Do you want to know more about the MSc in Supply Chain Management?
This video will answer the most frequently asked questions about the programme.
RSM’s MSc in Supply Chain Management programme is one academic year. Master electives (18 ECTS) are offered during the spring semester, and you can chose one elective from another MSc programme. You can also replace one elective with an internship or business project. During the year, students work on a master thesis project (16 ECTS).
Our curriculum’s range of topics covers a lot of knowledge. Courses include lectures and workshops, and there’s a high workload. All core courses in blocks 1 and 2 also require extensive teamwork.
MSc programmes are often associated with a research group. Students are guided by accomplished researchers who make important contributions in their respective fields. For a closer look at the exciting research from our academic faculty members, we recommend exploring the Department of Technology and Operations Management, which oversees the MSc Supply Chain Management.
Please note that core courses and electives are subject to change each academic year. While some electives are very popular and we can place most students in the elective(s) of their choice, there are no guaranteed places.
You can choose three elective* courses in parallel to your master thesis trajectory. Each elective course is 6 ECTS. In most elective courses, you’ll interact with companies, for example in company visits, consultancy-like projects, and exciting guest lectures.
The current list of electives includes the following courses:
1. Analytics and data science
- Supply Chain Forecasting
- Supply Chain Simulation
- Behavioural Operations Management
2. Global sourcing and trade
- Commodity Trade and Supply Networks
- Strategic Sourcing
- Ports in Global Networks
3. People, planet and profit
- Closed-loop Supply Chains
- Health and Humanitarian Logistics
- Company-based Project
For a detailed description of all of the courses including electives, please view the course catalogue (for reference only, catalogue continually updated throughout the year).
*Please note that certain electives may be very popular. Although we can place most students in the elective(s) of their choice, there are no guaranteed places.
In the first phase of the thesis trajectory, you find a research topic and a supervisory team. The programme offers a wide array of themes and coach profiles for you to work with. Each research theme offers a broad research area, flexible enough to allow you to specify and investigate your own research questions. TThemes typically provide a set of specific topics and potential avenues for research. Different themes require different research approaches. The research themes are:
- Operations, Scheduling and Distribution Networks
- Material Handling and Facility Logistics
- Purchasing and Supply Management
- Supply Chain Forecasting and Analytics
- Global Sustainable Supply Chains and Smart Ports
- Behavioural Operations.
Generally, there are two types of master thesis projects:
- Theory-oriented projects aim to contribute to theory development or theory testing. Empirical data is used to build or test a theory, or to validate the research framework.
- Practice-oriented projects aim to contribute to knowledge of the subject or help to solve a problem encountered by practitioners. Usually this is combined with an internship with the practitioner via a company-based project (CBP).
Learn more
The best performing and most highly motivated students may be invited to take part in the Supply Chain Management Honours programme. This part of the programme is in addition to the one-year MSc in Supply Chain Management. It has two additional courses so honours students can further broaden, deepen, and demonstrate their knowledge. They will apply their new knowledge to a project at one of RSM’s partner companies.
Selection criteria
Only the top-performing students can apply for the honours class. Selection is based on grades from the students' core courses, as well as their motivation to follow the honours programme.
Recognition
Students successfully completing the honours class will receive a certificate indicating the additional ECTs they have achieved.
If you have any questions about the honours class please contact the co-ordinator Ioannis Fragkos.
You can get a taste of working life by applying your new knowledge to a real company problem during an optional internship. You could do this in a large multinationals or a fast-growing start-up. The RSM Career Centre will support you in finding a suitable position. Many students acquire their first job after graduation from the contacts they make during their internship.
Explore the world and broaden your study experiences by going on international study trips and exchange at other top schools. RSM has an extensive partner school network of more than 100 business schools and universities worldwide, including top business schools such as ESADE in Barcelona and The Wharton School in the USA. An international exchange is an optional element after you’ve studied for your master for at least one year.
All of our graduates start their career with an outstanding qualification in logistics, supply chain management and operations, and subsequently enjoy premium prospects for coveted positions in international business. Many of them find positions within multinational firms and organisations, partially thanks to relationships they have developed with representatives from the world of business – as well as peers – during the programme’s corporate and other networking events.
Job titles of alumni from the SCM master include:
- Supply chain manager
- Distribution manager
- Warehouse manager
- Operations manager
- Production planning
- Inventory manager
- Sourcing/procurement/purchasing manager
- Logistics information systems manager
You can find employment in a vast number of private, public or non-profit organisations in any sector. All companies, including service-oriented and non-profit organisations, operate supply chains and have value-adding processes which need continuous improvement. The job market in logistics is relatively insensitive to the state of the economy. In recessions, processes must be redesigned to improve efficiency and competitiveness. In economic booms, processes must be adapted to create new opportunities and beat the competition.
Many headhunting companies have a specialist division for operations and logistics. You can also consult the RSM Career Centre to guide you in your search for an internship or job.
Curious to see what our alumni are doing?
Good to know
Non-EEA nationals who have earned a diploma from a higher education institute in the Netherlands can apply for a special residence permit called the orientation year after completing their studies. The 'Orientation Year for Graduates Seeking Employment' is a residence permit aimed at retaining foreign talent for the Dutch labour market. During this orientation year you are free to work without a work permit. Participants who find a job during this period can change their orientation year into a residence permit for Highly Skilled Migrants under more favourable terms.
For the most up-to-date information please visit the following website.
What's next after your studies? The RSM Career Centre is your guide for an impactful career. Its expertise in the labour market, personal branding and connections with employers will prepare you for your business career. Get ready for some exciting job fairs, workshops, speed interviews and coaching. You may land your first internship or job before you even graduate!
