Overview
Top reasons to study with us
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9
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72
72nd for Business and Management in the world
QS World University Rankings (2024)
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Lancaster University is top 10 in The Complete University Guide 2025
Many western companies manufacture overseas. Massive logistics hubs now exist in countries such as China. Demand has therefore never been higher for people who can apply quality management science to supply chain and logistics management. The MSc Logistics and Supply Chain Management programme can give you the skills to achieve this.
This programme is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) and was developed in consultation with the industry. It focuses on the practical aspects of logistics and supply chain management rather than academic theory.
We offer a research-led teaching environment which is particularly strong in operations management. Faculty members of the Centre for Productivity and Efficiency teach on this programme, as do members of the Centre for Transport and Logistics.
You will learn about all of the major elements of logistics and supply chain management, and will have the opportunity to explore the most recent developments in the field. As well as subject-specific knowledge, we also teach problem-solving, critical thinking and professional skills.
You might have the opportunity to take part in a three to four-month-long supervised project based in a client company which helps build your professional skills.
There is a large demand for logistics and supply chain analysts with good modelling skills. Our dedicated industry liaison manager has links with opportunities in production planning and process, forecasting and logistics optimisation. Many of our graduates move on to work as logistics analysts, supply chain analysts, business consultants, business analysts and database managers.
Alongside the compulsory modules shown in the course structure below, you will also need to complete one optional module and one dissertation module.
Course accreditation
![Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport logo](/media/lancaster-university/content-assets/images/accreditations/cilt-logo.jpg)
This programme is accredited by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT).
Learn more about the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport accreditation![Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply logo](/media/lancaster-university/content-assets/images/accreditations/cips-accreditation-logo.jpg)
This programme is accredited by CIPS, the world's largest professional body serving procurement and supply.
Learn more about the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply accreditationEntry requirements
Academic Requirements
2:2 (Hons) degree (UK or equivalent), ideally in a related field, but including degrees in Business and Management Studies, Economics and Social Sciences, as well as Engineering.
Marks should be consistently at 2:2 level throughout your undergraduate studies.
Familiarity at undergraduate level with topics such as probability, statistics, data analysis, research methods and business modelling would be advantageous.
It is preferable that no more than 5 years have elapsed since the last period of full-time education.
If you have studied outside of the UK, you can check your qualifications at International Qualifications
Additional requirements
For recent graduates, relevant experience can be an advantage, but is not required.
For other applicants, relevant work experience, especially in a management position, or a professional qualifications, would be advantageous.
English Language Requirements
We may ask you to provide a recognised English language qualification, dependent upon your nationality and where you have studied previously.
We normally require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 6.5, and a minimum of 6.0 in each element of the test. We also consider other English language qualifications. If your score is below our requirements, you may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language programmes.
Contact: Admissions Team +44 (0) 1524 592032 or email pgadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk
Course structure
You will study a range of modules as part of your course, some examples of which are listed below.
Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, but changes may be necessary, for example as a result of student feedback, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes, and new research. Not all optional modules are available every year.
Core
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You will be introduced to the key principles, theories, practices and tools of strategic sourcing. The module will also introduce you to the main approaches and tactics used in commercial negotiations and contribute to the development of your negotiation skills.
A number of essential sourcing topics will be covered, from developing a sourcing strategy and analysing strategic sourcing decisions to setting up an efficient sourcing process and selecting and evaluating suppliers to planning and conducting buyer-supplier negotiations effectively. The module will also make you aware of contemporary developments in PSM, such as digital sourcing.
This module introduces the key concepts, approaches, and challenges in logistics management and examines the strategic and value-adding role of logistics within organisations and supply chains. It is designed to provide you with in-depth insights on contemporary issues around the logistics function in order to enhance your decision-making capabilities when confronted with dilemmas in dealing with tactical and strategic issues across industries and contexts.
Trade has become more global, and organisations are increasingly conducting business in difficult environments. For instance, Shell extracts a substantial amount of its crude oil in politically unstable countries, while most disaster relief operations take place in insecure and resource-poor settings. The future logistics professional, therefore, has to seamlessly manage operations across varying contexts, from resource-poor settings to highly industrialised ones. This module, therefore, tackles relevant logistics issues with these developments in mind.
The teaching approach is interactive and combines theoretical and practical aspects. You will learn through role-playing, evaluating and discussing case studies, as well as gathering the perspectives of practitioners and academics.
The Operations Management discipline has traditionally been concerned with how organisations achieve excellence in processes and operations, and to this end several (continuous) improvement approaches and tools and techniques have been stressed. The interest in intra-firm improvement and excellence has more recently been extended to address also how firms can improve their operations in coordination with their supply chain counterparts. This has become relevant since specialisation of labour across industries and outsourcing trends entail that a large share of the value of products and services is created outside the focal firm.
