Business

Master of Science in Procurement and Supply Chain Management

The Master of Science in Procurement and Supply Chain Management is a postgraduate programme that prepares professionals for advanced practice in procurement, supply chain management, and logistics integration. The programme provides specialised training in procurement strategy, supply chain management, logistics, inventory management, and global supply chain operations.

Core areas include supply chain management, procurement contracts and negotiation, logistics management, supply chain finance, strategic inventory management, e-procurement, supply chain risk management, legal issues, research methods, and dissertation. Students engage with both theoretical and practical work through coursework, case studies, and research.

The programme is offered by the University of Nairobi, Technical University of Mombasa, and Multimedia University of Kenya as public institutions, and KCA University as a private institution. Multiple study modes are available including full-time and part-time over two years, combining coursework with research.

Students develop competencies in procurement, supply chain management, logistics, inventory, risk management, e-procurement, and research. The programme includes coursework, examinations, case studies, and a supervised research dissertation, preparing graduates for procurement and supply chain leadership roles.

UoN charges approximately KES 353,500 per year while KCA University charges approximately KES 238,035 per year. Entry requires at least an Upper Second Class Honours degree in a relevant field from a recognised institution.

Graduates pursue careers as supply chain managers, procurement managers, logistics managers, supply chain consultants, operations managers, and lecturers across manufacturing, retail, government, NGOs, and consulting firms.

Skills Required

Supply Chain Management and Optimisation
Procurement Strategy and Sourcing
Logistics Management and Operations
Strategic Inventory Management
Supply Chain Risk Management and Auditing
E-Procurement and Digital Supply Chain
Procurement Contracts and Negotiation
Global Supply Chain Management
Research Methods in Supply Chain Management
Academic Writing and Dissertation Research

Key Subjects

Supply Chain Management
Procurement Contracts and Negotiation
Logistics Management
Supply Chain Finance
Strategic Inventory Management
E-Procurement and Digital Supply Chain
Supply Chain Risk Management and Auditing
Legal Issues in Supply Chain Management
Research Methods for Supply Chain Management
Research Dissertation

Certifications

KISM Professional Registration
CIPS Professional Certification
CSCMP Professional Membership

Specializations

Procurement and Sourcing

Focuses on procurement and sourcing, covering procurement, sourcing, strategy, contracts, and managing procurement and sourcing.

Logistics and Distribution

Examines logistics and distribution, covering logistics, distribution, transport, warehousing, and managing logistics and distribution.

Supply Chain Risk Management

Covers supply chain risk, covering risk, supply, chain, management, auditing, and managing supply chain risk management.

E-Procurement and Digital Supply Chain

Focuses on e-procurement, covering e-procurement, digital, supply, chain, technology, and managing e-procurement and digital supply chain.

Global Supply Chain Management

Examines global supply chain, covering global, supply, chain, international, trade, and managing global supply chain management.

Supply Chain Finance

Covers supply chain finance, covering finance, supply, chain, costs, budgeting, and managing supply chain finance.

Duration: 2 years
Public, up to: Ksh 351,250
Private, up to: Ksh 190,518
Job market: High

The programme

What you study, how long it takes, and how it is delivered.

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time, Part-time
Attachment: 0 months
Average class: 25 students
Award: Masters

What you study

10 subjects

Supply Chain Management
Procurement Contracts and Negotiation
Logistics Management
Supply Chain Finance
Strategic Inventory Management
E-Procurement and Digital Supply Chain
Supply Chain Risk Management and Auditing
Legal Issues in Supply Chain Management
Research Methods for Supply Chain Management
Research Dissertation

Modules

12 in the programme

Supply Chain Management
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines supply chain management, covering supply, chain, management, optimisation, and managing supply chain management principles.
Supply Chain Finance
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers finance, supply, chain, costs, budgeting, and managing supply chain finance and cost management.
Logistics Management
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines logistics, management, operations, distribution, and managing logistics management and operations.
Procurement Contracts and Negotiation
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers procurement, contracts, negotiation, sourcing, and managing procurement contracts and negotiation.
Strategic Inventory Management
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines inventory, strategic, management, control, and managing strategic inventory management and stock control.
E-Procurement
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers e-procurement, digital, procurement, technology, and managing e-procurement and digital procurement systems.
Supply Chain Risk Management and Auditing
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines risk, supply, chain, management, auditing, and managing supply chain risk management and auditing.
Legal Issues in Supply Chain Management
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers legal, issues, supply, chain, regulation, and managing legal issues in supply chain management.
Research Methods for Supply Chain Management
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines research, design, methods, ethics, and conducting research in supply chain management, preparing students for their dissertation.
Global Supply Chain Management
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers global, supply, chain, international, trade, and managing global supply chain management and international trade.
Sustainable Supply Chain Management
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines sustainable, supply, chain, management, environment, and managing sustainable supply chain management.
Research Dissertation
Year 2Semester 212 creditsCore
Original supervised research dissertation on a procurement or supply chain management topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and supply chain knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Specialisations

