Transportation and Logistics Management
Program Description
The mission of UW-Superior's Transportation and Logistics Management (T&L) major is to "develop exceptional leaders through the integration of a liberal arts and business foundation with a Transportation and Logistics Management curriculum and internship."
Transportation management deals with the operational aspects of the five modes of transportation: air, highway, land, marine, rail, and pipeline, plus intermodal. Logistics assumes a systems approach to a wide variety of activities such as materials handling, warehousing, traffic management, inventory control, and packaging. The major focuses on the management of transportation and logistics as an integrated supply chain system. The T&L major offers many career opportunities. In addition to the thousands of transportation and logistics firms that hire T&L majors, graduates work for governmental agencies in planning, operations, and analysis. The demands of the global marketplace require business leaders to have a command of transportation and supply chain management.
The program has a strong international component and draws on many disciplines to produce graduates with problem solving, analytical, teamwork, and communications skills. In addition to transportation and logistics courses, the students have a foundation of liberal arts and general business courses to assist in developing ethical decision makers who have a global perspective and a lifetime passion for learning. A significant learning component of the T&L major is the required 6-11 week internship. Students have performed internships with government agencies and private companies across the United States and overseas.
The T&L major is the only transportation or logistics undergraduate major in Wisconsin. Students learn supply chain management as part of their T&L core curriculum. Students enjoy the benefits of UW-Superior's personal attention from faculty and its quality business courses, as well as Superior-Duluth's role as a North American transportation hub-for all five modes of transportation and intermodal.
Transportation and Logistics Management Major Internships
The internship program is designed to provide an opportunity for an upper-level student to gain valuable experience with a transportation/logistics company, government agency, or not-for-profit. The student would be able to apply the knowledge they have learned in the classroom and from readings to an operating organization. The intent is to expand that static knowledge in a dynamic setting and to assist the organization in a productive manner. The student will then bring that knowledge back to the university and share his or her experience and insight in the classroom enriching other students and faculty. The transportation/logistics organization is able, at a relatively low expense, to utilize the services of a student whose education and drive is focused on serving that industry. The organization has an opportunity to evaluate a potential employee and give current employees additional leadership experience as they mentor the student. In addition, when the organization provides feedback to the university on the internship program, they help shape the education of their future employees.
Internship Time Frame
A minimum six-week long internship for 2 credits is required of all Transportation and Logistics Management Majors. A typical workweek is 20 to 40 hours.
Students, in cooperation with a company, may elect to do a longer internship. Internships of eight weeks are quite common, and some companies and students seek a 15-week long semester internship. After the initial six weeks, students may be awarded 1 credit for each additional 45 hours provided that the student also completes all required academic assignments associated with the internship. The internship may be taken any academic term. Pass-Fail only. Course may be repeated. Students may earn a maximum of 7 credits.
Internship Academic Requirements
While serving as interns the students are required to keep a daily log that describes the type of activity that they are engaged in each working day. The students are required to submit a final report that we request that they have reviewed by their supervisor prior to sending to the University. Upon their return to the university, the students are required to make a formal public presentation to the faculty or in one of the Transportation and Logistics Management courses. The formal presentation will either describe the operations of the firm or a project that the student completed while on the internship. Representatives from the firm would be welcome to attend these presentations.