The Awarding Bodies - Microsoft

Awarding Bodies are organisations that are authorised to make awards, certification, or award qualifications

Listing Awarding Bodies

WhichCollege.ie provides an overview of awarding bodies operating in Ireland, the UK, and internationally. While many postgraduate qualifications are issued by organisations with statutory authority, a wide range of professional bodies also grant their own awards linked to advanced study. Although most Irish courses lead to qualifications from domestic awarding bodies, some programmes result in international or non‑Irish awards, depending on the institution or field of study.

A number of Irish institutions act both as education providers and as awarding bodies in their own right. This includes the Irish universities and the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), which have the authority to confer postgraduate qualifications.

An academic award (whether a degree, diploma, or certificate) is granted when a learner successfully completes a recognised programme of higher education at undergraduate or postgraduate level. These awards are issued by designated awarding bodies and are aligned with the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). The NFQ distinguishes between major and non‑major awards, with the latter covering minor, special‑purpose, and supplemental awards.

Major awards represent the primary qualification type at each NFQ level and correspond to substantial learning achievements. Examples include an Honours Bachelor Degree at Level 8, a Master’s Degree at Level 9, and a Doctoral Degree at Level 10.

Recent legislative changes have streamlined Ireland’s qualifications system, reducing the number of statutory awarding bodies. The responsibilities previously held by organisations such as the National Council for Educational Awards (NCEA), the National Council for Vocational Awards (NCVA), Solas, Teagasc, CERT, and Bord Iascaigh Mhara have been consolidated under the awards councils FETAC and HETAC.

Below, WhichCollege.ie outlines the awarding bodies responsible for certification across Ireland and the UK.

young female student sitting with a laptop on her lap smiling

Microsoft (MSFT) offers certifications on server, desktop, application, database and developer platforms. The company’s certification programme teaches qualified administrators and technicians to support its system and application products.

The Certification Program

The Certification Program is divided into five main categories:

Server: Windows Server, Exchange Server, Lync, SharePoint and Microsoft Azure certifications
Desktop: Windows, devices certifications
Applications: Office, Office 365 and Dynamics certifications
Database: SQL Server certifications
Developer: Visual Studio, SharePoint, Applications and Azure certifications

Credentials

Certifications include the following credentials:

MTA: Microsoft (MSFT) Technology Associate
MCSA: MSFT Certified Solutions Associate
MCSE: MSFT Certified Solutions Expert
MCSD: MSFT Solutions Developer
Microsoft Specialist
MOS: Office Specialist

The Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) certifications primarily deal with older editions of Windows Server, Windows clients, Exchange Server and related platforms.

About the company

MSFT is an American multinational technology company. The corporate headquarters are in Redmond, Washington. They develop, manufacture, license, support and sell computer software, consumer electronics and personal computers and services. Its best known software products are the Windows operating system, the Office suite of programmes, and Internet Explorer. The corporation's flagship hardware products are the Xbox video game console and the Surface tablet.

The company was founded by Paul Allen and Bill Gates on April 4, 1975. It rose to dominate the personal computer operating system market with MS-DOS in the mid-1980s. This was followed by Windows. Since the 1990s, it has increasingly diversified from the operating system market. They have also made a number of corporate acquisitions. In May 2011, the company bought Skype Technologies for $8.5 billion.

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