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Supply Chain Engineer

Academic programs / Undergraduate degrees / Career opportunities / Supply Chain Engineer

Supply Chain Engineer

Explore employment trends, required job duties and skills for this career. ASU offers a variety of degrees that can help you prepare for and meet your career goals. Visit ASU's Career and Professional Development Services to learn how to develop your career plan.

Potential job titles in this career
Facility Engineer, Manufacturing Engineer, Plant Engineer, Process Engineer, Process Improvement Engineer

* Additional schooling, certification, or degrees maybe be required for some of the potential careers that are listed.
What will I do?
  • Troubleshoot new or existing product problems involving designs, materials, or processes.
  • Investigate or resolve operational problems, such as material use variances or bottlenecks.
  • Identify opportunities or implement changes to improve manufacturing processes or products or to reduce costs, using knowledge of fabrication processes, tooling and production equipment, assembly methods, quality control standards, or product design, materials and parts.
  • Apply continuous improvement methods, such as lean manufacturing, to enhance manufacturing quality, reliability, or cost-effectiveness.
  • Provide technical expertise or support related to manufacturing.
  • Incorporate new manufacturing methods or processes to improve existing operations.
  • Review product designs for manufacturability or completeness.
  • Determine root causes of failures or recommend changes in designs, tolerances, or processing methods, using statistical procedures.
  • Prepare reports summarizing information or trends related to manufacturing performance.
  • Prepare documentation for new manufacturing processes or engineering procedures.
  • In this career, it is important to know
    Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

    Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.

    Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.

    Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

    Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

    Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

    English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, and rules of composition and grammar.

    Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

    Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

    Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
    It's useful to be good at
    Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.

    Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

    Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

    Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

    Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

    Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.

    Visualization - The ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.

    Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

    Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

    Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
    Employment trends
    Location Pay period 2025
    10% 25% Median% 75% 90%
    United States Hourly $35.76 $40.19 $49.25 $62.14 $76.85
    Yearly $74,370 $83,600 $102,440 $129,250 $159,860
    Arizona Hourly $37.48 $42.94 $52.06 $64.98 $82.12
    Yearly $77,950 $89,320 $108,280 $135,150 $170,800
    2025 Median%
    United States $49.25 Hourly $102,440 Yearly
    Arizona $52.06 Hourly $108,280 Yearly

    Employment (2024)
    351,100 employees
    Projected growth (2024 - 2034)
    Much faster than average (11% or higher)
    Projected job openings (2024 - 2034)
    25,200
    * Data obtained from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET) under sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA).

    Program term definitions

    Accelerated programs allow students the opportunity to expedite the completion of their degree.

    Accelerated master's

    These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for some programs).

    Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible for consideration. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master's during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.

    Concurrent degrees allow students to pursue their own personal or professional interests, earn two distinct degrees and receive two diplomas. To add a concurrent degree to your existing degree, work with your academic advisor.

    Joint programs, or jointly conferred degrees, are offered by more than one college and provide opportunities for students to take advantage of the academic strengths of two academic units. Upon graduation, students are awarded one degree and one diploma conferred by two colleges.

    ASU adds new programs to Degree Search frequently. Come back often and look for the "New Programs" option.

    ASU Online offers programs in an entirely online format with multiple enrollment sessions throughout the year. See https://asuonline.asu.edu/ for more information.

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