PhD Supply Chain Management is a 3 – 5 year doctoral degree offered in the form of coursework and research. The program is designed to give advanced skills in logistics, procurement, operations management, transportation, warehousing, demand planning, and decision-making based on data.
The eligibility criteria to pursue a Ph D Supply Chain Management are that the candidate must hold a Master's degree in a relevant discipline with 55-60% marks from a recognized university. Admission to the PhD in Supply Chain Management is based on an entrance examination at a national level, such as UGC NET/CSIR NET, or by individual Ph.D. entrance examination of an institute. A candidate is subjected to a personal test interview followed by a research proposal or Statement of Purpose.
The average course fees for the PhD in Supply Chain Management range from INR 1,00,000 – INR 5,00,000 for the entire course, depending on the university. Some of the leading colleges offering a PhD SCM are IIMs, IIT Delhi, IIM Mumbai, XLRI Jamshedpur, Amity University, and Symbiosis International University.
Ph.D holders in Supply Chain Management have the potential to work in higher education institutes, management consulting organizations, logistics corporations, manufacturing organizations, government policy-making centers, and multinational organizations. The common job profiles are the Supply Chain Manager, Logistics Director, Operations Research Analyst, Procurement Head, Consultant, and University Professor. The academic entry-level jobs can have salaries around INR 8-10 LPA, whereas the industry jobs in the most reputed organizations can even be INR 15-25 LPA or more, depending on experience and a domain of choosing.
Table of Contents
- Ph.D Supply Chain Management Highlights
- What is Ph.D Supply Chain Management?
- Why Study Ph.D Supply Chain Management?
- Who Should Study Ph D in Supply Chain Management?
- PhD Supply Chain Management Eligibility Criteria
- Ph.D Supply Chain Management Entrance Exams 2025
- Ph.D Supply Chain Management Colleges in India
- Ph.D. Supply Chain Management Admission Process 2025
- Ph.D. Supply Chain Management Syllabus
- Ph D Supply Chain Management Vs PhD in Logistics Management Vs PhD in Operations Management Course Comparison
- Ph.D in Supply Chain Management Job Opportunities in India
- Ph.D Supply Chain Management FAQs
Ph.D Supply Chain Management Highlights
Given below are the basic key highlights for the Ph.D in Supply Chain Management:
What is Ph.D Supply Chain Management?
PhD in Supply Chain Management is a program lasting 3-5 years that is of a doctoral level where the intended study is about further research of the field and academic study regarding the development, functioning, and refinement of supply chains of a global level. It aims at both academics and practitioners who want to offer fresh knowledge to disciplines like logistics, procurement, operations, and strategic choices in supply chain.
The program entails intensive coursework in research methodology, supply chain analytics, operations management, and global business practices, with a subsequent submission of the doctoral dissertation. Complex issues such as inventory, sustainability of the supply chain, mitigating risks and digitalization are explored by students.
People also tend to pursue PhD Marketing to enhance their career prospects.
Why Study Ph.D Supply Chain Management?
As the modern economy is characterized as a fast-paced place with goods, services, and information that travel and become globalized, supply chain efficiency is a critical component.
The following are some reasons behind considering this doctoral program:
- It helps you become part of the important research in the industry: The program provides an opportunity to conduct scholarly research to solve practical problems such as supply chains, sustainability, procurement, and digital transformation.
- Students will develop top analytical and decision-making expertise: the course has a leading focus on analytical study, system thinking, and operation modeling to ensure that you are ready to lead in high-impact corporate structures and higher academic settings.
- This degree offers you the opportunity to have a voice and make things happen.
- This aspect of supply chain management serves to relate business and economics, technology, and sustainability. This degree allows you to become an engineer working in different continents and in different industries, planning strong systems that can form the world business.
Who Should Study Ph D in Supply Chain Management?
Discussed below are the categories of candidates who might want to pursue PhD in Supply Chain Management. Here is a look:
- Advanced researchers, Postgraduate students, or working professionals with a robust interest in operations, logistics, procurement, or industrial management, who aim at advancing their areas of expertise.
- People with a strategic mindset who have interest in addressing real world problems like global supply chain interruptions, sustainability problems as well as demand forecasting.
- It is appropriate for people with good skills in analysis, mathematics, or thinking in systems and who wish to have an opportunity to be employed in areas touching on optimization, data modelling or AI-enabled supply chains.
- Great for those who want an excellent career as either teachers, consultants, or leaders in the top universities, think tanks, or Supply Chain divisions of the Fortune 500 companies.
- It fits perfectly well to candidates aiming at contributing to policy-making, innovation or technology-based transformation in supply chains to government or at multinational companies.
