Online Quality Assurance Degrees and Certificate Programs

<p>Online quality assurance programs are available at the graduate certificate, bachelor's degree and master's degree levels. For some online bachelor's degree programs, you may be required to visit campus for some courses. The master's degree programs and graduate certificates require a background in science, engineering or another technical field, with undergraduate credits in math. </p> <p>The online programs incorporate video and text-based lectures, projects, simulated labs, online activities and class assignments. You can interact with your classmates to discuss quality assurance practices, lessons and practical applications. </p> <p /> <table border="1"><tr><td><b>Online Degree Levels</b></td><td> Graduate certificate, bachelor's and master's degree</td></tr> <tr><td><b>Undergraduate Curriculum</b></td><td> Improving quality, managing costs, customer satisfaction techniques</td></tr> <tr><td><b>Graduate Curriculum</b></td><td> Quality theories, preparing for human error, meeting regulation requirements</td></tr> <tr><td><b>Possible Careers</b></td><td> Clinical project manager, quality assurance specialist, reliability engineers.</td></tr> </table><h3 id="section---WhatIsCoveredInUndergraduatePrograms">What Is Covered in Undergraduate Programs?</h3> <p>Through a bachelor's degree program in quality assurance, you can learn to improve the manufacturing process and quality control methods. You may also learn to integrate new quality assurance techniques by analyzing the methods in place and discovering ways to improve them. Some classes pertain to setting up procedures to meet general quality assurance requirements and improve upon them. Other topics may include: </p> <ul><li>Managing costs </li><li>Improving quality </li><li>Customer satisfaction techniques </li><li>Leadership methods </li><li>Designing quality control systems </li></ul><h3 id="section---WhatTopicsWillIStudyInGraduatePrograms">What Topics Will I Study in Graduate Programs?</h3> <p>Graduate certificate programs in quality assurance teach you management and leadership principles. You could study industry practices and learn to improve the processes for designing tools and techniques in quality assurance. Other classes focus on policies and development methods. Master's degree programs cover many of the same topics, but typically go more in-depth and teach you about cost, reliability and experimental methods. You may also study: </p> <ul><li>Analyzing quality control systems </li><li>Preparing for human error </li><li>Quality theories </li><li>Meeting regulation requirements </li></ul><h3 id="section---HowCanIUseMyDegree">How Can I Use My Degree?</h3> <p>With a graduate certificate or a master's degree in quality assurance, you could work as a clinical project manager. You could also become a quality assurance specialist, which involves testing and evaluating manufacturing processes. Jobs for clinical project managers and quality assurance specialists are available in engineering, healthcare and manufacturing. Advanced certifications for quality auditors, reliability engineers, quality managers and quality engineers are also available by passing professional examinations. </p> <h3 id="section---WhatIsTheJobOutlookAndPay">What Is the Job Outlook and Pay?</h3> <p>In May 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the annual mean salary of a cost estimator is $72,960. Employment opportunity is expected to decline by 1% between 2019 and 2029. </p> <p>For a quality control inspector, the estimated median wage in May 2020 was $40,460. The BLS anticipates a 17% decline from 2019 to 2029 due to the shift of many manufacturers in automated inspection in improving quality and productivity. </p> <p>Whereas for an industrial engineering technician, the BLS projects a 1% growth in job opportunities for the field from 2019 to 2029. As of May 2020, industrial engineering technicians earned an annual median salary of $57,320.</p>