QEM The mission of the Quality and Engineering Management (QEM) program is to provide a pathway for employees who hold degrees in technical and non-technical areas to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to be more successful in all areas of manufacturing. The master’s program is 30 hours long and has the option of either a thesis or non-thesis track. The program is 100% online and provides a pathway for employees who hold degrees in technical and nontechnical areas to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to be more successful in all areas of manufacturing or to improve efficiency in service sector units. The emphasis on leadership provides critical skills for advancing into manufacturing leadership positions.

Specific benefits of the program are:

 Designed to provide individuals with baccalaureate degrees in technology or business related fields with an in-depth study of the organizational, technical, and strategic tools commonly used in manufacturing to improve productivity

 Targeted to working professionals and other individuals who have a background in one of these fields, but are seeking to expand their knowledge across these disciplines

 Emphasizes the applications of these tools to address quality, technology implementation and productivity issues in manufacturing related industries to help manufacturers standardize procedures, measure performance, improve customer satisfaction and manage resources more wisely

Because the degree is 100% online and designed for working professionals, students can continue to be employed while going through the program. Working on a master’s degree is a great way to signal to an employer that you are preparing yourself to move up and take on more responsibility. Students at graduation find a natural point to either advance in their current jobs or transition to another better opportunity. Quality and Engineering Management Course Number Course Title Required Hours Program CORE

ENGT 524 Statistics for Quality ¹ 3 ENGT 525 Six Sigma & Design of Experiments Methodology 3 ENGT 546 Manufacturing Systems Management 3 ENGT 562 Supply Chain Management 3 ENGT 568 Quality Management 3 ENGT 585 Project Management 3 ENGT 598 Seminar in Manufacturing Quality Topics 3 MGMT 510 Leadership Development 3 Subtotal 24 Thesis Option

ENGT 588 Thesis 6 Total Degree Thesis Option 30 Non Thesis Option

ENGT 536 Manufacturing Planning 3 ENGT 576 Automated Manufacturing Systems * 3 Total Degree Non-Thesis Option 30 Six Sigma Black belt Project ENGT 5086 Black Belt Project 6 Total Degree BlackBelt Option 30 ¹ Students are advised to complete this course within the first 12 hours of the program.

Six Sigma Certification Who is the Student? Every recent graduate student or working professional in manufacturing can benefit from a Six Sigma certificate. Working professionals in the field of manufacturing (not exhaustively) more specifically in the area of operations, supply chain, quality assurance, production, process engineering, engineering product design, inventory, purchasing or procurement, warehouse management, project management, etc., at a managerial or supervisory role. Or any other working professional that may want to start working in the field. The courses will be enough to introduce people without quality background into the field. What do they get? Students will be proficient and knowledgeable in Six Sigma body of knowledge. Material is covered throughout several courses and this is needed to make sure all prerequisites are in place before students are directly introduced to the six sigma concepts. Those courses as seen below include basic statistics and quality.

I. Basic Statistics The course will cover descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. Additionally, design of experiments as well as linear and multiple regression is included. II. Quality The course will introduce students to the most basic concepts in quality beginning with Management history and ending with advance tools for quality management. Statistical process control is one of the most important topics discussed. III. Six Sigma The course will walk the students through the six sigma methodology and through a series of small and individual projects the student will learn what is important at every step and the reasons to do so.

After successful completion of requirements students can sit for the test to be certified as yellow belt, green belt or black belt. Timeline: The 3 credit Project Sequence is for those students pursuing black belt certification. Otherwise, students can take the exam as soon as courses finish. Fall Statistics and Quality Management Spring Six Sigma + plus 3 credits for Project Summer 3 credits for Six Sigma Project What can a student do once a certification has been achieved? After the student takes the certification and passes the exam, the student is accredited with being knowledgeable in the subject. Students can make immediate contributions to their firms without additional training. Students can be change agents and this increases their opportunity for being attractive to employers and moving up within their company or even with other employers.  Students will able to participate in six sigma projects for any opportunity given to them in their current companies. Yellow belt and green belt.  Students should be able to start developing their own portfolio of projects. Within their company or if they decide to move to a different one. Black belt.

Certification can be achieved at different levels. Yellow Belt Certificate. After completing the courses, the student will take an exam that covers the most basic theory and history of Quality and the Six Sigma methodology.

Green Belt Certificate. After completing the courses, the student will take an exam that covers the basic and advanced theory and concepts of Quality, Statistics and the Six Sigma methodology. Students need to have completed the course work with grades of “B” or above. Exam is through the Institute of Industrial Engineers (IIE). Black Belt Certificate. After completing the courses, students will take an exam that covers the basic and advanced theory and concepts of Quality, Statistics and the Six Sigma methodology. Students need to have completed the course work with grades of “B” or above. To follow this path, students would have the option of completing 3 Credit project at their Company or other appropriate venues. Final Projects will need to be submitted through the Department to IIE for evaluation