Boise State will offer a new master's degree in business operational excellence in May.

The Idaho State Board of Education approved the program Thursday. The university is enrolling students now for the 12-month master’s degree.

The program is a unique partnership between Boise State University’s College of Business and Economics and the Kaizen Institute Consulting Group — a worldwide leader in Lean and Six Sigma training. Both Boise State and Kaizen Institute instructors will help managers become organizational leaders in operational improvement.

Participants will blend distance education, four one-week on-campus sessions, project work at their own organizations and a study mission to Tokyo, Japan. The focus is on the leadership, change management and process improvement skills necessary for those in health care, manufacturing, service industries, education and the public sector to compete on a global basis. Tuition is $44,700 including books, meals, workshops and the Japan study mission.

“Participants learn concepts in class that they can immediately apply to reduce costs at their organizations,” said Kirk Smith, associate dean for graduate education.

For more information, visit http://cobe.boisestate.edu or contact program director Jim Peterson at (208) 426-2182 or jimpeterson@boisestate.edu. Applications will be considered in the order in which they are submitted. Space is limited.

Masaaki Imai founded Kaizen Institute in 1985 after writing his bestseller “Kaizen: The Secret to Japan’s Competitive Success.” With a head office in Zurich, Switzerland, and trainers on all continents, the company has been a leader in the operational excellence field for nearly 30 years.