The objective of this research was to identify the necessary educational organization required to form a curriculum plan for the field of purchasing and to investigate the nature of the industrial purchasing function. The dissertation delineates the critical areas of business operation: industrial purchasing, procurement, and material management. The primary research method was personal depth interviews with 75 purchasing experts, 15 leasing purchasing educators, and 65 mail questionnaires from another group of active collegiate purchasing instructors. Some of the conclusions reached were: purchasing personnel need to emphasize the service nature of their role and earn recognition through self initiated productive activities. The educational requirements for each purchasing position are not well defined by practitioners or educators. An undergraduate degree in general business management with one or two courses in purchasing is preferred, with emphasis on quantitative, behavioral science, and economic subjects. An exhaustive review of 127 literature citations is presented and analyzed according to topics. (Author/PT)