Michigan State University’s (MSU) Railway Management Certificate Program (RMCP) has updated its offerings with the addition of a new executive director.

Dr. Andreas Hoffrichter has joined the team as Burkhardt Professor in Railway Management and executive director of Railway Management Programs. He extends the team’s international perspective, originating from Germany and having lived a decade in England.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in transport management, a master’s degree in railway systems engineering and integration, and a PhD in alternative-energy sources for rail vehicle propulsion, which won the prize for the best PhD in the School of Electronic, Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Birmingham in 2013. His experience includes program creation at the University of Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education, serving as a research fellow and technical lead for rail research at the WMG (formerly Warwick Manufacturing Group) within the University of Warwick’s, and producing research that was published in several peer-reviewed journals and presented internationally.

The updated program treats the railway as a system, covering freight supply chain integration and efficient/value-added transportation of passengers. A modular program structure covers a wide range of railway management topic areas, particularly the integration and complexity of modern railway systems, including strategy, operations, marketing and sales, finance, asset management, and interfaces between engineering disciplines.

MSU’s no. 1 ranking in supply chain management brings expertise enabling freight railways to become fully integrated contributors to the supply chain success of their shippers and customers. The university is uniquely positioned to help all railway leaders expand their skills, with its breadth of coverage across the railway system, deep knowledge leadership in railway management, and partnerships across the world with academic institutions, organizations, and the rail industry.

Former director Steve Ditmeyer retired from the program in December 2015, at the graduation of RMCP class XI, and was recognized by Dean Sanjay Gupta for his contributions since the program’s inception.