Logistics, the mechanical operations and structure of making a business come together, could be available as a new two-year degree program for students this fall on NW Campus.
“Logistics incorporates a lot, including the business of moving things or people internationally and locally,” said Clint Grant, NW Campus dean of business technology and transportation.
It leads to jobs with virtually any company dealing in importing and exporting, he said.
Experienced technicians in mechanical logistics are in high demand, Grant said, and most companies worldwide have some sort of corporate logistics department.
A logistics degree, he said, can also produce skills leading to other jobs such as marketing, purchasing, traffic operations, production, management and construction.
“I thought the new program would be a good idea because of the demand for logistics jobs in the DFW area and because of the Alliance Corridor located only a few miles from our NW Campus,” said Sheryl Harris, director of program development and international initiative.
The Alliance Corridor, she said, is a hub for companies such as the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad as well as retailers with major distribution centers.
“TCC’s program will be one of the only logistics programs in the area that is obtainable in such a short amount of time that will qualify and state-certify students coming out of the program for community jobs,” Harris said.
An advisory board of community logistics specialists is helping to determine the logistics skills needed from the typical employer but that are not included in traditional university programs, Grant said.
“This is something, at least in this department, you can’t get from a four-year university’s logistics program,” he said. “Our program will definitely be more interactive and hands-on and will be focused on putting that experience in our students’ hands.”
The program is in its early stages of development, and Grant, Harris and the advisory board are putting the curriculum together.
The proposed classes include supervision, business logistics, imports and exports, quality management and transportation.
TCC’s program development process seeks to ensure that a demand for jobs exists and that TCC can meet space and facility requirements as established by the state.
The next step for the logistics program will be approval by TCC’s board of trustees, which Grant expects to occur in early summer.
Approval then will be sought from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
“The program will be a good option for students that need to start making money quick,” he said. “They can get experienced, educated and state-certified through our program and immediately find work and later on go back for two more years and receive their B.A. in logistics anytime.”
