Fact Sheets

Industrial Distribution @ MSUM

(NAIT Accredited)
The Industrial Distribution Program at MSUM prepares graduates for positions with wholesale distributors who purchase, warehouse, sell, distribute and service a wide variety of industrial products and with manufacturers who sell through distributors. Students learn the technological applications and the business skills to prepare for professional careers in inside sales, inventory management, purchasing, outside sales, warehouse management, corporate management and as technical manufacturing representatives. The curriculum provides study in technology, business management and liberal arts. This knowledge is applied to working relationships with executives, managers, engineers, scientists and craftsmen.

Nationally recognized and with an earned specialized technical management accreditation, industrial distribution is a program of study based on competencies established by the distribution/wholesale business sector. Employment opportunities are virtually limitless. Distribution is a $4.5 trillion industry that annually generates thousands of job opportunities worldwide. This industry is growing so rapidly that the demand for qualified college graduates to fill key positions is at a crisis. Recent history suggests that each of the MSUM industrial distribution (ID) graduates will have several employment choices to select from.

Department Benefits

  • Accredited by the National Association of Industrial Technology (NAIT). The Industrial Technology programs at MSUM are the only accredited technical management B.S. programs in Minnesota.
  • The National Association of Wholesalers Distributors (NAW) and its members recognize MSU Moorhead's ID program as a quality ID program. To assist in graduate placement, several of the national distribution associations list MSUM's ID program in publications sent to their members and on their web home pages.
  • Graduates find employment with the placement percentage approaching 100 percent.
  • Numerous scholarships are available to qualified students and are awarded annually.
  • Students attend field trips each semester to enhance their skills in the field and meet practicing distributor professionals.
  • Class sizes range from 15 to 25 students in upper-division classes. This allows the professors to give you more personal attention along with the possibility of more one-on-one contact with faculty which will enhance your learning opportunity.
  • Students are taught by faculty who hold graduate degrees and 83 percent have earned doctoral degrees in their field of specialization.
  • Internships, summer or continuing work experience is strongly encouraged because potential employers tend to reward experienced students with higher salaries. Many employers also use internships as opportunities for recruiting full-time employees.
  • Peer tutoring is available for students to improve classroom performance.
  • Highly qualified adjunct professors are hired from the local manufacturing and distribution industry to teach specialized technical and distribution classes.
  • Students receive computer instruction in a 25-station modern computer lab with $300,000 of donated industry software. This software is the current software utilized in business today and allows ID graduates to compete in the marketplace.

Students Succeed at MSU Moorhead

  • Most students successfully blend university courses and studies with part-time employment or internships. Fargo-Moorhead is a regional distribution center and many local distributors actively recruit ID majors.
  • Each year students are awarded scholarships donated by local, regional, and national distribution companies and distribution associations. The total of these awards ranges from $4,000 to $7,000.
  • Students get involved in the Professional Association for Industrial Distribution (PAID) so they can increase their knowledge of industrial distribution and create future employment contacts.
  • Two ID students competed on the 1996 winning team in the Tri-College Knowledge Bowl.

Alumni at Work

  • Jeff Wilkins, '90, Regional Sales Manager, Fargo, ND; Chad Sogge, '94, Utility Customer Service Manager, Phoenix, AZ; Jason Stein, '94, Industrial Outside Sales, Fargo, ND; Marty Jahnig, '95, Industrial Inside Sales Support, Bismarck, ND; Justin Chase, '97, Strategic Business Relations Support, Fargo, ND; Dean Dobitz, '97, Automation Product Specialist, Fargo, ND, Border State Electric Supply, Fargo, ND.
  • Nathan Kuznia, '00, Industrial Engineering Corporate Trainee, UPS, Minneapolis, MN.
  • Lisa Mollencamp, '00, Distribution Center Management Trainee, Wal-Mart, Tomah, WI.
  • Michael Fillipi, '99, Management Trainee, United Electric Supply, Wilmington, DE.
  • Michael O'Neil, '99, and Ty Johnson, '99, Corporate Management Trainee, US Filter, Ann Arbor, MI and Minneapolis, MN.
  • Nora Lauer, Customer Relations, Square D Regional Sales, Minneapolis, MN.
  • Steve Pribyl, '98, and Jessica Buyisse, '99, Corporate Management Trainee, Cameron-Barkley, Charelston, SC and Asheville, NC.
  • Becky Lyseng, '98, Quality Department, Marvin Windows, Warroad, MN.
  • Tony Johnson, '98, Quality Department, Marvin Windows, Warrroad, MN.
  • Lisa Lane, '98 and Patrick Nguyen, '98, Technical Account Executive, Future Electronics, Minneapolis, MN.
  • Martin Millerbernd, `97, Management Trainee, Motion Industries, Omaha, NE.
  • Tim Vantassel, '95, Software Training/Implementation Specialist, Great Plains Software, Watertown, SD.
  • Ken Pederson, '93, Regional Sales Manager, Moen, Fargo, ND.

Careers
Industrial Distribution involves a broad range of career paths including customer services, selling, purchasing, inventory management, and corporate management.  Specific positions of ID grads include:

  • Technical sales and marketing--providing specialized knowledge and consulting to customers.
  • Operations managers--manage facility's workforce, equipment, and materials to meet shipping or production schedules at the same time meeting efficiency and quality standards.
  • Materials managers--plan and control distribution from the acquisition of raw materials to the delivery of finished products.
  • Quality assurance managers--develop and coordinate all activities related to ISO or other quality standards.
  • Branch or corporate management--having a working knowledge of the distribution business.  Work with people, manage resources, and schedule activities.