Manufacturing Excellence Certificate

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Is this program right for you?

Accelerate your organization’s productivity and process improvement goals. This certificate is ideal for engineers, supervisors and technical professionals aiming to improve manufacturing operations through lean systems, leadership and data-driven strategies.

  • Courses are led by UW–Madison faculty and industry leaders with expertise in lean manufacturing and operational excellence.
  • The curriculum focuses on continuous improvement, workforce engagement and sustainable performance.
  • Enroll in individual courses at your own pace. Participants receive discounts and program updates without needing to complete the full certificate.
  • Complete four live (synchronous) courses and four self-paced (asynchronous) online courses to earn the certificate while customizing your learning path.

Education that works for you

Boost productivity and drive process improvement with UW-Madison’s Manufacturing Excellence Certificate. Learn from faculty and industry leaders through flexible, expert-led courses focused on lean systems, leadership and data strategies.

Program type

Professional certificate

Specialized training, does not result in academic credit

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Certificate awarded

Manufacturing Excellence Certificate

Commitment

2–4 years

Tuition

$295–$2,895 per course (10% off individual courses for certificate participants; course-level pricing applies)

Format

Face-to-face

On-campus, in-person courses

Hybrid

Mix of on-campus and online courses

Online

Primarily online

Credits

Minimum credits for completion: 8.4 CEUs/84 PDHs

Supports F-1 Visa

Application deadlines

Rolling

  • Deadline: January 1, 2030
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Your questions, answered

Have questions? Fill out this form and we’ll get in touch!

Application materials required

To earn this certificate, complete the following:

Four live (synchronous) courses — in-person, online or HyFlex

Four self-paced (asynchronous) online courses

Manufacturing Excellence Reflection — a written assessment applying knowledge from core concepts

Program requirements

Who should pursue a certificate?

Professionals in manufacturing operations, quality management, process engineering, maintenance and continuous improvement. Ideal for building capabilities in root cause analysis, data analytics lead time reduction and smart manufacturing. 

What you’ll learn

Develop the mindset and tools needed to lead continuous improvement and optimize operations. Courses emphasize hands-on applications for real manufacturing environments.

Learn complete curricular details →
  • Solve problems using data analytics, DOE, AI and statistical tools
  • Apply Lean, 5S, maintenance and project management for process improvement
  • Use systems thinking to optimize operations and integrate smart technologies
  • Implement QRM, smart manufacturing and digital tools to boost competitiveness

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