


Lean Six Sigma Black Belt
BUSA-40995
Go Beyond Your Green Belt.
Blaze a path towards $100k in savings with the Lean Six Sigma Black Belt program.
Click here to meet the instructors and watch an information session anytime!
For individuals who have successfully completed a Lean Six Sigma (LSS) Green Belt training, this intensive program provides a systematic method to improve performance efficiencies and reduce variations in all business operations. Master advanced methodologies through application-based learning and lead your organization towards higher productivity and profitability gains. As a Black Belt you will learn to identify all types of waste, determine constraints and defects, create rapid improvements through Kaizen events, and monitor performance through balanced measurements. Throughout the program you will apply LSS directly to a real-world project resulting in a minimum of $100,000 in projected annual savings.
Required Pre-Requisite: Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (see below for details)
Course Goals & Learning Objectives
- Learn the combined LSS tools at a Black Belt level
- Acquire the ability to select projects, develop teams and deliver results
- Develop skills utilizing LSS tools and implement for quantifiable results
- Apply the concepts to a project impacting the bottom line
- Prepare the practitioner to deploy LSS to other individuals in their organizations
- Develop the ability to train other LSS White, Yellow, and Green Belts
Program Requirements
Only students who have successfully completed a Lean Six Sigma Green Belt will be admitted into this program. If you did not complete your Green Belt at UC San Diego Divsion of Extended Studies, please email the Program Manager, Angela Miller, to determine your elegibilty at ProcessPrograms@ucsd.edu.
Applicants must have a project(s) in mind when starting the class. The project must be focused on improving a current process that is brought in from the student's company or organization. The instructors will provide guidance to ensure a successful project completion. Course materials are provided to students, including tools which aids in statistical analysis.
Learning Formats

Live Online (Virtual sessions hosted via Zoom):
- Step into the virtual classroom and receive guided mentorship from a Master Black Belt. Learn how to apply the Lean Six Sigma tools to a real-life project. Project must result in a projected ROI of $100k.
- Network and collaborate with fellow students in the virtual environment.
- Classes meet one day a week from 8am -12pm PDT (seven sessions over five months). Click on the “Live Online Class” section below to view, dates, and times.

Online:
- Instructor-led training on your schedule. Access lectures and materials 24/7.
- (2) Live one-on-one project coaching sessions with Master Black Belt Instructor. Asks questions and engage with Instructors via email.
- Weekly discussion board topics that provide an additional opportunity to engage with the content and your peers.
- Complete a real project under the mentorship of a Master Black Belt.
No-Interest Payment Plan
To break the tuition into monthly portions, please complete the No-Interest Payment Plan Request Form.
Questions:
Contact Angela Miller, Program Manager
📅 Schedule a phone appointment or email:
ProcessPrograms@ucsd.edu
Click here to Schedule a phone appointment with the Program Manager.
Course Information
Course sessions
Section ID:
Class type:
This course is entirely web-based and to be completed asynchronously between the published course start and end dates. Synchronous attendance is NOT required.
You will have access to your online course on the published start date OR 1 business day after your enrollment is confirmed if you enroll on or after the published start date.
Textbooks:
No textbook required.
Policies:
- No refunds after: 5/25/2025
Note:
Schedule:
Instructor:
James Athon

After earning a Master Black Belt at General Electric, Jim has led Lean Six Sigma projects for prominent organizations such as Target, Chevron, Cisco, Nokia, Kraft Foods, Schwab, and Adena Health Systems, and spearheaded over 42 million in revenue gains. He is a catalyst for standardization of processes, digital transformation, technology optimization, and is passionate about transforming inefficient and error-prone activities into lean, efficient, and repeatable processes.
As a Lean Six Sigma expert and trainer, Jim has presented at over 30 industry seminars, as well as coached and mentored over 1,000 Green and Black Belt professionals. His vast experience and unique ability to communicate complex concepts into commonly understood language and relatable examples make him an exceptional coach and mentor.
Jim proudly served for 10-years in the US Air Force Reserve & was honorably discharged as E5 Staff Sergeant.
Section ID:
Class type:
Textbooks:
All course materials are included unless otherwise stated.
