CERTIFIED SOFTWARE QUALITY ENGINEER CSQE

WHY BECOME A CERTIFIED

SOFTWARE QUALITY ENGINEER?
Delivering quality is a powerful differentiator in a marketplace where high-quality software is now
the exception rather than the rule. As an ASQ Certified Software Quality Engineer (CSQE) you will
stand out as a professional who has mastered a comprehensive understanding of software quality
development and implementation; have a thorough understanding of software inspection, testing,
verification, and validation; and be able to implement software development and maintenance
processes and methods that add value for end users of products.

What Are the Core Competencies of a CSQE?

• Enhanced fundamental understanding of quality • In-depth understanding of verification and
philosophies, principles, methods, tools, standards, validation processes, including early software
organizational and team dynamics, interpersonal defect detection and removal, inspection,
relationships, professional ethics, and legal and and testing methods.
regulatory requirements.
• Advanced knowledge of configuration
• Thorough understanding of systems architecture management processes, including planning,
and how to implement software development and configuration identification, configuration
maintenance processes to reduce the risks associated control, change management, status
with various software development methodologies. accounting, auditing, and reporting.

• Define, select, and apply product and process

metrics and analytical techniques, and have a
sound understanding of measurement theory
and how to communicate results.

What Is the Value to Your Company? What Is the Value to You?

CSQEs who improve software quality drive real • Improved skill set qualifies you for more positions
business benefits. Investing in this area—for better within business environments where you can enhance
tools, better training, or better processes—can your creative and technical expertise to carry out
yield significant returns. Some of these returns are innovative ideas.
financial—your organization can avoid losses due
• CSQEs make an average salary of $116,047 per
to quality problems. Others are harder to quantify
year; compared to those without the certification who
but no less important, such as avoiding the brand
make approximately $107,475.*
damage caused by quality problems.

• Possess advanced skills that enable them

to prevent low-quality software performance *Please see the current Quality Progress Salary Survey at:
while troubleshooting problems and evaluating asq.org/qualityprogress/ under Tools and Resources.
potential solutions within development teams.

• Ensure that new products work before they

are released to the customer and that the
software adheres to the standards set by
the development company.
CERTIFIED SOFTWARE QUALITY ENGINEER CSQE
Qualifications and Requirements Software Quality Engineering Learning
for CSQE Certification Resources and Certification Preparation
Candidates must have eight years of on-the-job • Software Quality Training (on-site and online learning)
experience in one or more of the areas of the
• The Certified Software Quality Engineer Handbook,
CSQE Body of Knowledge. A minimum of three
Second Edition
years of this experience must be in a decision-
making position. • Software Division—an ASQ professional network

Education Recertification Required?

Candidates who have completed a degree from Yes, every three years.
a college, university, or technical school can waive
some part of the eight-year experience requirement
as follows: How to Enroll for Certification
• Diploma from a technical or trade school— Visit asq.org/cert
one year waived

• Associate’s degree—two years waived

• Bachelor’s degree—four years waived

• Master’s or doctorate degree—five years waived

MARKETPLACE INFORMATION
COMMON JOB FUNCTIONS COMMON INDUSTRIES
Auditor/Inspector Energy
Computer Systems Analyst Finance
Consultant Government
Director Healthcare
Project/Program Manager Manufacturing
Quality Analyst Medical Device
Quality Manager Military
Software Development Engineer Pharmaceutical
Software Quality Engineer Telecommunication
Software Test Engineer Transportation

Key Market Trends

• The global engineering software market • The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects
is expected to reach $50 billion by 2022. a 19% employment growth for software
developers between 2014 and 2024, which
• Increasing demand for automation across
is much faster than average for all occupations.
different end-use sectors such as automotive,
In that period, an estimated 135,300 jobs
energy and utility, IT and telecom, media
will open up.
and entertainment, and geology and science
is encouraging the adoption of engineering
software worldwide.