Frequently Asked Questions

Course Questions

• What time does the public class start and stop?

  The public classes start at 8:00 am and end at 5:00 pm Monday through Thursday at most locations. Weeks with 4.5 days will end at 12:00 pm on Friday. This includes the JumpStart, as well as the first week of the Green Belt and the first week of the four week Black Belt. The first week of the Master Black Belt also includes a ½ day on the first Friday.

• How long does it take to complete public training?

  The public Green Belt training is two weeks with approximately one month between each week. The Black Belt after Green Belt training is two weeks with approximately one month between each week. The four week Black Belt training includes two weeks of Green Belt training and two weeks of Black Belt training with approximately one month between each week. The Master Black Belt training is two weeks with approximately one month between each week. Completion of your project will be done outside of the class period and will vary based on the complexity of your project and data available.

• What happens if I fail an exam for the online training?

  You may retake the exams as many times as necessary to pass at no additional charge.

• Will I be certified, if I complete the online training?

  Upon successful completion of the online training you will receive your training certificate. You have the option of adding project certification for an additional fee. This will require that you successfully complete a live project of your choosing to receive certification. The additional fee does include up to 4 hours of remote assistance from one of our Master Black Belts.

• Do you require an exam for certification?

  An exam is not required for certification. However, you must complete a live project to be certified. The project will act as your final exam. Project certification is available to online students for an additional charge. You may need to complete a final exam to earn CEUs or PDUs based on the training you are taking. Please contact us with any questions.

• What is required for Master Black Belt certification?

  Students must meet all prerequisites, successfully complete our training, and meet with the instructor.

• What is required for Black Belt certification?

  Students must successfully complete our training and live a project of their choosing.

• What is required for Green Belt certification?

  Students must successfully complete our training and a live project of their choosing.

• What are the prerequisites for the Master Black Belt?

  There are several prerequisites for the Master Black Belt. You must be a certified Black Belt, have leadership training, and have completed Six Sigma projects, as well as other requirements. For information regarding the exact requirements, click here or call us Toll Free at 1.877.497.4462.

• What are the prerequisites for the Black Belt after Green Belt?

  You must be Green Belt certified to complete the Black Belt after Green Belt. We will accept Green Belt certifications from organizations that offer a program similar to ours.

• What are the prerequisites for the Green Belt or four week Black Belt?

  The only prerequisite for the Green Belt or four week Black Belt is a basic understanding of Microsoft Office products, such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Some knowledge of Six Sigma is helpful, but not required

• How does the $1000 discount work?

  The $1000 discount is applied, when you sign up for any two week Green Belt class and any Black Belt after Green Belt program at least 30 days in advance.

General Questions

• How do I claim PDUs after completing my training?

  You will need to go to the PMI website and log into your account. Your certificate should include the code and REP number for the course that you completed. The REP code for Six Sigma.us is 2530. If you need the code for your course, you may contact us for assistance. Once you are in your PMI account, please follow their directions to claim your PDUs. For assistance with claiming your PDUs through the PMI website, please contact PMI directly at http://www.pmi.org/About-Us/Customer-Care.aspx

   

• Do you offer Lean Six Sigma training and certification?

  Yes. Lean and Six Sigma are two separate methodologies that work very well together. Lean is a methodology based on waste reduction, while Six Sigma is a methodology based on process improvement. Both options are being used together in many organizations, so a Lean Six Sigma approach is very popular. You may obtain a Lean Six Sigma certification by combining our Lean Flow Fundamentals with any Six Sigma Green, Black, or Master Black Belt option. You may also earn a Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt by completing the Lean Introduction and the two day Yellow Belt. Online Lean Six Sigma options are also available and require the completion of the Lean Level III training and any online Green or Black Belt program. Lean Level II may be combined with our online Yellow Belt for a Lean Yellow Belt program.

• What is a blended or accelerated program?

  Blended or accelerated programs allow the student to attend part of the training (typically the first 3 days, first week, or last two weeks) in a classroom environment with the rest of the training completed online. Please contact us to learn more about our blended options.

• What is the difference between Lean and Six Sigma?

  Lean is a methodology based on waste reduction, while Six Sigma is a methodology based on process improvement. Both options are being used together in many organizations, so a Lean Six Sigma approach is very popular. You may obtain a Lean Six Sigma certification by combining our Lean Flow Fundamentals with any Six Sigma Green, Black, or Master Black Belt option. You may also earn a Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt by completing the Lean Introduction and the two day Yellow Belt. Online Lean Six Sigma options are also available and require the completion of the Lean Level III training and any online Green or Black Belt program. Lean Level II may be combined with our online Yellow Belt for a Lean Yellow Belt program.

