11/30/2005 -- Late last month Microsoft formally announced the new structure of its certification programs, and the news is mostly good. Microsoft announced a new three-tiered structure of titles: the entry-level technology specialist (MCTS), the mid-level IT professional (MCITP)/professional developer (MCPD), and the already announced architect (MCA) at the top. The new SQL Server 2005, Biztalk Server 2006 and Visual Studio programs that fit within this model have been announced now, and the rest of the Microsoft certification programs will migrate to it over time as product releases dictate.

One benefit of the new structure is the reduced number of exams expected to complete a certification. For the tracks released, the MCTS requires one to exams, with the MCITP and MCPD requiring the relevant MCTS as a pre-requisite together with an additional one to two exams. The exception is the MCPD Enterprise Application Developer, which requires all three available Visual Studio MCTS credentials as a pre-requisite.

The upgrade paths to these new certifications have been announced and some will require one upgrade exam while others require two. I think it is preferable to only require one upgrade exam, and looking back over the exams I took to upgrade my MCSE to Windows 2003, I don't think there was a compelling case for two separate upgrade exams given that they covered some similar ground in varying depths. Windows NT 4.0 to Windows 2000 was such a large technology change that two upgrade exams can be justified, but this was the exception rather than the rule.

The current MCSE program has grown to have too many exams (seven), and once Longhorn surfaces the new certification structure will require fewer exams (how many different ways can you examined about Windows?). Although the exact number hasn't been announced yet, it should be around 3. And the cynic in me thinks that Microsoft will finally fix any residual issues with MCSE credibility once and for all by migrating to the new MCITP name!

I guess the one area I can see problems in future is the combination of professional credentials (role-based) together with certifications (technology-based) to give an ala carte certification model. In the Visual Studio certification path, there are three different MCTS options followed by another three MCPD options available. Similarly, for SQL Server there is one MCTS option and three MCITP options. Once all of the existing Microsoft programs have fully migrated, I think hiring managers will struggle to differentiate what a candidate's certifications actually mean without a referral to Microsoft's Web site (including me, and this would be even after following these developments closely!).

I've already talked about the architectural program in my last column, and although we'll need to see how this program develops once the beta is completed, I'm still positive about this development.

Microsoft been offering certification programs now for 13 years, and have been due for a revamp. Although we don't yet have the detail for how all of the programs will migrate across to the new model, these changes do appear in the most part to be good news. What do you make of them? Please let me know by posting your thoughts below.