About this course
What you’ll learn
Unlike in-person courses, this program allows you to learn at your own pace.
The program includes:
- The curriculum is created by the instructor’s firm (University Training Partners), is accredited by the Council for Lean Six Sigma Certification.
- Leadership Tools for Black Belts
- Statistics for Black Belts
- Project Capstone for Black Belts
- The course incorporates Minitab’s® statistical software.
- The program closely follows the American Society for Quality’s Black Belt body of knowledge (Opens in a new window)
Learning objectives
The Leadership Tools (Opens in a new window) 40-hour curriculum covers the non-statistical elements of the ASQ Black Belt Body of Knowledge, including: launching and managing projects, leading teams, performing Kano analysis, developing effective surveys, choosing metrics, calculating financial returns, performing graphical analysis, applying adult learning theory, implementing Lean tools, and leading Design for Six Sigma projects.
The Statistics (Opens in a new window) 50-hour curriculum course provides comprehensive statistical training for Black Belts. You’ll learn to perform a wide range of statistical analyses to apply in the measure, improve, and control phases of a Six Sigma project.
Project Capstone (Opens in a new window) has students identify a Six Sigma project, develop a project charter, and complete the five DMAIC phases of an improvement project with instructor mentoring.
Who should attend?
This program is designed to expand Lean Six Sigma Green Belt knowledge; however, students from various backgrounds can benefit from the course. Any professional in the position to implement and direct change in their organizations care encouraged to register.
Continuing Education Information
Upon successful completion of the program, students are certified as Lean Six Sigma Black Belts and receive a University of Georgia Certificate of Program Completion awarding 9.0 Continuing Education Units (CEUs (Opens in a new window)) and a digital badge (Opens in a new window).
Requirements & policies
Fees & funding information
Does not include required books and software
A discounted 6-month Minitab® Statistical Software license (Opens in a new window) is available for purchase through the Georgia Center when bundled with this course if needed.
Schedule
You may start anytime. The program is asynchronous and self-paced with weekly online office hour meetings and personalized instructor feedback on assignments. Students will submit assignments for evaluation and complete quizzes for each learning module.
The time permitted for completing the certificate program is 12 months.
Prerequisites
- The Black Belt program is open to students who have earned their Green Belt certification from a recognized program.
- Candidates should be able to create graphs and use formulas in Excel, and solve algebraic equations.
- Prior study of statistics is helpful, but not required.
- A Six Sigma project is required for the certificate. Students should be prepared to complete a real-world project within 12 months of starting the program.
The Minitab software can be run in the cloud or on a desktop. For the desktop version, the Windows operating system is required. Mac users can access Minitab in the cloud.
Note: MINITAB® and all other trademarks and logos for the Company’s products and services are the exclusive property of Minitab Inc. All other marks referenced remain the property of their respective owners. See minitab.com for more information. (Opens in a new window)
Textbooks
Leadership Tools textbook
- Lean Six Sigma Leadership Tools for Black Belts (Opens in a new window), (paperback), by Mary McShane-Vaughn. University Training Partners Publishing (2021). This book is available on Amazon for $44.95.
Statistics textbooks
- Statistics for Black Belts Slide Book (Opens in a new window), ($44.99) that contains the study planner, the video screen shots and the Minitab lab exercises.
- The ASQ Certified Six Sigma Black Belt Handbook (Opens in a new window), Fourth edition (hardcover $150). Mary McShane-Vaughn, editor. ASQ Quality Press (2023).
People
Instructor
Dr. Mary McShane-Vaughn earned her PhD in Industrial Engineering and an MS in Statistics from the Georgia Institute of Technology, and a BS in Industrial Engineering from General Motors Institute (now Kettering University) in Flint, Michigan. She is currently Principal at University Training Partners, a company that develops and delivers Lean Six Sigma training for corporations and universities.
Dr. McShane-Vaughn has created and delivered Yellow, Green and Black Belt training courses to hundreds of students, both in-person and online. Over the past six years she has enthusiastically delivered more than 50 Yellow, Green and Black Belt courses for her university and corporate clients.
Previously, Dr. McShane-Vaughn was a tenured faculty member at Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, Georgia, now Kennesaw State University. For eight years she directed and grew the Master of Science in Quality Assurance program and taught statistics, statistical quality control, linear regression and design of experiments online in the graduate program. Her research interests include industrial statistics, robust experimental design and distance learning course delivery methods.
Before her career in academics, Dr. McShane-Vaughn worked for 15 years as a quality engineer and statistician in the automotive, medical device manufacturing, consumer products testing and revenue management industries.
Dr. McShane-Vaughn served as the Six Sigma Black Belt Exam Chair for the American Society for Quality (ASQ) from 2010-2012, and was an examiner for the Georgia Oglethorpe Award, Georgia’s equivalent of the National Malcolm Baldrige Award. She currently serves on the editorial review board for ASQ’s Six Sigma Forum. She is co-author of The Certified Quality Inspector Handbook, and author of The Probability Handbook, and The Probability Workbook, all published by ASQ Quality Press. Dr. McShane-Vaughn is a senior member of the American Society for Quality and a member of the American Statistical Association. She holds ASQ certifications as a Six Sigma Black Belt, Quality Engineer and Reliability Engineer.
To view her profile, please visit her LinkedIn web page (Opens in a new window).
Supporting associations
Note: The curriculum is accredited by the Council for Leans Six Sigma Certification
Contact us + FAQs
FAQ
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Financial and Military Assistance
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