Application Tips

The truth is there’s no typical Carlson School MSSCM applicant, and it can take anywhere from 3-18 months (or more!) for prospective students to explore Master's programs, talk to their employers and family, and compile/submit their application materials. Set goals and milestones that are appropriate and achievable for you. 

Graduate school is a big commitment. Gather your research about the program to determine if it's the best fit for your lifestyle, interests and goals. Watch the on-demand information session for a broad program overview. Delve into the program structure and curriculum on the website. Learn more about support offered for currently enlisted or military veterans. Explore funding sources and consider talking to your employer about sponsoring your education

Whether you’re fully committed or you remain unsure about earning your MS in Supply Chain Management, apply for admission now. Applying sooner will offer you more time to plan and prepare for going to school while working full time. Since many programs have multiple deadlines or rolling admissions, you can apply and have your decision in hand before making a case for sponsorship, applying for financial aid, or other pre-program planning. Most programs will also allow you to defer your decision to the next academic year if things arise in your personal or professional life that makes starting school that term less than ideal.

Preferred deadlines are targets, but many candidates apply long before—and after—the deadline. We understand that candidates may need employer approval due to the schedule and commitment required of our MS in Supply Chain Management program. This approval may come after our preferred deadline—and that’s okay. Please apply anyway. We often still have room or have seats that have opened up due to admission deferrals. 

Your professional experience is extremely important to business school admissions. You should update and fine tune your résumé to best reflect your work history. Many business school graduate programs (including the Carlson School) require full-time professional work experience for admission consideration. At the Carlson School, the MSSCM program requires a minimum of three years, not including internships.

Your resume should highlight a few key themes:

• How your work has impacted your team or organization in a quantifiable way
• How you have taken on a leadership role in a professional environment
• How your professional experience will be an asset to your peers in the program

You don’t have to be a novelist or a comedian to write a great personal statement—just be yourself. Answer the stated question in the clearest way possible, and be honest. Your personal statement should be tailored to each school you apply to. The Carlson School MS in Supply Chain Management admissions team uses your personal statement to determine whether the program is a good fit for your career goals, and whether your background and experience will be an asset to fellow students in the MSSCM community. 

Building a diverse community of students is a priority for many business-school programs. Applicants who studied non-business disciplines as an undergraduate student, or who come from diverse backgrounds enrich the classroom in countless ways. If you’re a non-traditional student, highlight how you’ve used your skills to make an impact in your work. Carlson School MSSCM admissions staff are interested in fostering diversity–in students’ mindsets, backgrounds, and experiences.

It’s common for business schools to require applicants to include letters of recommendation or professional references. Think about your network and choose people who are familiar with your work ethic, skillset, and accomplishments. These can be current or past colleagues, and they need not be supervisors or higher-level managers, with the exception that the Carlson School MSSCM program highly recommends one be your direct supervisor, if you have one. Your recommenders’ job titles are less important than the capacity in which they’ve worked with you in the past. The Carlson MSSCM Program requires professional recommenders in lieu of letters of recommendation, but choosing your recommenders should follow a similar process. 

Many graduate programs require GMAT or GRE test scores but the Carlson School MSSCM program does not require these test scores, although we will accept them if you feel they will strengthen your application. We are more concerned with your fit and ability to contribute to classroom discussions and team projects, which are paramount to any cohort-based program. We will interview qualified candidates once their applications are close to complete. This is both our opportunity to get to know you better and your opportunity to ask us questions and see if we are a good fit for you, too.

If you find yourself stuck on any component of your application, reach out to the school’s admissions staff. The admissions office is happy to help applicants navigate the process. To be connected with someone from the Carlson School MS in Supply Chain Management program’s admissions team, email: msscm@umn.edu.