About the Software Quality Assurance Program
“Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives.” - William A. Foster
In recent years, Quality Assurance (QA) has developed a well-defined set of methodologies, and techniques, and has grown into a field of its own. Though QA was considered a sub-discipline of test or product management in the past, the growing need for companies to automate and streamline their testing processes evolved the importance of QA.
The Quality Assurance professional must be skilled not only in what was before recognized as software testing, or other testing areas like integration testing, but in variety of very special skills. These skills range from scripting languages (for writing automation scripts), system and web administration, and certain aspects of project management, to unit testing. Companies in the medical industry (Illumina, B&D), banks and big insurance companies (Citibank, American Specialized Health), and engineering companies have constant openings in this field. Though job descriptions vary, all of them require familiarity with software processes and testing techniques, consequently enabling shorter and more reliable test turnaround times.
The Software Quality Assurance certificate will provide effective tools and knowledge for those involved in all stages of Software Development and testing process: Unit testing, Feature testing, Integration testing and Regression testing. The certificate program will teach the skills necessary to ensure that testing is well documented, processes established, and results are correctly interpreted and are repeatable. The required and elective courses are well-rounded, enabling those enrolling in the Software Quality Assurance certificate to satisfy the requirements for job openings in any of the above mentioned areas of QA.
Learning Objectives
- Understand and apply Software development processes and release management
- Learn testing types, methodologies, stages, and application to software life cycle
- Hands-on experience with planning, writing and running tests
- Interpret data and metrics obtained during testing process
- Exposure to DevOps tools and concepts
Prerequisites
General knowledge in programming or a background in Computer Science or professional experience in software development is desirable but not required.
Who Will Benefit
- Testers to update their knowledge in testing procedures used in the industry
- Developers interested in understanding the methodologies used in QA
- Managers that work closely with QA department
- Career Changers planning to join the job force as a Quality Assurance Engineer.
Program Benefits
- Online and in-class formats available
- Hands-on training with tools and methodologies relevant to the industry
- Immediately applicable skills that satisfies the requirements of current job openings
- Taught by leading industry practitioners
Software Quality Assurance
Required Courses
All three courses required and can be taken in any order
Elective Courses
One course required
Other Courses of Interest
Not required for certificate
FAQs
Some electives are offered online using our online learning platform. You may click here for a tour of Learning Management System.
For more information on class formats you can click on each course in the matrix above, or go to “Frequently Asked Questions” under "Related Documents" on the right side of the top of this page. Classes in the matrix will indicate either in-person or online.
If you have not taken a course elsewhere, but already have the skills covered in a course, you may be able to substitute an alternate Extension course in its place. Send your request to substitute one of the program courses to Infotech@ucsd.edu. In your request, indicate which course you would like to take and which course it would substitute. Include how a substitution may better meet your professional or employment needs. The class should align with the overall student learning outcomes of this certificate. As previously mentioned only one waiver total can be granted per certificate. Requests for these considerations require departmental approval. Contact Infotech@ucsd.edu to make a request or for additional information.
Advisory Board
Skip Andrews
Enrico Bernardo
Donald Demuth
Victor Garcia
William Griswold, Ph.D.
Mark James
Johnathan Kies
Alicia McLain
Steven Wade
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