Explore certification types
When you're planning to implement Microsoft certifications in a program, it's essential to consider the type and level of certifications that are suitable for your students. Microsoft certification offers three main levels of certification to choose from: Fundamentals, Associate, and Expert.
Digital badges are available for each of the certification levels:
It's important to explore each level of certification to consider suitability in your curricula. Take into account the types of courses you run and the students who enroll in them. We recommend that you first run several pilots of Fundamentals-level and Associate-level certifications to understand the needs and best fit for your students. Fundamentals certification is well suited both for undergraduate and graduate students. Associate certification is appropriate for graduate students and for undergraduates who have industry experience. Because Expert certification requires significant experience in working in a relevant industry role, Expert certification isn't likely to be a suitable fit for students in an academic degree program.
Educators can sign up for the Microsoft Learn for Educators program and access learning materials for Fundamentals-level certification courses. You'll get access to lesson slide decks and guidance documents for each Fundamentals course, including courses like AZ-900 Azure Fundamentals and AI-900 Azure AI Fundamentals.
If you're an educator who's just beginning to explore using certifications in your program, we recommend that you begin with the Microsoft certification Fundamentals courses. Running select Fundamentals courses with small groups of students is a great way to gain experience with the learning materials and the certification exam process.