Online training to gain a deeper understanding of Lean and Six Sigma tools within the DMAIC* methodology. Held again between December 21, 2026 and January 27, 2027. Read about other Cornellians who have benefitted from this self-paced online training in the past and see where they are now. The green belt certification has applicability across a wide array of disciplines.

In partnership with Binghamton University, all interested Cornell graduate students can register for the reduced negotiated Careers Beyond Academia rate by selecting the “BU student” option on the registration form. Learn more about the course. Apply by December 18, 2026.

Contact Gradcareers@cornell.edu to express interest. Eligible Cornell doctoral students can request sponsorship for this online certification by completing the Careers Beyond Academia funding request form.

*DMAIC = define, measure, analyze, improve, control

About Lean Six Sigma

Are you considering a career that will require process improvements? Many do, as these skills in continuous improvement are applicable to a wide variety of fields. Careers Beyond Academia has partnered for many years with Binghamton University’s Watson School of Engineering to offer the opportunity to register at a reduced cost and complete the Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Training (online). To date, 40 Cornell doctoral and postdoctoral participants have benefitted from Careers Beyond Academia professional development sponsorship, and many master’s students have taken advantage of the reduced negotiated rate. Contact us via gradcareers@cornell.edu to find out how you can too!

Lean Six Sigma certification at the Green Belt level gives you valuable business tools to achieve process and operational excellence. The course content emphasizes why the implementation of Lean Six Sigma is vital to the continuous improvement of industry in today’s competitive world. Several case studies and applications of Lean Six Sigma concepts are presented throughout the course along with how it is used not only in the manufacturing context but other areas as well. The course helps you conceptually and practically analyze, break down and fix a problem to arrive at a more efficient solution for continuous process improvement. Specifically the course covers:

• Continuous process improvement (CPI) with emphasis on both lean and six sigma concepts and methodologies
• Lean concepts and its applications, such as 5s, waste reduction, value stream mapping, and error proofing
• DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control) to solve issues and transition CPI projects from one phase to another
• Basic statistical analysis methods, tools, and control charts used to determine key relationships between inputs and outputs
• The integration of both lean and six sigma for achieving data-driven process improvement results
• Team dynamics and leadership to provide effectively successful projects

About the sponsor

Careers Beyond Academia is in Cornell’s Graduate School Office of Career and Professional Development. Serving over 5000 doctoral and research master’s students in 100 fields of study, we provide resources and referrals, skill-building workshops and 1:1 consultations to empower you, and help you explore and try on different career options so you can set yourself apart from other candidates to succeed in the role of your dreams.

Susi Sturzenegger Varvayanis is Sr. Assoc. Dir., Graduate Industry Partnerships, where she dedicates her work to empowering graduate students to confidently navigate and thrive in diverse careers across employment sectors by working with alumni and employers who seek to recruit top talent. With a deeply interdisciplinary approach, her cross-sector career balances early-stage startup, academic and National Institutes of Health (NIH) research with extensive business and workforce development experience in the U.S. and abroad. She leverages her expertise across science, business, and academia to design innovative experiential learning that equips the next generation of scientists and scholars with the tools, confidence, and career agency to thrive across academia, industry, government and non-profits.