Procurement and Sourcing
Focuses on procurement and sourcing, covering procurement, sourcing, strategy, contracts, and managing procurement and sourcing.
Logistics and Distribution
Examines logistics and distribution, covering logistics, distribution, transport, warehousing, and managing logistics and distribution.
Supply Chain Risk Management
Covers supply chain risk, covering risk, supply, chain, management, auditing, and managing supply chain risk management.
E-Procurement and Digital Supply Chain
Focuses on e-procurement, covering e-procurement, digital, supply, chain, technology, and managing e-procurement and digital supply chain.
Global Supply Chain Management
Examines global supply chain, covering global, supply, chain, international, trade, and managing global supply chain management.
Supply Chain Finance
Covers supply chain finance, covering finance, supply, chain, costs, budgeting, and managing supply chain finance.

A day as a student

A typical day during the MSc in Procurement and Supply Chain Management programme combines lectures, case studies, group discussions, seminars, and independent study. Sessions cover supply chain management, procurement, logistics, and risk management. Supply chain sessions examine supply, chain, management, optimisation, and managing supply chain management. Procurement sessions cover procurement, contracts, negotiation, sourcing, and managing procurement contracts and negotiation. Logistics sessions cover logistics, management, operations, distribution, and managing logistics management. Inventory sessions cover inventory, strategic, management, control, and managing strategic inventory management. E-procurement sessions cover e-procurement, digital, supply, chain, technology, and managing e-procurement and digital supply chain. Risk management sessions cover risk, supply, chain, management, auditing, and managing supply chain risk management and auditing. Legal sessions cover legal, issues, supply, chain, regulation, and managing legal issues in supply chain management. Global supply chain sessions cover global, supply, chain, international, trade, and managing global supply chain management. Research methods sessions cover research, design, methods, ethics, and conducting research in supply chain management. Case studies provide practical experience in analysing real-world supply chain scenarios. Seminars provide opportunities for presenting research findings and discussing current issues in supply chain management. The programme culminates in a supervised research dissertation on a procurement or supply chain management topic.

The trade offs

In its favour

Programme offered at both public and private universities providing choice and flexibility.
Comprehensive curriculum covering procurement, logistics, risk management, and global supply chain.
Graduates are eligible for KISM registration, CIPS and CSCMP professional certification.
High job market demand for supply chain professionals in Kenya's growing economy.

Against it

Fees vary significantly, from KES 238,035/year at KCA to KES 353,500/year at UoN.
Some institutions do not publicly disclose fee structures.
Programme may require relevant work experience for Lower Second Class holders.
Programme name varies slightly across institutions, causing potential confusion.

What it costs

Tuition at both ends of the market, and how to pay for it.

What it costs, and where

Against 331 business courses

Public351k to 351k

351k at University of Nairobi351k at University of Nairobi

Private191k to 191k

191k at KCA University191k at KCA University

Annual tuition in Kenyan shillings, rounded. The upright tick is the median for this field, so a bar sitting entirely to its right is an expensive programme by the standards of its own subject.

The fine print

UoN 351,250/yr (kenyaeducationguide). KCA ~190K/yr (KCA fee schedule)

HELB postgraduate loans are available for Kenyan students. Universities may offer scholarships for eligible students. Some employers, particularly in manufacturing and logistics, may sponsor staff for postgraduate study in procurement and supply chain management.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
University Scholarship
Employer Sponsorship

Scholarships

3 recorded

HELB Postgraduate Loan
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan students pursuing postgraduate studies at recognised universities.
University Scholarship
ScholarshipKsh 200,000Kenyan
Universities may offer scholarships for eligible postgraduate supply chain students.
Employer Sponsorship
ScholarshipKsh 476,070Kenyan
Some employers in manufacturing, logistics, and government may sponsor staff for postgraduate study.