Policies:
- No refunds after: 10/23/2025
Note:
Schedule:
Date | Day | Start | End |
---|---|---|---|
10/17/2025 | Fri | 8:00 a.m. | 12:00 p.m. |
10/24/2025 | Fri | 8:00 a.m. | 12:00 p.m. |
10/31/2025 | Fri | 8:00 a.m. | 12:00 p.m. |
11/7/2025 | Fri | 8:00 a.m. | 12:00 p.m. |
11/14/2025 | Fri | 8:00 a.m. | 12:00 p.m. |
11/21/2025 | Fri | 8:00 a.m. | 12:00 p.m. |
11/28/2025 | Fri | 8:00 a.m. | 12:00 p.m. |
12/5/2025 | Fri | 8:00 a.m. | 12:00 p.m. |
12/12/2025 | Fri | 8:00 a.m. | 12:00 p.m. |
12/19/2025 | Fri | 8:00 a.m. | 12:00 p.m. |
12/26/2025 | Fri | 8:00 a.m. | 12:00 p.m. |
1/2/2026 | Fri | 8:00 a.m. | 12:00 p.m. |
1/9/2026 | Fri | 8:00 a.m. | 12:00 p.m. |
1/16/2026 | Fri | 8:00 a.m. | 12:00 p.m. |
1/23/2026 | Fri | 8:00 a.m. | 12:00 p.m. |
1/30/2026 | Fri | 8:00 a.m. | 12:00 p.m. |
Instructor:
James Athon

After earning a Master Black Belt at General Electric, Jim has led Lean Six Sigma projects for prominent organizations such as Target, Chevron, Cisco, Nokia, Kraft Foods, Schwab, and Adena Health Systems, and spearheaded over 42 million in revenue gains. He is a catalyst for standardization of processes, digital transformation, technology optimization, and is passionate about transforming inefficient and error-prone activities into lean, efficient, and repeatable processes.
As a Lean Six Sigma expert and trainer, Jim has presented at over 30 industry seminars, as well as coached and mentored over 1,000 Green and Black Belt professionals. His vast experience and unique ability to communicate complex concepts into commonly understood language and relatable examples make him an exceptional coach and mentor.
Jim proudly served for 10-years in the US Air Force Reserve & was honorably discharged as E5 Staff Sergeant.
Section ID:
Class type:
This course is entirely web-based and to be completed asynchronously between the published course start and end dates. Synchronous attendance is NOT required.
You will have access to your online course on the published start date OR 1 business day after your enrollment is confirmed if you enroll on or after the published start date.
Textbooks:
All course materials are included unless otherwise stated.
Policies:
- No refunds after: 10/5/2025
Note:
Schedule:
Instructor:
James Athon

After earning a Master Black Belt at General Electric, Jim has led Lean Six Sigma projects for prominent organizations such as Target, Chevron, Cisco, Nokia, Kraft Foods, Schwab, and Adena Health Systems, and spearheaded over 42 million in revenue gains. He is a catalyst for standardization of processes, digital transformation, technology optimization, and is passionate about transforming inefficient and error-prone activities into lean, efficient, and repeatable processes.
As a Lean Six Sigma expert and trainer, Jim has presented at over 30 industry seminars, as well as coached and mentored over 1,000 Green and Black Belt professionals. His vast experience and unique ability to communicate complex concepts into commonly understood language and relatable examples make him an exceptional coach and mentor.
Jim proudly served for 10-years in the US Air Force Reserve & was honorably discharged as E5 Staff Sergeant.
FAQs
- Join the Business Excellence Community
Connect with UC San Diego faculty and staff who are committed to continuous improvement. Explore a variety of free events—including webinars, conferences, and networking sessions—designed to help you sharpen your skills, share best practices, and expand your network. Learn More. - Attend Process Palooza
Be part of UC San Diego’s annual celebration of continuous improvement! Process Palooza is a high-energy, interactive event where you can engage with others at every stage of their Lean Six Sigma journey—whether you're just starting or looking to grow your impact. https://processpalooza.ucsd.edu/ - Join the LSS Alumni Mixer
Lean Six Sigma graduates are invited to an annual in-person alumni mixer—a great way to reconnect, share experiences, and continue learning. To receive updates about the next event, contact processprograms@ucsd.edu. - Connect on LinkedIn
Join our Lean Six Sigma Alumni LinkedIn group, home to a growing network of over 600 professionals. Stay in touch with fellow grads, hear about job opportunities, and share your continuous improvement wins.
