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Quality Control Analyst

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AVG. SALARY

$60,930

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EDUCATION

Associate's degree

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JOB OUTLOOK

Stable

What To Learn

High School

What high school courses should you take if you're interested in this career? Get your answers from the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics cluster Science and Mathematics pathway.

Beyond High School

Here's a list of programs that you should consider if you're interested in this career:

Education Level

Education training and experience are required at different levels for success in different occupations.

Associate's degree

An associate's degree is typically required to become a quality control analyst.

Insider Info

Additional Information

Engineers must have a bachelor's or a master's degree. Five- or six-year co-op programs are also sometimes available.

In the United States, professional engineers who work in areas that affect life, health or property, or who offer their services to the public, must be licensed. Licensed engineers are called professional engineers (PEs).

Professional engineers can become quality assurance engineers. In some places, university courses can help engineers prepare for CQE (certified quality engineer) exams. Two-year technical courses are also available at some colleges and universities.

Engineers who want to be certified through the American Society for Quality (ASQ) must have eight years of combined work experience and education. "For example, you could have four years of education and four years of work experience, or you could have a two-year technical diploma and six years of work experience," says Louise Routledge. She works for a technology institute.

ASQ members with the right education and experience study for a five-hour exam. Those who pass are given a quality assurance engineer certification.

The ASQ outlines the areas that will be tested. The test covers quality inspection, metrology (how to use gauges to measure parts), and the theory and application of quality assurance. It also covers auditing, statistical quality control applications and the design of experiments.

"Design of experiments means looking at the interaction between variables. For instance, suppose you have a machine with several valves to turn. What happens if you turn the pressure valves and heat valves up at the same time?" says Routledge.

Quality assurance engineers must understand statistics. They must also use computers. Attention to detail and good oral and written skills are important.