PhD in MANAGEMENT
The Purdue University Supply Chain & Operations Management (SC&OM) PhD Program is recognized for its academic excellence, rigorous training, and growing global impact. Housed within the Department of Supply Chain and Operations Management in the Mitch Daniels School of Business, the program has consistently achieved top rankings and an increasingly strong research reputation among leading institutions worldwide.
In the 2026 rankings published by U.S. News & World Report, Purdue’s undergraduate programs rank No. 4 in Production/Operations Management and No. 9 in Supply Chain Management/Logistics, reflecting continued national distinction, while its graduate programs ranked No. 18 in Production/Operations Management and No. 22 in Supply Chain Management/Logistics, respectively, in the US.
The Purdue SC&OM PhD Program is designed with two central goals: to cultivate first-rate researchers who shape the future of the discipline, and to prepare dedicated educators who advance knowledge in supply chain and operations management worldwide.
Our doctoral program is distinguished by its analytical, model-driven, and data-centered approach. We train scholars to develop rigorous, data-driven solutions to complex supply chain and operations challenges, with particular emphasis on global and cross-sector contexts. Students build strong methodological foundations in stochastic modeling, optimization, data-integrated decision modeling, game theory, statistical machine learning, and econometrics. This rigorous training equips graduates to produce high-impact research at the intersection of theory and practice and to contribute meaningfully to both academic scholarship and industry advancement.
As a land-grant, research-1 university with science, technology and engineering in its DNA, Purdue provides the resources of a world-class institution and a commitment to accessible, high-impact education. At the Daniels School of Business, this means pairing rigorous research training with a supportive community — ensuring our doctoral students have the mentorship, tools, and momentum to thrive as scholars.
The SC&OM faculty maintains a diverse and vibrant research portfolio spanning inventory planning, sourcing strategy, contract design and negotiation, revenue management and dynamic pricing, logistics network design, healthcare operations and health policy, manufacturing and service systems, reliability analysis, supply chain risk, e-commerce, and sharing platforms. Faculty expertise integrates advanced methodological innovation with real-world relevance.
Our faculty members actively collaborate with private, public, and nonprofit organizations to translate research insights into measurable impact. Recent collaborators include leading global firms such as AstraZeneca, Caterpillar Inc., Dow Chemical Company, GE Aviation, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, United Parcel Service, Wabash, Corteva, and Rolls-Royce, among many others across industry, public, and government sectors.
Beyond research excellence, the program is deeply committed to developing outstanding educators. Doctoral students receive structured mentorship in teaching and are provided meaningful opportunities to demonstrate instructional effectiveness prior to graduation. Reflecting its scholarly leadership, SC&OM faculty members hold more than twenty major editorial positions—including associate, senior, and area editor roles—at the field’s leading Operations Management journals.
Together, these strengths position the Purdue SC&OM PhD Program as a premier destination for scholars seeking rigorous training, meaningful collaboration, and lasting impact in supply chain and operations management.
Explore our Research publications >>
Zhan Pang, Yixuan Xiao (2022). “Inventory control under corporate income tax and accrual accounting.” IISE Transactions
Qi Feng, J. George Shanthikumar (2022). “Developing Operations Management Data Analytics.” Production and Operations Management
Qi Feng, Chengzhang Li, Mengshi Lu, J. George Shanthikumar (2021). “Dynamic substitution for selling multiple products under supply and demand uncertainties.” Production and Operations Management
Songhao Wang, Szu Hui Ng, William Benjamin Haskell (2021). “A Multilevel Simulation Optimization Approach for Quantile Functions.” INFORMS Journal on Computing
Shujing Sun, Susan F. Lu, Huaxia Rui (2020). “Does Telemedicine Reduce Emergency Room Congestion? Evidence from New York State.” Information Systems Research
Amy David, Amanda S. Mayes, and Elizabeth C. Coppola (2020). "The Effect of Live Theatre on Business Ethics." Humanistic Management Journal
Jinsheng Chen, Jing Dong, Pengyi Shi (2020). “A Survey on Skill-Based Routing with Applications to Service Operations Management.” Queueing Systems
Gökçe Esenduran, Paolo Letizia, Anton Ovchinnikov (2022). “Customization and Returns.” Management Science
Graduates of Purdue's Supply Chain and Operations PhD program over the years have gone on to secure research-focused faculty and industry positions at the following institutions and organizations:
Program Requirements:
Curriculum
For detailed descriptions of the courses, please visit Purdue’s online Course Catalog .
If you have questions about doctoral study in Supply Chain and Operations Management, feel free to contact our PhD Coordinator, Dr. Zhan Pang, at zpang@purdue.edu.
For questions about the admissions process or other PhD programs at the Daniels School of Business, email businessphd@purdue.edu and an Admissions Specialist will connect you with the appropriate department representative.
