FAQs

Your questions, answered.

Degree Seeking Students

Who should consider programs offered by the Global Outreach and Extended Education at ASU?

Programs are designed for engineering professionals who work full-time and need flexible online education options from a leading engineering school.

Why distance learning?

There are many advantages of distance learning. Here are just a few:

Linking faculty expertise and industry - Enabling faculty to reach and engage a wider network of students by presenting lectures once. Professionals and faculty connect virtually developing broader relationships to solve "real" industry problems.
Opportunity - allowing busy professionals advanced education opportunities anytime, anywhere.
Flexible - students can view the web-streamed lectures and other course materials when they have time.
Accessibility of course materials - By making course lectures always available to students throughout the semester to review a complex lesson or prepare for exams.
Robust Virtual University Portal - Students can view lectures at home, work, or when traveling via ASU's Virtual "MyASU" portal.
Proven - Studies have supported students effectively learn through distance learning. Research points out that student attitudes about distance learning are generally positive. View USDLA.

What is the difference between a graduate certificate and a certification program?

Students earn academic credit when admitted and enrolled in Online Graduate Certificate Programs. Certification programs include professional development opportunities that do not earn academic credit.

What other options does GOEE offer for degree-seeking professionals?

GOEE offers a variety of methods for students to study and work. These online grarduate degrees and certificates along with non-credit certifications and short courses can be reviewed by visiting our Online Degrees page.

Is my degree different from an on-campus student at ASU?

No. Students are no different from on-campus ASU engineering graduate students. The same requirements and curriculum apply, so your degree will be from the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at ASU. View our Accreditation.

Is there a requirement to visit campus with the online engineering graduate programs?

No. We do not have a requirement for students to attend campus.

Can an online student enroll in an on-campus section of a course?

University policy does not allow for students admitted to online programs to attend on-campus course sections.

Are the online courses offered in a semester based format?

Our online engineering courses are semester based and follow the same Academic Calendar as on-campus students. Visit the Academic Calendar for important dates, deadlines and details.

How much time should I expect to contribute to each course?

Students should be prepared to devote an estimated 10-12 hours per week for each course in which they are enrolled.

How quickly can I complete this degree program?

Many of our working professional students take one to two courses per semester, on average. Students can complete the program as quickly as two years, on average approximately three years, but the program must be completed within six years. We offer courses each fall, spring and summer semesters.

Am I allowed to take a break from my studies?

With prior approval students may request to maintain continuous enrollment (leave of absence) prior to the start of the semester. Students may petition the Graduate College for a leave of absence for a maximum of two semesters during their entire program. Students who do not enroll for a fall or spring semester without an approved leave of absence by the Graduate College are considered withdrawn from the university under the assumption that they have decided to discontinue their program. Students removed for this reason may reapply for admission to resume their degree program; the application will be considered along with all other new applications to the degree program and pre-admission credits will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Contact your graduate advisor with questions.

What are the application deadlines?

These following are the suggested application deadlines to provide ample time for transcripts to be received, application and additional documents to be reviewed and for an admission recommendation to be processed before the start of the semester. If you have any questions regarding the application process, please let us know.

Fall Semester: July 1st
Spring Semester: November 1st
Summer Semester: March 15th

Is a resume required or can I submit my CV?

It is recommended that applicants submit a resume. For help converting your CV to a resume you may view: Converting a CV to a Resume.

I am having trouble registering for a course, yet I meet the prerequisites.

If an override request is needed, please submit you rrequest via: https://fultonapps.asu.edu/override/. For additional questions please email: student-fseonline@asu.edu.

I need to withdraw from my class this semester/ take a break for a semester.

Contact Global Outreach and Extended Education (GOEE) at 480-965-1878. Understand that graduate students must be enrolled and complete at least 1 credit every fall and spring semester. You may visit the Academic Calendar for important dates, withdrawal deadlines and details.

How can I utilize my VA benefits for my online graduate studies?

ASU has a Veteran Benefits and Certification Office that can serve as a great resource for you with regard to your VA Benefits and other related questions. There are multiple resources available at Veteran Benefits & Certifications.

Their advisors can be reached at 480.965.7723 or veteransservices@asu.edu.

What is a culminating experience?

A culminating experience is the required capstone event for our online engineering graduate programs. The culminating experience is defined within each program and may include an applied project course, a comprehensive examination, or a project portfolio.
Refer to your graduate student handbook or graduate academic advisor for any questions.

What type of career resources are available?

As a student, you may utilize our career center. There are many resources available including pre-recorded webinars for resume writing, job search strategies, etc via: https://eoss.asu.edu/cs/students/webinars.Specific for our engineering students you may Optimal Resume from your Sun Devil CareerLink profile. Please visit http://engineering.asu.edu/career/ for additional career resources.

What is the tuition for online engineering courses?

Tuition for our Online Engineering Degrees can be found under Tuition for Online Graduate Programs.
Each program is approximately 30 credit hours, or 10 three-credit courses. See your program requirements for specific course/credit requirements.
Tuition for our Graduate Certification Program Fees will be found on the individual program pages found at Certifications & Short Courses.
If you work for a corporation, please be sure to check if your employee benefits package includes tuition coverage. For more information, e-mail asu.cpd@asu.edu.

