Cert News: Microsoft Plans to Retire MCSA, MCSE, MCSD Exams
Editor's Note: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Microsoft on March 26, announced that it's extending the expiration date of its MCSA, MCSD, and MCSE certifications from June 30, 2020, to Jan. 31, 2021.
As part of its push toward role-based certifications, Microsoft continues to make major changes to its certification program. The latest? Thursday, it announced that more than a dozen certifications will be retired on June 30, 2020.
The 15 certifications slated for retirement span various levels of the Microsoft certification path: MSCA, MCSE, and MCSD. The exams associated with those certifications also are being retired.
Microsoft's latest certification purge is due to its increased focus on role-based certifications, which are designed to bridge the gap between the knowledge required to pass certification exams and the knowledge needed for on-the-job success. Microsoft's role-based certifications align to specific job roles, many of which are cloud-based roles.
Here's the complete list of certs scheduled to be retired on June 30, 2020:
MCSA: BI Reporting
MCSA: Dynamics 365 for Operations
MCSA: SQL 2016 BI Development
MCSA: SQL 2016 Database Admin
MCSA: SQL 2016 Database Dev
MCSA: SQL Server 2012/2014
MCSA: Universal Windows Platform
MCSA: Web Applications
MCSA: Windows Server 2012
MCSA: Windows Server 2016
MCSD: App Builder
MCSE: Business Applications
MCSE: Core Infrastructure
MCSE: Data Management & Analytics
MCSE: Productivity
If you have any of these certifications, they will remain on your Microsoft transcript after they retire. They will remain "active" for two years after June 30, 2020. After that, they will move to the "inactive" section of your transcript.
If you are currently studying for any of the above certifications, you have until June 30, 2020, to take their associated exams — as long as they haven't been retired. If that's the case, you will no longer be able to earn that certification.
If you hold any of the certifications listed below, Microsoft offers role-based certifications to help you update your skills and transcript.
Current Certification | Earn any one of the following: |
MCSE: Core Infrastructure | Azure Administrator Associate Azure Solutions Architect Expert Azure Security Engineer Associate |
MCSE: Productivity | Teams Administrator Associate Messaging Administrator Associate Security Administrator Associate and then earn the following: Enterprise Administrator Expert |
MCSE: Data Management and Analytics | Azure Database Administrator Associate Data Analyst Associate Azure Data Engineer Associate Azure AI Engineer Associate Azure Data Scientist Associate |
MCSD: App Builder | Azure Developer Associate |
MCSE: Business Associate | Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Finance Functional Consultant Associate Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management, Manufacturing Functional Consultant Associate Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management Functional Consultant Associate Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Customer Service Functional Consultant Associate Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Field Service Functional Consultant Associate Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Marketing Functional Consultant Associate Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Sales Functional Consultant Associate |
Source: Microsoft
While these changes effectively signal the end of Microsoft's MCSA, MCSE, and MCSD certifications, MTA and MOS certifications won't be impacted — for now.
Need Microsoft training? Browse our entire collection of Microsoft certification training.
Stay tuned to the CBT Nuggets blog for more Microsoft certification news and related training updates.
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