Academic Catalog 2025-2026

Quality Assurance, Master of Science

 The online CSUDH Master of Science in Quality Assurance (MSQA) is designed to prepare professionals in quality, engineering science, and/or management for career advancement. Quality professionals are members of teams in any profession where their specialized skills promote performance excellence, reduce waste, and improve existing processes. The term “quality” is not commonly found in the job description or job title.

Topics covered include: Process Improvement, Process Problem Solving, Risk Assessment, Six Sigma, Quality Management Systems, Measurement System Analysis, Statistical Process Control, Human Factors Ergonomics, Quality Focused Project Management, Quality 4.0, Change Management, and Plan Do Check Act

Program Goals and Objectives

The MSQA program curriculum is designed to develop skills which can be applied to most any organizational function where products and services are developed through structured processes. MSQA graduates are process analysis and performance improvement specialists.

The business world today is seeking the job resilient employee who demonstrates:

  • Flexibility, agility, and adaptability
  • Good time management skills
  • Collaborative and efficient team participation
  • Effective communications
  • Detailed fact-based analytics acumen
  • Imaginative problem-solving

The program of study provides theoretical knowledge and analytical techniques that apply quality improvement tools and methodologies related to each of these current business needs.

A unique feature of the MSQA program is that it gives students the ability to customize their program of study to include their areas of interest. Students will acquire knowledge and skills in the following areas:

  • Managing a Quality/Organizational Excellence Program
  • Planning and implementing a quality management system
  • Facilitating new process development for organizational program such as environmental and social governance
  • Root cause analysis and process improvement
  • Developing and analyzing statistical process control charts
  • Applying Design of Experiments
  • Directing process capability studies
  • Performing quality cost analyses
  • Evaluating the human element in an organization from perspectives such as ergonomics, cultural, and generational
  • Assessing development and alignment of the human and technological organizational environment
  • Options include a concentration in traditional quality-focused manufacturing concepts, as well as a concentration in applications specific to Healthcare and Service industries. Many of the MSQA courses are included in a digitized micro-learning format in subject specific areas. This enables students to build a “digital backpack” in their personal e-learning portfolio expanding their final degree diploma credentials to make them more marketable to employers.