Program graduates will earn two master’s degrees—one in supply chain analytics and another in supply chain management.

Next year, La Salle University will launch a distinctive graduate double-degree program in partnership with Italy’s POLIMI Graduate School of Management.

The fully online program melds La Salle’s reputation as a leader in business systems and analytics education, with the expertise in supply chain management from POLIMI Graduate School of Management. All told, the 30-credit program—beginning Fall 2023—requires 12 months to complete and nets students two advanced degrees: a Master of Science in Supply Chain Analytics from Philadelphia-based La Salle and a Master of Supply Chain Management from POLIMI Graduate School of Management.

This is the first dual-degree program of its kind, bridging AACSB-accredited institutions in the U.S. and Italy. (Fewer than 5 percent of the world’s business schools are accredited by the AACSB.) The program meets the U.S. Department of Homeland Security criteria for STEM-designated programs. Such programs widen career prospects for international students, Tavana said.

“We like to say, ‘One year, one tuition, two master’s degrees from two AACSB business schools,’” said Madjid Tavana, Ph.D., professor and chair of business systems and analytics at La Salle University’s School of Business. “This innovative program is the result of AACSB’s encouragement of its institutions to consider creative joint partnerships. This global graduate program spans the in-demand fields of supply chain management and analytics, with the potential to launch new careers or jump-start existing careers of our graduates.”

“The new 2020 AACSB accreditation standards encourage schools to develop innovative partnerships with other AACSB-accredited schools anywhere in the world,” Tavana continued. “Business analytics is a multidisciplinary field. We are not afraid to shatter the discipline-specific silos or continue bringing innovative programs to our students by partnering with other globally renowned schools, even if we have to cross the Atlantic Ocean to do it.”

The institutions will deliver the program’s courses asynchronously. The program’s students will complete five three-credit courses led by La Salle faculty and six courses (four three-credit, one two-credit, and one one-credit courses) directed by faculty from POLIMI Graduate School of Management. La Salle’s courses will focus on strategic marketing analytics, data warehousing and optimization, and IT for decision making, among other areas. Faculty from POLIMI Graduate School of Management will engage students in courses on global logistics management, advanced procurement management, and more. A career in supply chain analytics leads our students down a variety of different career paths including operations, purchasing, warehousing, distribution and logistics. Global supply chain analytics professionals hold important positions at the most prestigious corporations, said Tavana.

The joint program was born out of Tavana’s professional experience—and opportunistic timing. Tavana has taught short-term courses at a French business school each year for more than two decades. His experience there exposed him to the school’s joint program with a United Kingdom-based institution and got him wondering whether La Salle could develop a program with a similar structure.

At around the same time, Tavana earned an appointment as editor of the Decision Analytics Journal. In constructing his editorial board, he extended an invitation to Tommaso Agasisti, Ph.D., professor of Public Management at Politecnico di Milano. Back in April 2021, the scholars began discussing the possibility of a joint program.

“I immediately saw the potential in a joint program with La Salle, an AACSB-accredited School and a leader in business systems and analytics education,” said Agasisti, whose school’s online MBA program recently received a No. 11 worldwide ranking. “I believe this timely global graduate program, which addresses the current and future demands in supply chain management and analytics, represents a great plus for our School.”

“We are proud to launch the first dual-degree program that bridges two AACSB-accredited institutions in the U.S. and Italy,” said Angela Montagano, chief operating officer of POLIMI Graduate School of Management. “I believe this represents an important opportunity for our students to expand their international network and develop valuable skills and insights in the supply chain industry.”

Learn more about the online dual-degree program from La Salle University and Italy’s POLIMI Graduate School of Management.

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About La Salle University

Established in 1863, La Salle University is a comprehensive Catholic university rooted in the tradition of the Brothers of the Christian Schools teaching order, which was founded by St. John Baptist de La Salle, the Patron Saint of Teachers. Known as an academic community of excellence shaped by Catholic and Lasallian values, La Salle remains steadfast in the pursuit of its mission of faith, service, community, and social justice. La Salle is consistently recognized for its delivery of a holistic and practical education that produces strong outcomes. The University ranks among the top-4 percent nationally in 10-year earnings, top-7 percent in lifetime return on investment, and top-10 percent in the lowest debt incurred by its graduates, according to a study by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce. Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education, and The Princeton Review have cited La Salle on national lists highlighting the nation’s best colleges and universities and the country’s best value institutions. Explore more at lasalle.edu.

About La Salle’s School of Business

Established in 1955, La Salle University’s School of Business delivers an innovative education that prepares its students to do purposeful business. Accredited by AACSB International, a distinction held by less than five percent of the world’s business schools, the La Salle School of Business offers undergraduate- and graduate-level programs in a range of in-demand disciplines. The School of Business is listed among the top 100 business schools in the United States, according to U.S. News & World Report. The school is committed to the principle that all knowledge is practical and empowering. Its innovative and entrepreneurial programs integrate current business concepts to prepare students to lead engaged lives and fulfilling careers marked by a commitment to the common good. The school is based in Founders’ Hall, a cutting-edge facility that delivers an unparalleled learning environment replete with leading technologies and professional development services and nationally recognized job-placement rates.

About POLIMI Graduate School of Management

POLIMI Graduate School of Management creates meaningful paths for future business leaders and the businesses they will lead, guided by an overarching belief that the school has a crucial role to play in shaping a better world for all. Based in Milan, Italy’s main business centre, POLIMI was created over 40 years ago as MIP Politecnico di Milano and, today, it is a not-for-profit Consortia Limited Company composed of the University and a group of leading Italian and multinational companies. POLIMI offers more than 40 master’s degrees, including MBA and Executive MBA, and a catalogue of over 200 open programs, along with customized training for companies. With over 15,000 alumni and 3,000 students every year, POLIMI is an innovative and entrepreneurial community made up of diverse people and partners. POLIMI Graduate School of Management takes sustainability seriously and continues to work toward a better, more conscious, more equitable and more inclusive future. In 2020, it was the first European business school to become a B Corp certified business.