Getting in

The grades, the alternatives, and who accredits the award.

What you need

KCSE mean grade: N/A (Postgraduate)
Alternative entry: Most universities require at least an Upper Second Class Honours degree in a relevant field. Lower Second Class may be considered with relevant work experience or a Postgraduate Diploma. Contact respective universities for specific admission requirements.

How you are assessed

4 components

Coursework and Continuous Assessment
Coursework30% of the mark
Continuous assessment through coursework assignments, case study analyses, seminar presentations, group discussions, and class participation.
Written Examinations
Examination70% of the mark
Written examinations covering supply chain management, procurement, logistics, risk management, and legal issues.
Case Study Assessment
Project40% of the mark
Practical assessment through case studies, demonstrating supply chain strategy, procurement analysis, and problem-solving in real-world scenarios.
Research Dissertation
Research100% of the mark
Original supervised research dissertation on a procurement or supply chain management topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and supply chain knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Accreditation

The programme is accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). University of Nairobi, Technical University of Mombasa, and Multimedia University of Kenya (public) and KCA University (private) offer MSc in Procurement and Supply Chain Management. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate training in procurement and supply chain management. Graduates should be registered with KISM and may pursue CIPS and CSCMP professional certification. The programme aligns with PPRA public procurement standards and CIPS and CSCMP global standards.

Accredited by

Commission for University Education (CUE)
Academic accreditationRequired
Programme accredited by CUE. University of Nairobi, Technical University of Mombasa, and Multimedia University of Kenya (public) and KCA University (private) offer MSc in Procurement and Supply Chain Management. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate training in procurement and supply chain management. Graduates should be registered with KISM and may pursue CIPS and CSCMP professional certification. The programme aligns with PPRA public procurement standards and CIPS and CSCMP global standards.
Kenya Institute of Supplies Management (KISM)
Professional accreditationRequired
KISM regulates the supply management profession in Kenya. Graduates working in procurement and supply management should be registered with KISM.

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

6 roles

Supply Chain Manager
High demandKsh 150,000 to Ksh 500,000
Manages supply chain operations, overseeing supply, chain, optimisation, and managing supply chain management.
Procurement Manager
High demandKsh 150,000 to Ksh 500,000
Manages procurement operations, overseeing procurement, sourcing, contracts, and managing procurement functions.
Logistics Manager
High demandKsh 130,000 to Ksh 450,000
Manages logistics operations, overseeing logistics, transport, warehousing, and managing logistics operations.
Supply Chain Consultant
Moderate demandKsh 150,000 to Ksh 500,000
Provides supply chain consulting services, overseeing advisory, optimisation, strategy, and managing supply chain consulting.
Operations Manager
High demandKsh 130,000 to Ksh 500,000
Manages operations, overseeing operations, production, efficiency, and managing operations management.
Supply Chain Lecturer
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 400,000
Teaches supply chain management at university or college level, overseeing instruction, research, and academic supervision.

Graduate outcomes

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Tools you will learn

SAP ERP
SoftwarePrimary
SAP ERP for supply chain and procurement management, covering procurement, supply, chain, logistics, and managing enterprise supply chain.
Microsoft Excel
Software
Excel for supply chain data analysis and reporting, covering analysis, reporting, data, and managing supply chain data.
Supply Chain Analytics Software
Software
Supply chain analytics software for forecasting and optimisation, covering analytics, forecasting, optimisation, and managing supply chain analytics.
SPSS
Software
SPSS for statistical analysis of research data, covering statistics, analysis, research, and managing research data.

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Supply chain management is just about moving goods.
Supply chain management involves strategic sourcing, procurement, logistics, risk management, data analytics, and global trade beyond just transportation.
This programme is only for those working in manufacturing.
Supply chain management skills are valuable in retail, healthcare, government, NGOs, consulting, and technology beyond just manufacturing.
Supply chain management is being replaced by AI.
AI enhances supply chain management through forecasting and automation, but strategic decision-making, supplier relationships, and risk management remain human-driven.
Procurement and supply chain is the same as logistics.
Supply chain management is broader, covering end-to-end integration from sourcing to delivery, while logistics focuses specifically on transport and warehousing.
Supply chain management has limited career growth.
Supply chain professionals can advance to chief supply chain officer, operations director, and executive roles with significant career growth.
Supply chain is not relevant in the digital economy.
E-commerce, global trade, and digital platforms make supply chain management more critical than ever, with growing demand for skilled professionals.