Identifying Best Practices of Logistics & Transportation Graduate Education

Logistics and transportation has become one of the last frontiers that still remain to be conquered by most businesses in the twenty first century. Yet this cannot be done unless all logistics and transportation professionals, irrespective of their functional orientation and current job responsibilities, fundamentally understand the dynamics of how products move from one place to another. This is one of the disciplines that is growing at a faster pace. The issue is that the number of graduates in this field is not meeting the current industry demand. Many U.S. institutions have recently developed and planning to develop educational degree programs in this area. This research analyzed the need for best practices and identified best practices in logistics and transportation education. The term Best Practice has been used to describe what works best in a particular situation or environment. Best practices are an inherent part of education that exemplifies the connection and relevance identified in educational research. They interject rigor into the curriculum by developing thinking and problem-solving skills through integration and active learning. Best practices are applicable to all degree levels and provide the building blocks for instruction. Best practices motivate, engage and prompt students to learn and achieve. Students who receive a balanced curriculum and possess the knowledge, skills and abilities to transfer and connect ideas and concepts across disciplines are most likely succeed in their careers. We recently have launched a graduate program in Logistics, Trade and Transportation at our university. We found some practices that are really effective in building curriculum, program delivery, and program improvement. This paper shares those best practices in logistics and transportation education in the US