In Pathway 2, students complete the Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt separately in two courses.
- HUMAN RESOURCES: Improve and simplify the employee onboarding process. Students saved 2,000 hours/year and reduced email handling by 60%.
- MANUFACTURING: 60% reduction in remakes and reworks, saving $150k a year.
- BIOTECH: 50% reduction in leakage of bioreactor product, resulting in $80k saved each year.
- EDUCATION: Reduced the training preparation time by 72%, from 7 to 2 hours.
- EVENT PLANNING: Streamlined the event registration process, and reduced activity planning lead time by 81% (38 steps to 7).
- FINANCE: Reduced the time to prepare quarterly reports by 72%, from 16 - 4.5 days.
- SUPPLY MANAGEMENT: Reduced warehouse transportation time, resulting in an annal savings of $60k.
- Live Online - interactive, instructor-led, and real-time. Class sessions take place LIVE via Zoom, simulating the in-person experience.
- Asynchronous Online – login and complete class work anytime 24/7. All courses use Canvas, an online learning management system that allows you to complete assignments, share documents, and take tests and quizzes remotely. You will also have the option to schedule LIVE individual or group project coaching sessions with the instructor, hosted via Zoom.
- How many times each month/year is the process used?
- How long the process takes each time it is used?
- What defects/errors arise along the way and how often do these occur?
- What are the material costs involved in the process?
- What are the impacts if we do not find a better way to move through this process?
- Are there any glaring areas of waste or rework?
You should consider a “problem” with the process (errors, customer complaints, delays, etc.). Don’t focus on how you are going to fix the problem because the intent to learn the Lean Six Sigma methodologies and apply the tools to identify and continuously improve your process.
We find that the best kind of project (or process) to select is something that is a measurable problem that needs to be solved and can be broken down (or walked through) and analyzed. For example, reducing defects or improving speed. A project that focuses on communication, for example, can be a challenge as it’s hard to determine whether the communication is better.
Consider how you would measure the before and after, and outcomes of improving a process.
By the end of the class, the project may not be completed, but there must be controls put in place so that you can evaluate the projected annual savings.
Pathway 1 (Condensed): Complete the Lean Six Sigma Green and Black Belt together in one course.
- Duration: 5 months
- Tuition: $5,595
- Format: Live Online (Instructor led classes hosted via Zoom)
Pathway 2: Complete the Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt separately in two courses.
- Duration: Minimum of 8 months if completing in consecutive quarters
- Tuition: $6,290
- Format: Live Online or Asychonous Online; Green Belt is hosted In-Person.
Please note that you’ll need to manually enter the course details rather than select from the pre-populated drop down menus. If you click on the ? mark symbol by each field it explains this. This will allow you to enter the provider name, course title, etc.
Classes are limited to 16 - 20 students, to allow for ample coaching and project mentorship. As such, space is limited and registering early is recommended.
- Staff and faculty discounts
- Programs for the unemployed or underemployed
- Private student loans
- And more…
If you are a veteran who served in our armed forces, you may be eligible to use your veteran education benefits to cover some or all of your program tuition. Please review our Veterans Education Benefits page for details. You are also welcome to reach out to the Extended Studies Veteran’s team by contacting unex-veterans@ucsd.edu.
Additional Discount or Scholarship Opportunities:
- San Diego Project Management Institute (PMI-SD) chapter members may be eligible to receive discounts on LSS courses. Click here for details.
- UCSD Lean Six Sigma Staff Scholarship - Visit OSI.UCSD.EDU for details.
- UCSD Health staff may be eligible to pursue Lean Healthcare Training, which is provided at no cost.
- Measurable: Either the data needed for the project already exists or may be readily gathered. That is, there is a clearly identifiable unit, and you can quantify what makes that unit defective
- Existing Process: DMAIC assumes an existing process that has one or more deficiencies or inefficiencies that need to be addressed. It is not optimal for new process development.
- Incremental Improvement: DMAIC is designed to diagnose and address only one (or a few) issues at one time and is not intended for wholesale re-design of a process.
- Financial Results: You can clearly demonstrate the financial (or other genuine business) benefits of improving the process.
- Unknown Root Cause: If you are sure you know what is causing the variation in your process, fix it! DMAIC assumes we don’t know exactly where the process is broken, or why.