• What is your refund policy?

  Please contact us directly for a refund based on the conditions below:

  PROGRAM SUBSTITUTIONS AND CANCELLATIONS:

  Please notify us in writing as soon as possible about any substitutions or cancellations. Registration fee will be refunded less a 15% processing fee for cancellations made more than 30 days prior to the start date of the course. This fee included purchase orders. Cancellations made at least 15 days before the course starts will be refunded 50% of the tuition. No refund is offered for cancellations made less than 15 days prior to the course beginning. In some cases, tuition may be transferred to another SixSigma.us course attended within 6 months of the originally scheduled date. No refunds will be issued after 90 days of order. Cancellation requests should be submitted in writing by fax or email to the email and fax number below. Full payment is due 21 days after registration

  SixSigma.us may cancel or reschedule any course or change instructors at any time and is not responsible for any airfare penalties or other travel charges that may occur. If a course is cancelled every attempt will be made to notify participants 21 days prior to the course.

• What is your cancellation policy?

  PROGRAM SUBSTITUTIONS AND CANCELLATIONS:

  Please notify us in writing as soon as possible about any substitutions or cancellations. Registration fee will be refunded less a 15% processing fee for cancellations made more than 30 days prior to the start date of the course. This fee included purchase orders. Cancellations made at least 15 days before the course starts will be refunded 50% of the tuition. No refund is offered for cancellations made less than 15 days prior to the course beginning. In some cases, tuition may be transferred to another SixSigma.us course attended within 6 months of the originally scheduled date. No refunds will be issued after 90 days of order. Cancellation requests should be submitted in writing by fax or email to the email and fax number below. Full payment is due 21 days after registration

  SixSigma.us may cancel or reschedule any course or change instructors at any time and is not responsible for any airfare penalties or other travel charges that may occur. If a course is canceled every attempt will be made to notify participants 21 days prior to the course.

• Can I obtain my Black Belt before my Green Belt?

  Green Belt certification is required for the Black Belt. We will accept Green Belt certification from organizations providing similar training and project certification. You may go directly into our four week Black Belt program without any prior experience. It will include the Green Belt training.

• Will you offer sponsorship to come into the country for training?

  We will provide you with an acceptance letter to our training, but you are responsible for obtaining a VISA and doing what is necessary to enter the country legally. We are not responsible for this service. You may be able to receive assistance from the hotel you are staying at.

• Do you offer financial aid?

  Financial aid is not available at this time, but you may apply for PayPal credit, so you can pay off your training over a 6 month period.

• Do you offer payment plans?

  We accept PayPal credit, which allows you to pay off your balance in up to 6 months. This is a service provided by PayPal, so you must contact them for more information. To learn how you can work with us regarding special payment arrangements for your company, tuition reimbursement, or other scenarios, please feel free to contact us.

• Do you offer training in my area?

  We offer training throughout the US. We also offer training in Russia and Dubai. You may view all of our locations and our entire schedule by clicking here. We also provide online training, if programs are not available in your area. You may learn more about our online training here. We do offer onsite training at any location for groups. In addition, we will consider a training program anywhere in the world, if we have at least five individuals committed to the training.

• What is a Master Black Belt?

  Master Black Belts are the highest level of Six Sigma certification. These individuals are able to implement Six Sigma within an organization. Master Black Belts have a high level of understanding regarding Six Sigma with a lot of experience working with projects, etc. They are also able to certify other individuals as Green Belts and/or Black Belts.

• What is a Black Belt?

  Black Belts work on higher level projects with larger savings potential. Traditionally, their job requires more than 50% of their time be focused on leading Six Sigma projects. However, like Green Belts, Black Belt roles and job requirements will vary between companies.

• What is a Green Belt?

  Green Belts work on simple process improvement projects. Traditionally, their job would require less than 50% of their time be focused on Six Sigma projects. However, Green Belt roles and job requirements will vary between companies.

• What is a Yellow Belt?

  Originally, Yellow Belts were individuals that were trained while working on a project with a Green or Black Belt. However, more companies are requiring formal training for Yellow Belts. In most cases, the Yellow Belt has some expertise in the process that is being improved, so he or she needs a basic understanding of Six Sigma in order to support the Green Belt or Black Belt working to improve the process. Yellow Belts do not have the knowledge needed to complete projects.

• Can your training be customized for my organization?

  We would be happy to customize training that fits your organizations requirements.

• How do I learn more about onsite training?

