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MSc

Strategic Procurement Management

If you want a career in procurement management, the specialist MSc Strategic Procurement Management offers high-level strategic teaching in all areas of this growing field.

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Key Course Details

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Pontypridd

  • Campus Code

    A

Fees

  • Home students

    £10,800*

  • International students

    £16,900*

  • Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.

In an increasingly competitive environment, purchasing and supply chain managers need to develop and demonstrate a variety of key competencies. The MSc Strategic Procurement Management is accredited by CIPS, which means you can be sure you’re working towards a qualification that is closely aligned to the needs of industry.

Module Overview

Purchasing Principles and Management 
Introduces students to the principles of procurement, purchasing and supply and develops their ability to specify the necessary goods and services required by the organisation.

Sustainable Supply Chain Management 
Provide an integrative view of the complex dynamics which contribute to sustained organisational success in the context of increasing pressures to protect global socio-ecological interests. 

Global Strategy and Emerging Markets 
Investigate and analyse the strategic decision-making processes of global and multi-national firms. 

Commercial Relationships 
Provides students with an understanding of the theoretical context of commercial and contract management approaches involved in the preparation and implementation of a customer/supplier relationship.  

Operations and Project Management 
Gain an appreciated of operational processes and examine project management in a business and supply chain context. 

Contemporary Procurement
Explore the potential strategic impact and contribution of purchasing and supply towards the overall competitiveness of the organisation operating in the public, private and non-profit sectors.

Research Methods
Equips students with the skills required for the practical aspects of planning, conducting, and producing a master’s level work. 

Dissertation 
The Dissertation is a significant piece of student-directed learning, based on a detailed investigation into a business-related phenomenon.

Course Highlights

How you’ll learn

The teaching approach involves a blend of styles with an emphasis on an interactive environment. You will learn through lectures, seminars, group work, case studies, and analyses of contemporary issues in strategic procurement management. Part-time delivery is designed around the needs of practising industry professionals and takes place at weekends, where you come to the University’s Treforest Campus for one weekend every six weeks. All full-time members of staff in the purchasing and supply team are fellows or senior fellows of the Higher Education Academy.

Assessment

The assessments are currently assignment based with no written exams. Assignment word count may vary but tends to be two 3,000 word assignments per 20 credit module.

Management Development Centre (MDC)

Management Development Centre (MDC)
If you have significant managerial experience or qualifications from a professional institute (such as CMI or ILM) you may be eligible to study the fast-track MSc Strategic Procurement Management at our collaborative partner, Management Development Centre Ltd. The course runs twice a year in the Spring and the Autumn. For more information and to apply, visit www.procurementmasters.co.uk

Fast-track study

If you have a relevant professional qualification and have three to five years' industry experience, you may be eligible for exemptions to fast track your studies. Please note that the fast-track route does not attract government student finance as you will need to be sitting the whole course, not a lesser amount of credits due to previous study/experience.

Accreditation

The MSc Strategic Procurement Management is accredited by a number of professional bodies, which means you can be sure you’re working towards a qualification that is closely aligned to the needs of industry. The course is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS). Graduates will be eligible for exemption from CIPS exams and with relevant experience can apply to CIPS for membership.

Careers and Employability

Possible career paths

Graduates from the MSc Strategic Procurement Management are able to demonstrate as managers, specialist knowledge to help them co-ordinate and adapt their purchasing and supply chain activities, responding to the dynamic needs of the 21st Century business environment. Graduates also pioneer purchasing and supply chain management in this growing field, transferring their specialist knowledge in a sustainable and rewarding career. Many of our graduates have become senior managers in public, private, and not-for-profit sectors.

Careers support

The University’s Career Services offers a range of advice and guidance to students, and references to the services available to all listed at southwales.ac.uk/careers will be added to the course website by default. However, if there are other important course or subject specific initiatives run at local a level, there is an opportunity to add further details here. Whether this includes connecting with professionals, industry experts or mentors, or strategies to enhance their competitiveness and aspirations in the job market, further details will provide prospects with the confidence, encouragement, and motivation to commit to applying. 

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Typical qualification requirements:

A minimum 2:2 Honours degree or an equivalent qualification, or in exceptional circumstances, three years’ or more significant managerial experience.

If you already hold a CIPS qualification, you may be able to gain exemptions from the course.

Additional requirements include:

Applicants may be required to attend an interview.

International applications welcomed:

We welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications of our entry requirements. For more details related to your country of residence please view our dedicated country pages.

English language requirements

International applicants will need to have achieved an overall of IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component/TOEFL 72 overall and a minimum of 18 in reading, 17 in listening, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing or equivalent.

Equivalents can be located on our English Language pages.

If you have previously studied through the medium of English IELTS might not be required, please visit our country specific page for further details. If your country is not featured, please contact us.

If you do not meet the English entry criteria please visit our Pre-Sessional course pages.

Contextual offers

We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.

USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.

 

We're here to help

Whether you a have a question about your course, fees and funding, the application process or anything else, there are plenty of ways you can get in touch and we'd to talk to you. You can contact our friendly admissions team by phone, email or chat to us online.

 

Fees and Funding

UK Full-time Fee

£10,800

per year*
International Full-time Fee

£16,900

per year*

Further Information

Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).

*Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee is anticipated to remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course except as described below.

Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy.  We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.

 

Fees and Funding Scholarships and Bursaries Cost of Living Support

Additional Costs

As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.

The University has computers available on campus and laptops for loan. However, it is highly recommended that you have your own personal laptop, which will be capable of running Microsoft Office 365. As a student you will be able to download a free copy of any software relevant to the course.

Cost:  Up to £250

University Quality Assurance

At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.

If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.

Studying at USW

Our courses are designed with industry leaders and provide the practical skills and experiences industry demands. Our flexible courses reflect the need for life-long learning. If you value education in practice, not just in theory, then USW is for you.

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