Postgraduate Diploma / MSc in Quality Management

Course details

This part-time Postgraduate Diploma / Masters degree programme aims to produce graduates with strong skills in quality management. It places a strong emphasis on the professional development of the graduate and is aimed at students already working in an industrial environment. The philosophy that underpins this course is to provide a challenging and intellectually stimulating programme of further study for graduates from various disciplines to enable them to specialise in the area of quality management.

Course Aims

The course aims to prepare students for a rewarding career in industry or academic research, and in addition, to confer onto them a set of personal and professional attributes that will allow them greater flexibility in the development of their own career options. Many graduates working in quality management in industry have no formal qualification in the area and it is envisaged that this qualification will allow them to advance in their chosen field of specialisation.

The content of this programme specifically addresses major thematic topics in quality management that are perceived to offer the best prospects for growth, particularly in an Irish context. These topics include advanced quality systems such as six sigma, manufacturing excellence, change management and international regulatory affairs.

Quality Management was a very high growth area in the 1990’s and this trend is continuing. Quality systems such as Six Sigma are constantly emerging as are new technologies for industrial use. Irish companies are having to adapt to this changing environment in order to remain competitive. Key claims from companies such as Motorola (who state that they saved $16 billion since 1986) and Honeywell (with claims of saving $600 million in the year 2000 as a result of quality systems such as Six Sigma) has reinforced the importance of quality management.

This trend is expected to continue. Therefore, Irish companies and their employees need to respond to meet these changing requirements. Recognising these trends, Waterford Institute of Technology is offering a Postgraduate Diploma and MSc in Quality Management. This course is seen as critical, not only in increasing the number of graduates from the region with a formal qualification in quality management, but in making a valuable contribution to the infrastructure of the region in the context of developing and attracting knowledge-based industry.

As this is a part-time course, students will be requested to be released by their employers to attend classes for two days per week, three times per semester.

Outline

Semester 1

• Total Quality Management
• Statistics for Quality
• Professional Skills Development

Semester 2

• Research Methodology
• Managing Quality
• Strategic Management

Semester 3

• Managing Change
• Design of Experiments
• Validation (E)
• Risk Management (E)
• Manufacturing Excellence (E)
• (E) = Elective

Semester 4

• Advanced Quality Methodologies
• International Regulatory Affairs (E)
• Food Industry Safety Management (E)
• Finance for Decision Makers (E)
• Manufacturing Strategies (E)
• Management of Service Quality (E)

Entry Requirements

Applicants for entry to this Postgraduate Diploma/MSc course should:

• Hold a bachelors degree at honours level (Level 8) in an appropriate subject area or equivalent qualification.
• A minimum of two years of appropriate industrial experience.
• Applicants whose first language is not English must submit evidence of competency in English.