Online Colleges for Quality Control & Safety
It takes more than a glitzy ad campaign to make a business a success. Impressive sales pitches and pretty packaging can only take a company so far. Without a solid product or service, consumers will quickly take their business and dollars elsewhere. Quality control and safety specialists are key employees who help ensure a company is delivering on its promises and that end users remain satisfied. These professionals may wear many hats, but they are ultimately the ones who evaluate business practices and oversee initiatives to improve both quality and safety within an organization. While quality control and safety degrees can be put to work in almost every sector, the American Society on Quality lists education, government, health care, manufacturing, and services as major areas of use.
Quality Control and Safety Online Colleges
Students interested in the field should be aware that online quality control and safety degrees can go by many different names. Each industry may have specific degree programs that provide a specialized look at their unique quality control issues. However, most of the online quality control and safety programs are available at the master's degree level and specifically through a master's of science degree. For example, the master's of science degree in systems engineering provides students with the knowledge needed to create detailed design processes to be used in fields such as manufacturing. Meanwhile, the master's of science degree in enterprise information systems focuses on computer science and technological processes rather than manufacturing ones. Although some jobs in the field of quality control may be available to those with a four-year degree, a master's degree can show that a student has obtained greater proficiency.
After graduation, students with a quality control and safety degree can go to work in a number of capacities. They can become a project manager or take on a specialized role such as that of a data security administrator, enterprise systems architect or chief technology officer. Employers understand the importance of maintaining quality control and safety programs within their workplace, and are often willing to generously compensate those with the right expertise. According to the ASQ, in 2011, the average salary for a full-time quality control professional was $87,086. In addition, those with credentials such as that of a certified quality engineer or a certified calibration technician, earned up to $6,968 more annually than non-credentialed counterparts. Online quality control and safety degrees can also help insulate workers from unemployment. A 2011 salary survey conducted by ASQ found only 2.7 percent of quality professionals were without a job. However, online quality control and safety programs aren't only about discovering a good job with good pay; they are also about improving business for consumers and communities alike.