- It will also be large enough to those who wish to become academic publishers, write case studies, come up with new theories or advise governments on national logistics and trade policies worldwide.
PhD Supply Chain Management Eligibility Criteria
The requirements to be admitted into PhD in Supply Chain Management program are given below. Criteria can differ a little bit with the university:
- Candidates must hold a master’s degree in the relevant field, such as MBA Supply Chain Management with an aggregate of 50-55% marks from a recognized university.
- The candidates should be qualified to appear in national-level entrance tests like UGC-NET, CSIR-NET, GATE or in university-level Ph.D entrance exams.
- An impressive Statement of Purpose (SOP) and performance during the research interview round is usually required to make final selection decisions.
Ph.D Supply Chain Management Entrance Exams 2025
The admissions into the Ph D in Supply Chain Management is largely based on entrance exams, with interviews and research proposals coming next. The following table shows some important entrance examinations:
Ph.D Supply Chain Management Colleges in India
The following is the list of some of the best universities to take Ph D in Supply Chain Management.
Ph.D. Supply Chain Management Admission Process 2025
Entrance into Ph D in Supply Chain Management can mostly require passing an admission test and then an interview. The admission procedure in IIM Ahmedabad (IIMA) is mentioned below:
Step 1: Register online at the official IIM-A Ph.D. admission portal and complete the online application and fill in the application form, including personal and academic details.
Step 2: Fill in the required document and pay the application fee as indicated.
Step 3: Take the qualifying entrance examination (UGC NET, CSIR NET or the institute's own examination) where necessary.
Step 4: Candidates who have passed through screening are invited to go through a personal interview or to give a research proposal presentation.
Step 5: A final choice is done through the evaluation made on the ability to perform on the entrance examination, interview and the research proposal.
Step 6: Shortlisted applicants will pay admission fees to ensure that they are admitted.
Required Documents:
- Master degree mark sheet and certificates
- Authentic NET/ Entrance scorecard
- Research proposal (in case of work)
- Transfer Certificate (TC)
- Character Certificate
- Authenticity of identity (Aadhaar card, Passport., etc.)
- Caste/Category certificate(if applicable)
- Passport-sized photographs
Ph.D. Supply Chain Management Syllabus
The structure of the syllabus of top institutes such as IIM Bangalore and IIT Kharagpur to undertake a Doctorate in Supply Chain Management has been provided below. This course will normally take 3 to 5 years, in which the first year will be an undergraduate program in coursework, the second year will be a full year of comprehensive assessment, and the remaining 3 years will be independent research.
Get leadership roles in various multinational organizations with a Ph.D in Business Administration
Ph D Supply Chain Management Vs PhD in Logistics Management Vs PhD in Operations Management Course Comparison
Given below is the detailed course comparison for the PhD Supply Chain Management, PhD Logistics, and PhD in Operations Management for the students:
Ph.D in Supply Chain Management Job Opportunities in India
After completing the PhD Supply Chain Management, students can pursue various Job Profiles. Given below are some of the famous Job Roles you can pursue after completing the course. Along with the top recruiters and Average Pay.
Ph.D Supply Chain Management FAQs
Is PhD Supply Chain Management restricted to scholars or working professionals alike?
Both of the career paths benefit with a PhD Supply Chain Management. Although it equips candidates to work in academic research and faculty positions in leading educational institutions of business, a significant number of individuals are seeking to obtain it to acquire more skills in the area of strategic logistics, operation, and analytics in organizations all around the world. It increases leadership in such spheres as procurement, sustainability and the SCM transformation to be digital.
What is the background required in order to be eligible to a Ph.D. in SCM? Can MBA or engineers apply?
Yes, applicants with a Master (or above) degree in any of the related subjects like Management, Engineering, Economics, Statistics or even Operations Research are welcome. MBA graduates specialized in Operations or Supply Chain are extremely wanted. Top institutes such as IIMs or IITs can also demand GATE, CAT, GRE or their entrance exams internal scores along with interviews.
Do international research publications and conferences exist as a part of the Ph.D. path?
Definitely. One thing promoted by best institutes such as IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore or IIT Kharagpur is the exposure to global research. Researchers are invited to set up lectures at the international conferences (such as POMS, INFORMS), and write in peer-reviewed journals. Publication of research papers, collection of data in foreign countries and associating with foreign universities is also being funded by various institutes.
What are the stages/ milestones of the PhD SCM program?
The program typically lasts 4-5 years and consists typically of coursework (1st year), comprehensive exam and proposal defense (2nd year) and research (3-5 years). The courses covered in the coursework are such as Operations Management, Quantitative Analysis and Research Methodology. The later years are more concerned with individual research, data gathering, data analysis, writing journal and submission of a thesis.