  We would be happy to provide you with onsite training. To find out more about our onsite training options and receive a quote, please click here.

• Are you an authorized Six Sigma provider/trainer?

  There is not a governing body of Six Sigma. Any organization may provide Six Sigma training. Our program is highly recognized in the industry. We have provided training to major corporations throughout the world. In addition, we have trained individuals and units within several branches of the government and military. We do provide an internationally recognized certification. To learn more about our organization view the Why Us and About Us pages

• How does the online training compare to the public training?

  The online training is based directly on the public format and uses the same agenda. However, the program is self-paced and doesn’t provide student-to-student or instructor-to-student interaction. It is a great second option for individuals on a tight budget or with a tight schedule that makes being out of the office impossible.

  If you really want to do classroom training, but don’t have all the time required, our blended program maybe the perfect answer. It requires a certain amount of classroom training with the rest completed online. Visit our Blended/Accelerated program section to learn more.

• What are the qualifications of your instructors?

  Our instructors are all Master Black Belts with at least 5 years of real world experience working as a Master Black Belt for an organization in addition to experience teaching. View the Why Us page and About Us page for more information.

• What if I don’t have a project I can work on?

  You may complete a project for a nonprofit organization in your area working as a volunteer. You may also elect to receive a training certificate without project certification. You may complete a project for certification at a later date. If you want to receive PDU’s or CEU’s without a project, you may need to complete an online examination. Please contact us for more information.

• Do you offer continuing education units?

  Yes. We are accredited to offer IACET CEUs. CEUs are calculated as follows:

  One (1) Continuing Education Unit (CEU) equals ten (10) contact hours of learner interaction with the content of the learning activity, which includes classroom, self-paced instruction, pre/post assignments, and/or homework in support of a learning outcome. CEUs are rounded to the nearest 10^th. So a class with 32 contact hours would be calculated by dividing 32 by 10 for a total CEUs of 3.2.

• Do you offer Six Sigma training for healthcare, service hospitality, construction, IT?

  Our public traditional classes and online training is not specific to one industry. This allows individuals from all organizations the opportunity to learn how to incorporate Six Sigma methodologies within a variety of industries. Our industry generic option offers examples from all industries. We will focus on the industries represented in class for our traditional classroom students. We also offer customized onsite training for groups that focuses on your organizations specific requirements.

• What is Six Sigma?

  Six Sigma is an integrated, disciplined proven approach for improving business performances. Six Sigma uses statistical analysis rather than guess work to determine why a process is not working. Then the process is improved and controls are put in place to ensure it remains stable. The end result is a hard or soft money savings for the organization.

• What is Minitab?

  Minitab is the standard software used for Six Sigma projects. It is allows you to perform statistical analysis with graphical representations through pre-programmed mathematical calculations without needing to know the math required. It is the most popular statistical software option for Six Sigma projects. It is taught throughout out the online Green and Black Belt Minitab versions and all of our public Six Sigma programs.

• Does the online training come with a full version of Minitab?

  The online training will teach you how to use Minitab to complete projects, but it does not come with the software. You may download a 30 day trial version, purchase a version with 1 year of access, or buy a full license option all at low student rates that are considerably less than purchasing it retail.

• How long does the online training take to complete?

  The online training is self-paced, so the length will vary. However, you should expect to spend a minimum of 72 hours on the Green Belt and a minimum of 72 hours on the Black Belt. If you are doing only the online Yellow Belt, it will take approximately 16 hours. The Lean Level III is approximately 32 hours of training.

• Do you accept GI Bill for payment?

  Unfortunately, we are unable to accept the GI Bill or Financial Aid funding at this time. However, we hope to offer these options in the near future. We would be happy to add you to our mailing list so you can be informed with the status changes.

• How many PDU’s are earned?

  Traditional Classes
  Course Name	PDUs
  SIX SIGMA WHITE BELT	8
  BLACK BELT AFTER GREEN BELT	60
  SIX SIGMA 4 WK BLACK BELT	120
  LEAN AGENT CERTIFICATION	30
  SIX SIGMA GREEN BELT	60
  SIX SIGMA JUMPSTART	34
  LEAN INTRODUCTION	16
  MASTER BLACK BELT	60
  YELLOW BELT	16
  Online Classes
  Course Name	PDUs
  ONLINE BLACK BELT	40
  ONLINE GREEN BELT	40
  LEAN AGENT ONLINE	30
  ONLINE YELLOW BELT	12

• Do you offer PDU’s?

  Yes, we are an approved REP for PMI to offer PDU.