A structured problem-solving course for graduate students: Exposing students to Six Sigma as part of their university training

The Department of Statistics at Virginia Tech introduced a Master's level course in Structured Problem Solving in 2002. The goal of the course was to give graduate students of statistics, engineering and business initial exposure to Six Sigma methods, teach leadership and teamwork skills, and help students better understand how to apply their technical skills to large-scale project-based problems. The paper presents an overview of the course, details about the projects students have worked on during the two years the course has been offered, and student feedback and reaction to the course. It is our hope that this paper can provide helpful information for statistics graduate programs at other universities that may be considering implementing a similar course to assist students in making the transition from academic studies to industrial careers. Copyright (c) 2005 John Wiley T Sons, Ltd.