2. Career Outlook
Industrial Distribution is a multi-faceted career that
provides graduates excellent opportunities in many
fields. This career offers interesting challenges,
excellent working conditions with positions providing
a fast track for promotion. This specialized field
is in constant demand and UAB’s ID graduates
are highly sought after for their ability to provide
solutions, build relationships, and offer products
and services to industrial and medical customers.
In a world where innovation is quickly advancing,
industrial distributors will be needed more than ever.
Degree and Concentrations
The Collat School of Business offers a Bachelor of
Science degree in Industrial Distribution with two
tracks, allowing students to tailor their career toward
the industrial or medical markets. All students will
gain hands-on practical skills through an internship
experience or similar opportunity.
The Industrial Distribution track
is one of a handful in the United
States that specifically prepares
graduates for careers with
manufacturers or distributors
in technical industries for sales
engineering, logistics, marketing,
inventory and purchasing positions
as well as branch management.
The Medical Equipment and
Supplies Distribution track
is a highly unique program which
prepares students for a variety of
careers in the medical field including
medical device sales, marketing,
distribution of medical devices and
pharmaceuticals, inventory and
purchasing positions and training
or product development.
Curriculum
As a student in Industrial
Distribution program, you’ll
take 76 semester credit hours
in core business and industrial
distribution courses, as well as
44 semester credit hours in
general education courses.
Potential Career Paths
Sales Engineering
________________________
Procurement
________________________
Logistics and Operations
________________________
Sales Management
________________________
Supply Chain Management
________________________
Account Executive
INDUSTRIAL DISTRIBUTION
ENGINEERING CORE @7 credit hours
The ID Engineering program focuses on the total
industrial distribution business. Engineering courses,
along with a solid foundation in the arts and sciences,
complement the broad business core. Majors
complete four engineering courses specifically tailored
for ID students and five ID management courses,
which includes an internship/practicum with a host
distributor or manufacturing firm.
Course
Prefix
Course
Name
Credit
Hours
ME 103 Drawing, Design +
Measurement for ID
3
ME 302 Overview of Mechanical
Components
3
EE 305 Fundamentals of Electrical
Engineering
3
MSE 350 Introduction to Materials 3
DB 320 Industrial Distribution Management 3
MK 330 Professional Selling 3
DB 430 Industrial Distribution Operations 3
DB 435 Industrial Distribution Policies
and Quality Issues
3
DB 495 Industrial Distribution Directed
Studies / Practicum
3
MEDICAL EQUIPMENT
+ SUPPLIES CORE @8 credit hours
The Medical Equipment and Supplies program
integrates the business curriculum with distribution,
human anatomy and health professions classes
to prepare graduates for careers in the medical
equipment and supplies industry. A Medical
Equipment and Supplies Distribution concentration is
designed to provide students with the skills necessary
to succeed in the health care industry as a direct
service provider in the supply chain, purchasing,
distribution, operations and sales sectors of health
care products and services.
Course
Prefix
Course
Name
Credit
Hours
BY 115 Human Anatomy 4
BY 115L Human Anatomy Lab 0
AHS 350 Medical Terminology for
Health Professionals
3
DB 320 Distribution Management 3
DB 430 Distribution Operations 3
DB 435 Distribution Policies
+ Quality Issues
3
DB 495 Distribution Directed
Studies / Practicum
3
MK 330 Professional Selling 3
Plus 2 courses selected from
AHS 350, MK 471, FN 360,
HCM 330, ENT 424 or ENT 426
6
CURRICULUM
The Charles and Patsy Collat Industrial Distribution (ID) Program
in the Collat School of Business is a rare degree program that
puts you at the center of one of the fastest growing fields
in business. Distribution professionals manage the flow of
materials from manufacturers to distributors to customers
—which means they play a key role in propelling the economy
forward by supplying the building blocks for the products
America creates and the world buys. Industrial distributors
supply government, industry, and manufacturers, with products
necessary for business and health care operations.
INDUSTRIAL DISTRIBUTION
3. American Marketing Association (AMA)
The UAB chapter of the American Marketing Association works closely with the
Birmingham professional chapter and brings in distinguished guest speakers.
The AMA club hosts National Marketing Week on campus for students to network
and participate in professional development opportunities within the Birmingham
community. AMA is also involved in school spirit as it coordinates the Collat
School of Business decorations for the Building Decoration Competition during
Homecoming Week. Each year, UAB’s AMA participates in the International
Collegiate AMA Conference in New Orleans, often receiving awards such as
Outstanding Chapter Communications, Outstanding Professional Development
Activities, and Outstanding Membership Recruitment Campaign. They were
recently recognized as one of the top 25 Collegiate AMA Chapters.
STUDENT
ORGANIZATIONS
1150 10th Ave S | Birmingham, AL 35205
uab.edu/collatbusiness
