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Quality specialist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a quality specialist. Quality specialists usually study business, biology, or nursing. 56% of quality specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 7,822 real quality specialist resumes to see exactly what quality specialist education sections show.
The most common colleges for quality specialists are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.
There are also many online quality specialist courses to help get the education required to be a quality specialist.
There are certain quality specialist certifications that you should consider. These quality specialist certifications include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Certified Quality Auditor (CQA).
What education do you need to become a quality specialist?
What degree do you need to be a quality specialist?
- Bachelor's, 56%
- Associate, 19%
- Master's, 10%
- High School Diploma, 9%
- Other Degrees, 6%
What should I major in to become a quality specialist?
Most common colleges for quality specialists
| Quality specialist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Phoenix | 25.26% |
| DeVry University | 5.95% |
| Purdue University | 5.54% |
| Arizona State University | 4.72% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 4.52% |
Best majors for quality specialists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Business | 28.2% |
| 2 | Biology | 8.9% |
| 3 | Nursing | 7.8% |
| 4 | Health Care Administration | 5.0% |
| 5 | Psychology | 4.8% |
Best colleges for quality specialists
The best colleges for quality specialists are University of Southern California, University of Pennsylvania, and New York University.
A quality specialist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for quality specialists. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become quality specialists.
1. Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$3,926
Enrollment
9,835
2. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
4. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
5. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$54,104
Enrollment
7,089
6. Ball State University
Muncie, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,896
Enrollment
15,529
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
8. Howard University
Washington, DC • Private
In-state tuition
$26,756
Enrollment
6,166
9. Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH • Private
In-state tuition
$11,105
Enrollment
13,729
10. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
20 best online courses for quality specialists
Advertising disclosure
1. Quality Improvement in Healthcare
Health systems worldwide seek to prevent and treat disease and illness and improve well-being and quality of life. This specialisation focuses on improving the quality of the services provided by these systems. The specialisation content is based on the academic literature and research in quality improvement, comprehensively illustrated with real-life practical examples.You will hear from leaders in the field, including a range of guest speakers to support your learning. In this specialisation,...
2. ISO 9001:2015-Quality Management System Implementation & Audit
Learn how to Implement and Audit a Quality Management System as per ISO 9001: 2015...
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Upgrade your career by learning how to implement and audit a quality management system according to ISO 9001...
4. Certified Quality Process Analyst Training
Certified Quality Process Analyst (CQPA) Exam Preparation Course - Confidently Pass the Exam on the First Attempt...
5. Data Quality Fundamentals
Understand key concepts, principles and terminology related to Data Quality...
6. ISO9001 Quality Management System
Learn why your business should be using Quality Management TODAY and create your own QMS (Quality Management System)...
7. Quality Systems, Models and Theories
Understand, Develop and Implement Quality Systems for Success and Profit...
8. Certified Quality Auditor Training
Certified Quality Auditor (CQA) Exam Preparation Course - Confidently pass the exam in the first attempt...
9. Quality Management Systems:Management and Control of Quality
Learn to Build, Implement, and Sustain a Performance Excellence Culture into Your Organisation...
10. 7 Quality Tools for Quality Management and Improvements.
A complete Crash Course on the 7 Basic Tools for Quality Management and its Implementation using MS Excel...
11. Quality Management for Business Excellence
Lead Quality Management in the Organization • Transform the Organization to Become the Best-in-Class...
12. Data Quality Masterclass - The Complete Course
Learn Data Quality Management from A to Z. This complete guide covers all Data Quality Principles, Techniques and more...
13. Mastering ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System
Plain and Simple Clause by Clause Explanation of ISO 9001:2015 QMS Standard & Implementation Strategies...
14. Certified Quality Engineer Training [2022]
Comprehensive Certified Quality Engineer (CQE) Exam Preparation Course (2022 Body of Knowledge)...
15. Kaizen Practitioner Masterclass for Quality Management.
Structured Approach to identify and Eliminate waste in Business for Continuous Improvement & Quality Management...
16. Cost of Quality Analysis and Reporting using Microsoft Excel
Expertly collect, analyze and present quality cost data (using Microsoft Excel) to help drive continual improvement...
17. ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems Lead Auditor Course
How to Implement & Audit an ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems Lead Auditor/ Auditor course...
18. Certified Manager of Quality Training
Certified Manager of Quality and Organizational Excellence (CMQ/OE) Exam Preparation Course...
19. Mastering the Seven Quality Tools (with Microsoft Excel)
A Deep Dive into the theory and application of the 7 Quality Tools for root cause analysis and continuous improvement...
20. Data Warehouse ETL Testing & Data Quality Management A-Z
ETL Testing and Data Quality Management for beginners with practical exercises and certificate of completion...
Top 10 most affordable universities for quality specialists
The most affordable schools for quality specialists are Baruch College of the City University of New York, suny farmingdale, and florida international university.
If the best universities for quality specialists are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for quality specialists.
1. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
2. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
3. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
4. Minot State University
Minot, ND • Private
In-state tuition
$7,064
Cost of attendance
15,576
5. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
6. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
7. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Cost of attendance
19,559
8. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
9. Dickinson State University
Dickinson, ND • Private
In-state tuition
$6,768
Cost of attendance
15,506
10. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for quality specialists
The hardest universities for quality specialists to get into are University of Southern California, University of Pennsylvania, and New York University.
Some great schools for quality specialists are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for quality specialists based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
4. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,456
5. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
6. George Washington University, The
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
42%
SAT average
1,380
7. Villanova University
Villanova, PA • Private
Admissions rate
29%
SAT average
1,407
8. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
9. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
Admissions rate
40%
SAT average
1,376
10. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for quality specialists
The easiest schools for quality specialists to get into are D'Youville College, mount saint mary's university, and felician university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a quality specialist without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for quality specialists.
1. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
2. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
3. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
4. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
5. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
6. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
7. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
8. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
9. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
10. American International College
Springfield, MA • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
1,010
Average quality specialist salary by education level
| Quality specialist education level | Quality specialist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $80,382 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $70,587 |
| Doctorate Degree | $82,276 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $58,421 |
Quality specialist education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common business and financial questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025