Program’s graduates will earn two master’s degrees—one in supply chain analytics and another in supply chain 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 in Milan. 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—which means that students can complete the coursework on their own time, without set class meeting times. 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.” 

—Christopher A. Vito