You’re a member of the RSM community from Day 1. After you graduate, you’ll also be a member of the RSM alumni network. The countless benefits include networking events worldwide with local chapters, lifelong learning and professional development, mentoring opportunities and access to the latest business knowledge and research. Your study at RSM is the first step towards being part of this inspiring community that you’ll be part of forever.
Talk to our current students!
The 2026-2027 tuition fee for the MSc programmes is approximately €25,800 for non-EEA students. The Dutch government contributes towards this cost for students who hold a nationality from a country belonging to the European Economic Area (EEA). These students therefore only pay the statutory fee €2,694 in 2026-2027.
For EEA nationals who have already completed a master in the Netherlands (and obtained the diploma) the tuition fee for a second master is approximately €14,800.
Please note that all these tuition fee tariffs are subject to change.
There are other costs associated with the Master programmes, for more information please review the “Other expenses” section below thoroughly.
Scholarships
The number of scholarships is limited and mainly merit based. If a scholarship covers only the tuition fees, be aware that you need to finance your own living expenses (rent, food and insurances) for the duration of your studies. RSM does not offer scholarships for the pre-master programme. We do however offer a maximum of 2 scholarships per academic year to RSM pre-master students enrolling in an MSc programme.
Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) offers multiple scholarships to prospective students from non-EEA countries who are not entitled to pay the EEA tuition fee, provided their grades are considered ‘excellent’. RSM also offers one scholarship, the Erasmus Trustfonds Scholarship, to students from EEA countries.
Besides scholarships awarded by RSM, there are also scholarships awarded by the Dutch government or other organisations that are available if you meet certain criteria such as nationality, age, etc We have listed some of them below but we encourage you to use resources such as Grantfinder or the Scholarship Portal to find additional scholarships.
- StuNed
- G&D Europe Scholarship
- NN Future Matters Scholarship
- Russia: The Global Education Programme
- LPDP
- OKP
Scholarship tips
- Contact the Ministry for Higher Education in your home country to see whether there are scholarship options.
- We have a recording of our virtual information session covering all you need to know about scholarships and financial aid. Watch it on YouTube here.
For students from the Netherlands or the EU/EEA, it may be possible to apply for limited funding towards payment of your tuition fees. Find out whether you meet the nationality and age requirements and read more information about the application process here.
The MSc IM/CEMS is a programme that - if you are still eligible - entitles you to a maximum of 1 year's use of your DUO entitlements. Students who have received a basic grant and possibly a supplementary grant from DUO in the first year of IM/CEMS and meet the following additional conditions may be eligible for an additional half year (6 months) of financial support, which is equal to the grant received in the last month during the programme. Please contact the student counselors for more information.
Conditions Financial Support Fund
Students eligible for financial support due to extended master programmes are those who:
a) are enrolled full-time in a publicly funded Erasmus University Rotterdam degree programme, which is extended on the base of article 7.4, paragraph 8 of the Dutch Higher Education and Research Act;
b) are enrolled as first enrollment (hoofdinschrijving) in the study programme described in point a) for which the student pays statutory tuition fee;
c) for this programme, is or was entitled to study finance (prestatiebeurs hoger onderwijs) as referred to in the Wet Studiefinanciering 2000, and during the period corresponding to the study load that exceeds 60 ECTs, and is no longer eligible for student finance in the form of an additional grant.
Other expenses
After having filled in all of the necessary application information on the Online Application Form (OLAF) and uploaded the required documents, applicants with a degree obtained outside the Netherlands will be asked to pay a non-refundable €100 handling fee. This fee can be paid online via the Erasmus Payment System which uses either iDEAL (for those with a Dutch bank account) or PayPal (which can be linked to any bank account or credit card worldwide). It is important that applicants complete the payment process as indicated, otherwise the system cannot register the payment.
The additional expenses in addition to tuition and general living costs (see below) vary per programme and may include:
- Study materials such as books, readers and business cases
- Costs involved in kick-off meetings
- Costs related to travel, international excursions and compulsory exchange semesters or internships abroad
Approximately € 300 - 500 (per year), these costs differ per programme.
For a reasonable standard of living in the Netherlands, you should have an income of between €1,150-€2,000 per month depending on your lifestyle. Further information about the costs of living in the Netherlands and related subjects can be found on this website. Below is an example of monthly expenditures:
| Furnished accommodation, including gas and electricity | €535-1,160 |
| Medical insurance | €50 |
| Telephone/internet | €15-40 |
| Food | €200-300 |
| Books, recreation, clothing | €300-400 |
| Public Transportation | €50 |
| Total | average €1,150-€2,000 |
| Other potential expenses: | |
| Buying or renting a bike | € 100 - 250 (per year) |
| In private residence (not student housing) municipal and water taxes | € 100 - 300 (per year) |
| Study trip or other study related travel | € 300 - 500 (per year) |
Please ensure, prior to your arrival at RSM, that you have or will have sufficient funding available to finance your stay at RSM. Finding a part-time job, may be an option, but can not be guaranteed. You should therefore not rely on finding other ways to supplement your income during your studies. For additional information on obtaining a part-time job, visit the website of the Nuffic.
For EEA students there are no formal restrictions in finding work in the Netherlands, but students with a lack of Dutch language skills will find it difficult to secure employment. Non-EEA students are subject to labour regulations, which makes the likelihood of obtaining a work permit very small. We therefore ask students not to rely on this possibility. We do not encourage students to combine studies with the heavy workload from a part-time job.
Application opens 1 October. This is a capped programme which means that the application will close either when the maximum number of applications (290) has been reached or 15 May, whichever comes first.
Update: 6 January 2026, 1:51 PM: The MSc Supply Chain Management programme has reached full capacity. The Online Application Form (OLAF) is now closed.
Find out everything you need to know about entry visas & residence permits for non-EU or EEA students at RSM.
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