Educating the next generation of Customs professionals

Are there ways to improve compliance, safety, security, operational efficiency and information quality in international trade? Reduce the administrative burden for business and government? Foster the uniform application of Customs legislation? Encourage mutual understanding between the public and private sector, and even share responsibilities in the fight against smuggling, terrorism and criminal organizations? We believe there are, but to do so there is a need for people who are knowledgeable in various disciplines. The Master Degree in Customs and Supply Chain Compliance developed by the Rotterdam School of Management offers this type of education by integrating three disciplines: Customs regulations; supply chain management and logistics; and information technology and auditing. In this article, we discuss the objectives of the degree and the educational philosophy of the programme, and reveal some of the lessons learned in setting it up.