This module provides an understanding of both intra- and inter-organisational approaches to operations improvement and excellence. In particular, it address: a) improvement tools and techniques that firms implement primarily in their internal operations, and b) supply processes and capabilities required to improve operations and achieve excellence in coordination with supply chain partners. The themes above are addressed both in manufacturing and service industries and cross private and public sector settings.
This module provides you with a theoretical and practical understanding of relevant concepts relating to organisational behaviour and leadership in the contexts of projects, supply chains and (temporary multi) organisations. This incorporates an understanding of self-awareness, teams within and between organisations, leader- and followership, as well as the leadership of change. After completing this module, you will be able to:
- Interpret your own self-awareness as well as your own self-management
- Demonstrate social awareness, including empathy and relationship management and team membership
- Examine the development, composition and performance of teams and, in particular, of cross-functional teams
- Evaluate and apply team leadership in terms of leading with and without authority in different organisational structural contexts
- Appraise and lead change in organisations
- Demonstrate the ability to think clearly and apply critical thinking skills, including critical analysis, for example, to reading academic journals or your own academic writing
- Show how the role of critical reflection applies to personal learning and development
- Demonstrate and apply standards of academic practice to assignments, specifically with regard to referencing, plagiarism, structuring, signposting and development of a reasoned, justified and cohesive argument.
This module presents the tools and techniques needed to effectively initiate, plan and manage a project through to successful completion. The approach is primarily practical and pragmatic, providing an integrated planning process that supports the production of a holistic and robust project plan. Examples from a broad range of industries are introduced throughout the module. After completing this module, you will be able to:
- Explain and critically evaluate the purpose, importance and relevance of project management and its role in delivering successful projects
- Explain and critically evaluate the core knowledge of project management processes and methods within practical applications
- Explain and critically evaluate how the use of processes and methods links with the development of positive attitudes and behaviours appropriate to successful project completion
This module provides you with the skills to work professionally, think creatively and reflect critically, practice responsibly and to conduct a research project. It enables you to be workplace-ready but at the same time have the foundation to progress your studies to doctoral level, if you so wish. After completing this module you will be able to:
- Critically engage with other people’s work, sources of information, digital information systems and problems in practice
- Formulate valid and reliable research questions, hypotheses or conclusions through critical analysis and interpretation of information
- Appreciate the connection between research philosophy, approach and design as well as data collection and analysis techniques
- Develop a research design that is suitable and justifiable to address a particular research question, considering the relative strengths and weaknesses of different research methods
- Demonstrate the adoption of ethical standards in research and /or professional environments including the appraisal of ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that can arise in a business environment
- Evaluate and develop responsible practice in terms of economic, legal, ethical, social, environmental and philanthropic aspects for self-regulation in a business environment
- Demonstrate understanding and knowledge of key theories of critical reflection and development towards becoming a reflective practitioner
Based on core Operations Management concepts, this module develops an integrative view of supply chains and provides an over-arching logic within which other modules, focussing on logistics, procurement and excellence, can be better understood.
We begin by developing an understanding of key operations and operations strategy concepts and focus on supply chain performance, in the context of strategic competitive advantage, based on organisational capabilities. We then examine key strategic supply chain decisions in areas such as capacity and inventory, taking account of the characteristics of supply and demand in various markets and sectors, and the implications for supply chain finance.
Supply chains seek to bring together different functions and organisations to function 'in concert' to satisfy customer demand. We therefore critically examine core supply chain ideas such as integration and coordination, but also examine the implications of outsourcing and the challenges of trying to direct and control the activities of other organisations, such as suppliers.
Contemporary supply chains utilise digital and information technology, both for particular functions and to achieve supply chain coordination. The module will incorporate an exploration of the use of these technologies. It will also examine the increasing need for supply chains to be flexible and resilient to changes in technology, customer demands and supply market conditions, as well as wider changes in the business environment.
Optional
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This module offers you a valuable opportunity to research a real business problem for an organisation, delivering a viable and well-documented solution to the client. For a successful project, you will employ your knowledge of methods (qualitative/quantitative), problem scoping and the research literature to your knowledge and understanding of professional engagement both in their interactions with the client and in the reporting of their outputs and discourse on your research.
The aim of this module is to provide students with a valuable opportunity to research an area of your degree programme in-depth, linking this to business problems that arise in the real world. For a successful project, you will employ their knowledge of analytical methods, problem scoping, modelling and the research literature to identify and implement a solution approach to the business problem or expand on your knowledge of the state of the area being researched. Throughout the project, you will develop your knowledge and understanding of professional academic engagement both in your interactions with your supervisor and in the reporting of your outputs and discourse on your research.
Students will learn how to use information technologies to track the status of the company (e.g. by using dashboards). They will also learn how to create a decision support tool (i.e. the dashboard).
