All About Microsoft Certification - No Silverlight Plug-in Required

There are more Microsoft certifications than ever, which means that choosing one isn't as easy as it used to be. GoCertify has sorted them out to help you decide which one is perfect for you.

Updated July 15, 2008
By Anne Martinez

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If you're considering pursuing a Microsoft certification, you may already have discovered that the number of Microsoft certifications is legion. This has come about because Microsoft has redesigned the structure of its certification program several times as it worked to come up with a sustainable, straight forward structure. However, each certification in the latest crop comes in a wide array of variations, and on top of that, the old certifications never went away, and some of them are in fact still relevant to IT professionals today. All of this makes the menu of choices a little overwhelming.

Another reason for this article is that, as of this writing, Microsoft forces you to install their new Silverlight plug in before you can view certification information, and many of us would rather not do that…

The Hottest Options

If you are working with the latest Microsoft technologies, you will want to earn a certification from the newest generation, we'll start with those.

The most recent generation certifications are as follows:

Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) - individual products and technologies.
Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) - job role focus added on top of MCTS.
Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD) - developers using Microsoft Visual Studio and the Microsoft .NET Framework.
Microsoft Certified Master - developers and system administrators of Microsoft Server products who complete required advanced training.
Microsoft Certified Architect (MCA) - highly experienced experts with strong managerial and technical skills.

There are also two instructor certifications:

Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) - required qualification to teach official Microsoft courses.
Microsoft Certified Learning Consultant (MCLC) - MCTs who are also consultants.

Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) is the building block for higher level Microsoft certifications. It is roughly equivalent to the original Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) designation. It is product focused, for individuals who want to demonstrate expertise with individual Microsoft products or technologies. MCTS certification options range from Windows Server 2008 all the way back to Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and cover just about everything between. They typically require passing one to three exams in your chosen area of focus. When mainstream support for the particular product expires, the certification will be retired.

Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) takes product specific expertise and adds a job role on top of it, such as administrator, developer, or support technician. Each MCITP has a related MCTS requirement, so you'll have to earn that first. With the exception of the MCITP: Enterprise Administrator which consists of five exams, each of the MCITP roles requires one to two MCTS exams plus one to two MCITP exams. For example, to earn MCITP: Server Administrator you would need to pass two MCTS exams (Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Configuration and Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure Configuration) and then pass the MCITP Windows Server 2008, Server Administrator exam. The retirement policy is the same as it is for MCTS designations.

Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD) is for application developers who work with Microsoft Visual Studio and Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5. This certification takes MCTS skills and adds on specific developer roles using these technologies. The current MCPD certifications focus on Visual Studio 2008, but you can still earn certifications on Visual Studio 2005. For Visual Studio .NET, the older Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD) is the certification to earn.

The three MCPD options for Visual Studio 2008 are Windows Developer, ASP.NET Developer, or Enterprise Application Developer. For a Windows or ASP.NET designation, you must first earn the MCTS certification on the same technology (2 exams) and then pass the related MCPD exam. The Enterprise Developer title is much more demanding, requiring you to earn multiple MCTS certifications before taking MCPD Enterprise exams.

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