EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNIES IN PURCHASING

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As noted in chapter 3, the purchasing function in business and government has evolved over the past four decades from a clerical job to a vital part of the operation of any organization. As a result, educational institutions have responded to the need for formally educated purchasing or materials management professionals by developing special programs at the associate, bachelor, and graduate level. Other institutions now offer courses that relate to materials management in their schools of business and special certificate courses or seminars in their continuing education departments.

Some industries are tending toward requiring bachelor's degrees for entering their training programs while other industries still rely upon experience as the primary qualification. There is a pattern among industries requiring formal education. Those industries that are systems oriented they emphasize knowledge of the various purchasing systems and how they relate to the total production process are more apt to require formal education than those industries that require extensive product knowledge. In the product knowledge oriented industries, however, degrees or continuing education courses enhance promotional possibilities beyond the buyer level. The bottom line is that in any industry postsecondary education is necessary if you are to progress to the top of your field.

Currently, there are three colleges and universities offering bachelors, masters, and doctoral concentrations in purchasing and materials management: Arizona State University, George Washington University, and Pennsylvania State University. Several others, including Bloomfield College, University of the District of Columbia, Michigan State, St. Mary's College of California, and Western New England College offer master's or MBA concentrations in materials management. There are several other colleges and universities that offer bachelor-level majors that enjoy a national reputation. (See Appendix A.)



Typically, schools offering bachelor-level majors in purchasing have a department within the school of business that concentrates on the primary operations and material flow functions within all types of organizations. Arizona State University has a department called Purchasing, Transportation and Operations (PTO), and students may elect to major in any one of the three areas. Students majoring in purchasing will normally take 50 percent of their course work in general studies, 20 percent in the business core, and the remainder in purchasing/materials management and other related electives. The purchasing core consists of production and operations, purchasing management, traffic and distribution, materials management, purchasing research, and negotiation and purchasing/materials management strategy. Arizona State, as others, offers an MBA track in PTO and a doctoral program in logistics.

As can be seen from the list of colleges and universities offering purchasing-related courses in Appendix A, there is ample opportunity for those presently working in the purchasing field to continue their formal education. Many community and junior colleges also offer courses that are valuable to the purchasing professional. It is important to note that basic management courses are valuable to those who wish to progress into the higher levels of purchasing executives.

The various trade associations, such as the National Association of Purchasing Management or the National Institute of Government Purchasing, also offer numerous seminars for purchasing professionals, many of which can be credited toward a designation as certified purchasing manager.
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