Business Administration vs Operations and Supply Chain Management

Hello everyone. New poster here. This semester I'll be completing all the base requirements that are needed for all students in our Business school. I am considering between 2 majors. Business Administration with a concentration in Management or Operations and Supply Chain Management.

I have 4 years experience in Warehousing/Distribution and 4 years as a call center manager and customer accounts manager at a corporate desk gig. Would getting an Operations and Supply Chain Management degree pigion hole me in just 1 job? I'm just afraid it isn't as "broad" as a regular o'l Business Administration/Management degree. If things go south could a OSCM major still apply for everything a Business Major could?

I mean it is business. And it is management. But it is very specialized and that is what I'm worried about. What I like about the OSCM program here is you are guaranteed an internship since it's required to graduate. And many students end up with another internship during one of the summers. Seems to be MUCH higher placement than our Business Admin program.

I don't know what my financial situation would be by the time I graduate but I've been told if my GPA stays where it's at I could have early entrance to our graduate school. I'm thinking MBA or Industrial Distribution & Logistics.

Any advice/help is very appreciated.

 

[FONT=&quot]An electrician makes more than a handyman.

Personally I like the Operations and Supply Chain Management option because it is more specialized. Employers are generally looking (and will pay more) for people with specialized knowledge, rather than generalists. [/FONT]

 

I agree with 'edowave', it is more specialized.

The company I work for, will post jobs for 'Operations and Supply Chain Management' with 1 or 2 higher pay grade levels than a Business Admin position.

 

Ditto.

Remember that you are not getting a degree in operations and SCM, you are getting a degree in BUSINESS with a CONCENTRATION in operations and SCM.

There is no such thing as a management department in an organization. Employers ask for a business degree for general positions, not a "management degree." You will have the same access to general management positions as someone with a management degree. In my experience, employers prefer functional majors to general business majors for positions that require a business degree.

The bonus is that you would be preferred for a true ops/SCM/logistics position over other majors.

 

I wasn't quite sure if the OP meant his two options are

1. A major in business administration with a concentration in management.
2. A major in business administration with a concentration in operations and supply chain management.

OR

1. A major in business administration with a concentration in management.
2. A major in operations and supply chain management.

After reading the OP again, I assumed that the OP meant the latter. If the second set of options are what's being presented, then I can understand the OP's concerns. Business administration does allow the flexibility of working in the various sub-fields of business in most cases. Could someone with an operations and supply chain management degree be hired to work in finance, human resources, or marketing? If the first set of options is what's being presented, then I would definitely go with the concentration in operations and supply chain management. The major in business administration would already give me the flexibility; the concentration would allow me to specialize and have a more specific skill set. "Management" is too general.

 

Thanks everyone for the advice. I called my adviser and asked about the Operations and Supply Chain Management degree.

It IS Business Administration w/ concentration in OSCM. So I feel a lot better about it now. It was listed in a handout as separate from the Business Administration degree. Like how Accounting, Finance, Communication Studies would be. Described as being administered by the Business Admin, Marketing, and Industrial Engineering departments. With not a whole lot of IE thrown in. I'm sure just an honest mistake from a young marketing student that made them.

I'm now set on OSCM for my business concentration.

-SomeGuyInNC

 

The buzzword is "purple squirrel" - Someone with an impossible list of qualifications.

The conundrum is a good generalist specializes in the specialty du jour and can thus handle it all within the field while the employers look for an impossible list of current specialties. I view this as a conceptual block on the part of employers and a marketing opportunity for generalists. Get either then pitch based on the position with tuned phrasing. Something like "I have the following work experience as a floor worker and manager in warehousing supported by an MBA to broaden my business perspective" versus "I have the following experience as a floor worker and manager in warehousing supported by an MBA in the field to deepen my expertise".

 

As far as operations are concerned, you don't need a degree for that. You need to work your way up the chain and gain experience before being assigned to a management position in operations. As an operations manager I can assure you that a degree doesn't mean anything if you don't have industry experience to lean on, in order to understand day-to-day activities and sucessfully run operations.