Forty institutions participated in the third edition of the Gartner report on U.S. university undergraduate supply chain programs.

Among key findings:

• University supply chain programs' relevance to modern supply chain organizations has improved markedly through a combination of applied course work and more frequent and applied work experience.

• A combination of program scope, internship and co-op participation, and perceived value by industry differentiates a school's position relative to other programs.

• Supply chain undergraduate placement rates are between 85 percent to 100 percent and, in many cases, graduates are accepting higher starting salaries than finance and accounting majors.

Gartner's recommendations to employers include:

• Work with a select set of university partners to build programs that start with internships and naturally develop into entry-level on-ramps to secure strong talent that's also a good fit for your supply chain organization.

• Target recruiting activities for the fall semester, rather than spring, or risk the near 100 percent placement rates shutting you out of that year's candidate pool.

• Prepare to pay a premium for top talent. The average starting salary for undergraduates is $53,584, and top students are commanding premiums $25,000 or more beyond this.

Gartner's supply chain university research is intended to support chief supply chain officers, heads of supply chain strategy and supply chain HR partners in building a strong portfolio of university recruiting and internship partners. U.S. undergraduate supply chain programs have made impressive progress since we formally began this research in 2008, efforts which have helped grow and improve the supply of supply chain talent.

Rounding out the top-ranked listing of schools are:

Auburn, Arizona State, Rutgers, Wisconsin, South Carolina, TCU, Oklahoma, Georgia Tech, Miami (Ohio), Texas A&M, North Carolina State University, Rider University and Kansas.

Source: Gartner