I am having troubles paying with My ASU.

Call Student Accounts Office, 480-965-6341

Are you being billed for the wrong amount?

Call Global Outreach and Extended Education (GOEE) at 480-965-1878.

Are you paying with a Letter of Credit (L.O.C.) or Purchase Order (P.O.)?

To arrange for ASU to bill your sponsor, a Financial Guarantee Letter and an ASU - Third-Party Sponsorships form must be submitted to the Student Accounts office. Please note there is a third-party billing fee. Visit Third-Party Sponsorships for Tuition and Billing for full details.
Fax to Student Accounts Office at 480-965-9242.

Professional Certifications

(Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Six Sigma Black Belt, Master Black Belt)

Who issues the certification?

The certification is issued through the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, Arizona State University.

What criteria must be met to be certified?

Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt:

Participants must complete all course materials and earn at least a 70% average on the exam.

Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Six Sigma Black Belt:

Participants must earn at least a 70% cumulative average on all program deliverables, including quizzes and exams, and complete an applied project that is approved by the course instructor.

Master Black Belt:

Will the White Paper require endorsement or approval from my company such that I need to get my manager’s approval to proceed? It is not required to get approval from one’s manager or company. Given that the white paper is a high level report of your organization, support from management would be beneficial.
What is required in the White Paper? The White Paper demonstrates an understanding and ability to assume the responsibility of the Master Black Belt. Students will identify a problem statement, define a tactical approach, demonstrate technical tools and methods, and how the plan will be implemented.
What type of qualifying documentation is required and how do I submit that documentation? You can use the actual applied project executive summary or a description of each applied project on a separate document or the applied projects can also be listed on your resume.

What type of project is required for certification?

The project must be a real project not a mock.

The project selected must have a reasonable scope and specificity to be implemented within the time constraints of the course. The project goal should ultimately generate, at the minimum, time savings.
Project ideas can range from improving commuting times, eliminating overtime and reducing cycle time, eliminating process waste or intensive manufacturing solutions.

How long is the course?

Participants are given 60 days after the instruction end date of the course to complete and submit the final project:

Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt: Online - 2 weeks, Hybrid - 2 weeks and 3 hours of a live session
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt: Online - 12 weeks
Six Sigma Black Belt: Online - 26 weeks
Master Black Belt: In-person - Participants must attend the intensive 5-day classroom training on the ASU campus and complete a white paper that is approved by an expert practitioner.

What is the course focus?

Lean Green Belt:

The program trains students on how to identify and remove waste and identify value-added processes for an organization.

Six Sigma Green Belt:

The Six Sigma Green Belt program instructs students in a strategic approach to implementing quality, process, and business improvement through the use of statistical and other analytic tools applied to problems that have meaningful impact on key business results.

Six Sigma Black Belt:

Our Six Sigma Black Belt program focuses on the DMAIC methodology and its application with analytical and statistical tools. Unlike some Black Belt programs that emphasize leadership, this course develops crucial technical skills, necessary at the Black Belt level. The program covers four topics: 1) Design of Experiments, 2) Advanced Quality Control, 3) Regression Analysis Six and 4) Sigma Methodology. The program starts with advanced DMAIC methodology. Previous Six Sigma Green Belt applied project experience in the worksite or through training is strongly advised.

Master Black Belt:

This program provides strategic skills in the following topic areas:

Strategic Leadership
Advanced Design for Six Sigma
Logistic Regression & Categorical Data Analysis
Advanced Design of Experiments
Advanced Control and Forecasting for Six Sigma
Content Development and Presentation Skills
Key Leadership Skills

How many CEU’s are offered?

Our programs accrue the following CEUs. Participants can request a letter validating their obtained CEUs during the registration process for an additional fee.

Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt: 1 CEUs
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt: 8 CEUs
Six Sigma Black Belt: 11 CEUs

How many hours per week will the certificate require?

Participants can expect to spend roughly per week:

Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt: 4-5 hours
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt: 6-7 hours
Six Sigma Black Belt: 9-11 hours

What are the prerequisites for the course?

Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt:

There are no prerequisites for this course.

Lean Six Sigma Green Belt:

Participants are recommended to have working knowledge of statistics, such as a college-level statistics course, other statistics training or work-related experience.

Six Sigma Black Belt:

Participants must have a working knowledge of statistics or one previous, college-level statistics course within the last five years.
Participants must be proficient in computing and interpreting the sample mean and standard deviation, have previous exposure to the normal distribution, be familiar with the concepts of testing hypotheses (the t-test, for example) and matrix algebra, be able to construct and interpret a confidence interval and use model-fitting using the method of least squares.
Participants must also have Six Sigma Green Belt certification or training.

Master Black Belt:

Participants must be certified as a Six Sigma Black Belt and have three years of experience as a black belt, as well as three documented applied projects. Credentials must be approved by Dr. Montgomery.

How do I pay for a course?

Online payments with credit cards, checks, and purchase orders are accepted. The course fee must be paid in order to have access to the course.

What is the course fee?

Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt: Online: $99.00; Hybrid: $199.00

Lean Six Sigma Green Belt: $1,950.00

Six Sigma Black Belt: $3,250.00