Supply Chain Fundamentals
Learn fundamental concepts for logistics and supply chain management from both analytical and practical perspectives – part of the MITx MicroMasters Credential in Supply Chain Management.
Course Information
Certificate Track
Learn for Free
About this Course
Supply chains are complex and global enterprises that require both analytical and practical perspectives to successfully balance efficiency with flexibility and resilience. This course provides the foundational skills required for supply chain management and logistics by introducing analytical tools and techniques used to design and operate logistics systems and integrated supply chains.
Through mathematical models, hands-on applications, and real-world examples from industry, you’ll learn to harness mathematical models to master critical supply chain functions: demand forecasting, inventory management, and transportation planning and execution. By the end of this course, you'll be equipped to improve overall supply chain performance and strategically reduce total costs.
Supply Chain Fundamentals: SC1x is an instructor-paced course. Course content is released on a weekly basis, and a comprehensive syllabus, deadlines, and requirements are provided in Week 0 of the course.
This Supply Chain Fundamentals course is part of the MITx MicroMasters Credential in Supply Chain Management (SCM), offered by the top-ranked SCM Master's program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This is an open enrollment course, making it accessible for almost anyone, anywhere in the world to enroll and learn for free.
What you'll learn
- Incorporate and manage uncertainty and risk within supply chain management
- Segment different customers, products, and channels
- Identify, design, and implement the appropriate forecasting methodologies
- Identify, design, and implement the appropriate inventory replenishment policies
- Select the optimal transportation routing and modal choice
Prerequisites
None
Meet your instructors
Chris Caplice
Director, MITx MicroMasters Program in Supply Chain Management
Dr. Caplice serves as the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Center for Transportation & Logistics (CTL) where he is responsible for the planning and management of the research, education, and corporate outreach programs for the center. He created and currently serves as Director of the MITx MicroMasters® Program in Supply Chain Management – the very first MicroMasters credential ever offered. In 2018, he was awarded the MITx Prize for Teaching and Learning, the Irwin Sizer Award for the Most Significant Improvement to MIT Education, and the MIT Teaching with Digital Technology Award.
Dr. Caplice was selected as the first Silver Family Research Fellow in 2016 in recognition of his contribution to supply chain education and research. Also in 2016, he received the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) Distinguished Service Award.
He is also the founder and co-director of the MIT FreightLab – a research initiative that focuses on improving the way freight transportation is designed, procured, and managed. His primary research is in all aspects of freight transportation to include combinatorial procurement auctions, robust planning, portfolio management, performance metrics, and infrastructure design.
In addition to his work at MIT, Dr. Caplice is currently the Chief Scientist for DAT Freight & Analytics, the largest truckload freight marketplace in North America with over $120 billion in market transactions. In this role, he pioneered the concept of freight rate modeling that became Chainalytics Freight Market Intelligence Consortium (FMIC) and is now part of DAT. He leads the development and deployment of innovations and insights into the transportation industry to include the monthly FMIC Pulse Signal Report and the bi-weekly Freightvine Podcasts.
Prior to joining MIT, Dr. Caplice held senior management positions in supply chain consulting, product development, and professional services at several companies to include Logistics.com, SABRE, and PTCG. As part of PTCG/SABRE, he led the team that pioneered the concept and use of optimization-based procurement throughout the transportation industry.
Chris received a Ph.D. from MIT in 1996 in Transportation and Logistics Systems. His dissertation on Optimization Based Bidding for Transportation was selected as the winner of the Council of Logistics Management (CLM) Doctoral Dissertation Award and received an Honorable Mention in the 1996 Dissertation Award sponsored by the Transportation Science Section of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS).
Prior to receiving his PhD, Dr. Caplice taught at the Virginia Military Institute for two years and served five years in the Army Corps of Engineers, achieving the rank of Captain. His writing has appeared in numerous academic and business journals and publications. In addition to his PhD, he earned a Master of Science in Civil Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the Virginia Military Institute (VMI).
