Monday, 28 May 2012

Online Quality Assurance (QA) Degrees with Course Information

The most common online quality assurance (QA) degree programs are bachelor's and master's degrees. Both degree programs are designed to help students either start or advance their careers in quality assurance, engineering or management.

Online Bachelor's QA Degree Program Overview

Quality assurance professionals are responsible for ensuring that products or manufacturing processes meet regulatory criteria and produce satisfied clients. Bachelor's degree programs in quality assurance (QA) emphasize the design and implementation of effective quality procedures. Undergraduate QA degree programs are intensive in math and statistics. Prior to enrollment, students should have taken course in algebra, trigonometry, geometry, physics and chemistry at the high school level. Bachelor's QA degrees prepare students to take a certification exam administered by the American Society for Quality (ASQ).

Online Bachelor's QA Degree Program Requirements

Online bachelor's degree QA programs are typically completed entirely online with no mandatory campus attendance. These QA programs are also approved by or affiliated with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Measurement Science Conference and the American Society for Quality. Online bachelor's QA degree programs utilize a course website for obtaining assignments, doing research and interaction among students and faculty through content delivery software. Final exams are often issued through a proctor, such as an ASQ member, a librarian or local school faculty member.
Students enrolled in an online quality assurance bachelor's degree program may use any computer platform provided the computer has sufficient memory and the capability to run the most recent browser versions. E-mail and high-speed Internet connectivity are also required. International students should investigate worldwide Internet providers to ensure that they don't incur additional charges.

List of Common Online Undergraduate QA Courses

In addition to general education courses, students enrolled in online QA bachelor's degree programs learn to create productive, cost-effective manufacturing or communications systems.

Quality Control Course

Students enrolled in this quality assurance course are introduced to such concepts as quality costs, sampling, data reliability and liability issues.

Quality Engineering Course

This quality assurance course emphasizes engineering techniques, including testing, inspection, auditing and management information systems.

Six Sigma Course

Students enrolled in a Six Sigma course become familiar with methods of continuous quality improvement.

Career Information for Online QA Bachelor's Degree Graduates

Upon successfully completing a QA bachelor's degree program, students may seek careers in industrial production management. Students choosing to work in this field implement quality efficient or 'lean' manufacturing techniques and problem solving methods. In a report dated May 14, 2010, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) listed a median annual 2009 wage of $85,080 for industrial production managers (www.bls.gov). The BLS does caution that jobs in this field are predicted to decline by eight percent during the decade spanning 2008 to 2018. However, quality assurance degree program graduates may work in a variety of industries, including healthcare and food services as well as for government agencies.

Online Master's QA Degree Program Overview

Students embarking upon distance learning quality assurance master's degree programs explore topics, such as benchmarking, customer satisfaction and ISO 9000. A master's degree QA program is designed to prepare students to take certification exams in the areas of quality auditor, quality engineer, quality manager and reliability engineer. Students learn to solve technical and administrative quality problems, to create and manage vendor systems and to analyze spending procedures. Master's degree QA programs are intensive to mathematics, statistics and research. Prior to enrollment, students should have a bachelor's degree in quality assurance or a related field.

Online Master's QA Degree Program Requirements

Online master's degree programs in quality assurance are designed to be completed entirely online. If several people within a corporation are seeking this degree, some schools conduct courses at the worksite. Students interested in this option should contact schools to see if this feature is available. These programs are broad enough to provide quality assurance expertise in such diverse fields as service industries, engineering, science, healthcare and management. Classes are delivered using video files, traditional textbook instruction and e-mail.
Students are required to have an e-mail account, high-speed Internet access and an Internet service provider with a local dial-up number. Some courses may require the student to buy or to have access to a particular software program.

List of Common QA Graduate Degree Courses

Online QA graduate degree courses contain advanced instruction in such areas as measurement and testing, experimental design and productivity.

Probability and Statistics Course

Students enrolled in this distance learning QA course measure central tendency, dispersion, continuous probability distributions and production.

Human Quality Assurance Factors Course

This online QA course emphasizes the operator's role in processes and instrumentation design.

ISO 9000 Course

The ISO 9000 course examines the quality standards set out by the International Organization for Standardization.

Career Information for QA Mater's Degree Graduates

Students who earn an online master's degree in quality assurance may choose to become quality engineers. Quality engineers are employed in various fields to design and implement manufacturing, communications, biomedical or agricultural processes that are both effective and cost-saving. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) indicates that engineers' starting salaries are among the highest of college graduates. Job growth for engineers is anticipated to grow by 11% in the coming decade - 2008-2018 (www.bls.gov). In a May 14, 2010 report, the BLS listed a median annual 2009 salary for industrial engineers at $75,110.

Continuing Education for QA Degree Program Graduates

The American Society for Quality (ASQ) provides numerous quality certifications, including biomedical auditor, quality manager, pharmaceutical GMP professional and Six Sigma black belt. To take ASQ certification exams, the student must have a degree from an institution accepted by ASQ or have sufficient work experience. Certifications must be renewed every three years with the exceptions of quality inspector, quality improvement associate, quality process analyst, Six Sigma green belt and quality technician.

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