- Unknown Solution: If we know what to do to fix the problem, and it is cost-beneficial, fix it! DMAIC assumes we don’t yet know how to fix it, especially since we don’t know where it is broken!
The more advanced Black Belt project accounts for 53% over the final grade. The Black Belt Project must show projected cost savings of at least $100,000 annualized hard savings. The final project presentation must Show use of Tools, Actions taken to modify a process, quantifiable Results, and Controls to assure process sustains improvement. The presentation must include the application of Lean Six Sigma tools and concepts, and include the following:
- Project Charter
- SIPOC
- Process Map (basic, swim lane, VSM, etc. as appropriate)
- 5 Why’s matrix
- Other tools as appropriate to your project type
- Hypothesis testing using SPC XL to determine root cause(s)
- Hypothesis test to verify quantifiable results on Primary Metric
- Primary Metric that demonstrates improvement
- Control Plan
- Focus on "customer": Identify your customers, whether that is clients, vendors, patrons, other departments, etc. Once you have your customers identified, gather their input on their goals and pain points. As your project moves forward, involve your customers in the discussions, along with your Subject Matter Experts.
- Don't jump to improve: Strive to address a root cause. Leverage data to validate ideas, and pilot changes to check for downstream considerations. This will drive you towards averting fires, rather than frantically extinguishing them.
- Empower staff at all levels: Process knowledge and ideas should be generated from the staff who perform the work. The Lean Practitioner facilitates discussions and manages the project, but the teams provide and implement solutions. Not only does this secure creative and effective ideas, but it also facilitates change management and longevity of your outcomes.
- Explore assumptions and ask ‘Why’: Dig deeper to clear obstacles we have created for ourselves over time. For example, if you hear "There's a policy which drives that step," then consider whether the policy has changed, or whether other comparable departments have interpreted and implemented the policy differently. If you hear "We've always done it that way" then prompt your team to consider whether it has to be done that way.
Note that the Black Belt level project is much larger in scope, and students must achieve a cost savings of $100k, projected annually.
- A trusted name in Lean Six Sigma, with robust certificate programs for 25+ years.
- World Class Instructors: Trainings are conducted by a team of skilled LSS Master Black Belts and Lean experts, including Tracy O’Rourke, Jim Athon, Sabine Rentschar, Brion Hurley, Luis Socconini, Phaniendra Somraj, Pete Thurman, Elisabeth Swan, and Mike Osterling.
- Small Classrooms: Classes are limited to 16 - 22 students, to allow for ample coaching and project mentorship. As such, space is limited and registering early is recommended.
- Project Application: We exemplify the model of Learn By Doing. To earn a Green and Black Belt, all students must improve a real business process as part of the training.
- Project Coaching and Mentorship: Students have the opportunity to apply the Lean Six Sigma tools and concepts under the guidance of an experienced Master Black Belt. All trainings are comprehensivec, collaborative, and instructor led.
- Earn a verifiable digital credential, which can be shared on social media, and with colleagues and employers to recognize your achievement.
- Trusted by some of San Diego’s leading organizations, including Dexcom, SHARP, Costco, Illumina, UCSD Health, to name a few. We also focus on training fellow educational institutions, including a variety of University of California campus’ and University’s across the country.
While the training material is software-neutral, students are welcome to utilize their organization's desired software.
If requested, we can also provide training materials specific to Minitab.
Statistical tools are not provided for the Green Belt level.
Students can also view their final grades and download an official transcript through their MyExtension student portal.
Those who complete both the Green and Black Belt programs will receive a specialized certificate, mailed directly to them.
UC San Diego also embraces a Lean Six Sigma culture. To date, over 6,000 staff members have pursued process improvement training. This has empowered and enabled us to identify, assess, and solve issues with a customer-centric balance of efficiency and effectiveness. We invite you to join the community, and apply process improvement at your organization!
Click here to watch a short video: UCSD’s Lean Journey.
To become “certified,” students can take an exam through a certifying body, such as ASQ (American Society for Quality). Our training is aligned with ASQ’s body of knowledge and helps students to prepare. It’s worth noting, however, that companies we collaborate with, as well as our esteemed advisory board members, have shared that completing this extensive training and mentorship program is more than sufficient to designate yourself as a Green or Black Belt, and the additional certification designation is not typically necessary. Often it’s important to show that you can (and have) applied the tools via a project.