They will also become familiar with techniques and tools used to evaluate the performance of business processes, to make the diagnosis and to suggest improvements to make them still more effective and efficient.
Students will also learn about the contribution of information technologies in achieving the company's strategic objectives, either as an innovation leading to a strategic advantage or as a further support to the company's strategy.
The purpose of this module is to understand and use mathematical models in making strategic, tactical, and operational logistics decisions. Emerging logistical concepts will be introduced, and the associated mathematical modelling needs will be discussed. Algebraic formulations will be used as vehicles for describing models and discussing their relationships. There will be a focus on modelling, the use of professional software, and the understanding of results. For problems where exact solutions are hard to achieve, even for simple instances of the problem, heuristics will be discussed.
The main topics covered are facility location, network design, warehousing, vehicle routing and scheduling, and Terminal (airport) capacity management.
You will attend tutorial sessions aimed at guiding you in preparing your project and will also learn a spreadsheet-based solver (e.g. Excel Solver) in one of your tutorial sessions.
Fees and funding
Location | Full Time (per year) | Part Time (per year) |
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Home | £15,650 | n/a |
International | £26,250 | n/a |
Additional fees and funding information accordion
There may be extra costs related to your course for items such as books, stationery, printing, photocopying, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits. Following graduation, you may need to pay a subscription to a professional body for some chosen careers.
Specific additional costs for studying at Lancaster are listed below.
College fees
Lancaster is proud to be one of only a handful of UK universities to have a collegiate system. Every student belongs to a college, and all students pay a small College Membership Fee which supports the running of college events and activities. Students on some distance-learning courses are not liable to pay a college fee.
For students starting in 2024, the fee is £40 for undergraduates and research students and £15 for students on one-year courses. Fees for students starting in 2025 have not yet been set.
Computer equipment and internet access
To support your studies, you will also require access to a computer, along with reliable internet access. You will be able to access a range of software and services from a Windows, Mac, Chromebook or Linux device. For certain degree programmes, you may need a specific device, or we may provide you with a laptop and appropriate software - details of which will be available on relevant programme pages. A dedicated IT support helpdesk is available in the event of any problems.
The University provides limited financial support to assist students who do not have the required IT equipment or broadband support in place.
For most taught postgraduate applications there is a non-refundable application fee of £40. We cannot consider applications until this fee has been paid, as advised on our online secure payment system. There is no application fee for postgraduate research applications.
For some of our courses you will need to pay a deposit to accept your offer and secure your place. We will let you know in your offer letter if a deposit is required and you will be given a deadline date when this is due to be paid.
The fee that you pay will depend on whether you are considered to be a home or international student. Read more about how we assign your fee status.
If you are studying on a programme of more than one year’s duration, tuition fees are reviewed annually and are not fixed for the duration of your studies. Read more about fees in subsequent years.
Scholarships and bursaries
You may be eligible for the following funding opportunities, depending on your fee status and course. You will be automatically considered for our main scholarships and bursaries when you apply, so there's nothing extra that you need to do.
Unfortunately no scholarships and bursaries match your selection, but there are more listed on scholarships and bursaries page.
If you're considering postgraduate research you should look at our funded PhD opportunities.
Scheme | Based on | Amount |
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We also have other, more specialised scholarships and bursaries - such as those for students from specific countries.
Browse Lancaster University's scholarships and bursaries.
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Management and Business
- Business Administration MBA
- Business Administration (Executive) MBA
- Business Analytics MSc
- Cyber Security Executive MBA MBA
- Digital Business, Innovation and Management MSc
- Human Resource Management MSc
- Human Resources and Consulting MA
- Innovation and Entrepreneurship MSc
- Innovation and Improvement Science MSc
- Innovation and Improvement Science PgCert
- Innovation and Improvement Science PgDip
- International Business and Strategy MSc
- International Masters Program for Managers No Qual (PGT)
- Leadership and Management PgCert
- Leadership and Management (Health Care) PgCert
- Leadership Practice MSc
- Leadership Practice PgDip
- Leadership Practice (Apprenticeship Pathway) PgDip
- Management MSc
- Management (Entrepreneurship and Strategy) PhD
- Management (Organisation, Work and Technology) PhD
- Management Science MRes
- Management Science PhD
- Management Science PhD (Integrated)
- Medical Leadership MSc
- Medical Leadership PgDip
- Medical Leadership PgCert
- Organisation, Work and Technology MRes
- Politics, Philosophy and Management MSc
- Professional Development PGCert
- Professional Practice MA
- Professional Practice MSc
- Professional Practice PgCert
- Professional Practice PgDip
- Project Management MSc
- Theory and Practice of Management PhD
- Theory and Practice of Management (IDPM) PhD
Important Information
The information on this site relates primarily to 2025/2026 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.
The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.
More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.
Our Students’ Charter
We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies.