0203, logistics, materials, and supply chain management, in 2024 (IPEDS Completions, 2024). It is the most widely awarded level of the degree - more schools offer the bachelor's than the master's (60) or associate (96).
What does a supply chain management degree pay?
The occupation the degree most directly feeds, logisticians, earned a median of $82,320, with the top 10 percent above $133,160 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Transportation, storage, and distribution managers - the common promotion target - earned a median of $107,230. Pay varies by employer, industry, and location.
Is supply chain management a growing field?
BLS projects 16.7% employment growth for logisticians from 2024 to 2034, much faster than average, with about 26,400 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34).
Can a supply chain bachelor's be completed online?
Yes. The coursework is classroom-based business and analytics content, and online delivery is well established. The schools listed on this page are recorded in IPEDS as offering programs completable entirely by distance education at this level - confirm the exact format with the school before you apply.
What certifications go with a supply chain degree?
The most recognized voluntary credentials are ASCM's CSCP and CPIM certifications. They are industry certifications rather than licenses - no state licenses supply chain work - and many professionals add one after a few years of experience.
Do freight brokers need this degree?
No. Freight brokerage has no degree requirement - independent brokers need FMCSA broker authority and a surety bond, not a credential. A supply chain bachelor's is one common path into the broader logistics field that brokerage sits in; see the freight broker career guide for the licensing specifics.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 - Logisticians (SOC 13-1081), Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers (SOC 11-3071)
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2024-34
U.S. Department of Education, IPEDS Completions, 2024 - CIP 52.0203
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.