Admissions Requirements

Students applying to the Master of Professional Studies in Supply Chain Management (MPS/SCM) degree program must be admitted by both the MPS/SCM program and the Graduate School at Penn State.

The Graduate School requires applicants to have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution earned under residence and credit conditions substantially equivalent to those required by Penn State.

Prerequisites

Our curriculum is designed for working supply chain management professionals. Accordingly, successful applicants will normally have, before the start of their first semester, at least two years' post baccalaureate work experience in supply chain management or a closely allied field. Additionally, the applicant's baccalaureate degree should be in business, engineering, economics, information sciences, or a related field.

To assure a smooth transition to our curriculum prospective students should have Microsoft Office Excel skills, knowledge of business statistics, and an understanding of basic accounting and microeconomic terms and principles.

Prospective students who need to develop or improve Microsoft Office Excel skills, business statistics (quantitative methods), and/or financial accounting skills may benefit from the self-paced, individual eLearning courses offered by Harvard Business School Publishing. You can register any or all three courses, and receive a substantial discount, by clicking the following URL:

http://elearninghome.hbsp.org

From there, please:

- Click on the "Sign up here" link under New Users.
- Fill out the required information, including Organization ID # 00051820
- Use the search catalog to view the available courses

Prospective students may also gain prerequisite skill and knowledge by taking appropriate course work at local colleges or universities or online via Penn State World Campus (www.worldcampus.psu.edu).

Application Process

All items listed in the application checklist, other than official transcripts, should be submitted electronically via Penn State's World Campus online application process.

Official transcripts should be mailed to the following address:

MPS/SCM Program Director
Department of Supply Chain and Information Systems
Smeal College of Business
454 Business Building
University Park, PA 16802

Application Checklist

Please submit each of the following items:

• A complete application (including $65 Graduate School application fee).
• A one-page resume.
• A statement (two page maximum) that describes your professional goals, experience, and responsibilities.
• One letter of recommendation that addresses the applicant’s professional capabilities and readiness for graduate study. Recent work or military supervisors are preferred.
  
• Two official transcripts for all graduate and undergraduate coursework completed at an accredited institution with English translation (literal) of records not in English.
• Applicants must take the Official Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) and have scores reported directly from the testing center to Penn State. The GMAT must be taken no more than five years prior to the application. Applicants to our program represent diverse educational and employment backgrounds, and the GMAT provides a common assessment standard. Requiring the GMAT for Master of Professional Studies in Supply Chain Management and the Graduate Certificate in Supply Chain & Information Systems applicants helps assure that all graduate supply chain management students are well qualified. To learn about test centers and schedules, or to request that a previously taken GMAT score be reported to Penn State, please go to www.mba.com. The GMAT program code for the Smeal College of Business Master of Professional Studies in Supply chain Management is ZZ8-HD-64.
• Official TOEFL score: Unless an applicant's first or native language is English and the applicant has received a baccalaureate or master's degree from an institution where the language of instruction is English, the applicant must take either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) module and submit the results of that test with the application for admission. The TOEFL is offered in different formats depending on location. A score of at least 550 on the paper-based TOEFL or 213 on the computer-based TOEFL must be attained. A minimum total score of 80, along with a minimum score of 19 on the speaking portion, is required for the Internet-based test (iBT). Alternatively, a minimum composite score of 6.5 on the IELTS test is required for admission. View the information on registering for exams and for reporting scores.