MCSA (Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate) Certification Course: Eligibility, Syllabus, Scop, Top Colleges
Pallavi PathakAssistant Manager Content
MCSA (Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate) certification is for professionals in the IT field. It is for validating their knowledge about Microsoft’s products. MCSA certification is designed for professionals seeking entry-level jobs in the IT field. Employers mostly prefer to hire Microsoft-certified IT professionals, and they also provide training to their IT team so that they can earn the required certifications.
MCSA certification is of great value for both the employees and employers. It is the second level of the Microsoft certification pyramid. The certifications are designed in such a way that each one of these leading the students to the more specialized, higher complex certifications. To get these certifications, IT professionals must pass a few exams. The MCSA certificate prepares the professionals for jobs like desktop support specialist, network administrator, and other support roles. The Associate level certification is a prerequisite for MCSE (Microsoft Certified Solution Expert). Read here about MCSA certifications, MCSA courses, MCSA syllabus, and MCSA exams.
- The Scope in MCSA
- MCSA Eligibility
- MCSA Syllabus
- MCSA Certifications
- 4.1 Top Colleges for MCSA Certifications
- 4.2 List of MCSA Certificates
- 4.3 Job Profiles after MCSA Certification
- FAQs related to MCSA
The Scope in MCSA
MCSA certifications open new career paths for the learners and equip them to work with the server and Windows-related products. The IT professionals can choose the certification as per their area of expertise. All the certifications teach the professionals related skills. Once completed, the learner can work in his/her chosen IT field.
MCSA certifications are the most sought-after certifications in the IT field and are really helpful when it comes to appraisals and incentives. The training and experience give the certificate holder a recognition of their work profile.
MCSA Eligibility
MCSA course is designed for IT and networking professionals. There are no eligibility criteria for doing this course. The course is best for those who are looking for entry-level jobs in the IT field.
MCSA Syllabus
It depends on the certification. If one is doing MCSA: Universal Windows Platform certification, the syllabus includes HTML5, SQLite, CSS3, JavaScript, and ASP.NET MVC. For MCSA: Web applications, the syllabus comprises visual studio, .NET, Framework 4.5, mobile apps, and C#.
MCSA Certifications
Each MCSA certification is designed based on specific roles and products like Server, Office 365, Azure, SQL, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Exchange Server, Skype for Business, and Windows Server.
Top Colleges for MCSA Certifications
| College Name |
Courses |
Fees |
| College of Computer & Information Technology |
Certificate in MCSA |
? 30 K |
| NetTech India |
MCSA (Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate) |
- |
| Indian Institute of Hardware Technology, Anna Nagar |
MCSA (Microsoft Certified System Administration) |
- |
| Indian Institute of Hardware Technology Ltd (IIHT), Kalkaji |
MCSA - Windows Server 2012 F |
? 15,960 |
List of MCSA Certificates
| MCSA Certificate Name |
About Certificate |
| MCSA: BI reporting |
One needs to pass two exams based on visualizing data for |
| MCSA: Microsoft Dynamics 365 for operations |
It is for solution architects, implementers, and developers. |
| MCSA: SQL 2016 BI development |
To earn this certification, the learners need to pass |
| MCSA: SQL 2016 database administration |
One needs to have basic IT skills and some experience |
| MCSA: SQL 2016 database development |
It is for database professionals. One needs to pass |
| MCSA: SQL Server 2012/2014 |
This one is for both database developers and analysts. |
| MCSA: Universal Windows platform |
It is for engineers and software developers. The certification |
| MCSA: Web applications |
It is for web developers and web administrators. It includes training on mobile apps, C#, Framework 4.5, .NET, and visual studio. The learners need to pass exams on C# programming, HTML5 programming with CSS3 and JavaScript and on developing ASP.NET MVC web applications. |
| MCSA: Windows Server 2012 |
The certification equips the learners with windows server |
| MCSA: Windows Server 2016 |
It is designed for computer network specialists and |
Job Profiles after MCSA Certification
| Job Profiles |
Job Responsibilities |
| Network Administrator |
Installation and managing networks and computers. |
| Systems Administrator |
Configuring and upkeeping computer systems. |
| Computer network specialist |
Installation, securing, inspecting and troubleshooting |
| SQL Database administrator |
Ensuring the reliability of the databases. |
| Cloud Architect |
Supervising company's cloud computing strategies. |
| Cloud Administrator |
Working in a mixed virtual environment comprising |
FAQs related to MCSA
Q: What is MCSA certification, and why one needs to get it?
A: MCSA stands for Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate certification program. It is designed for entry-level IT professionals. There are different types of MCSA certifications from which one can choose as per their field in the IT sector.
Q: How much is the cost for MCSA certification?
A: Each exam has a fixed cost of $165. Hence, the price depends on the number of exams one needs to pass to get their chosen certificate. For each certification, one needs to either pass two or three exams. Hence, the certification costs accordingly.
Q: Which are the job profiles for the MCSA certification holders?
A: Some of the career options after getting MCSA certification include Network Administrators, Cloud Architects, Systems Administrators, and Cloud Administrators.
Q: What is the average salary package offered to professionals with MCSA certificates?
A: The salary package of MCSA certificate holders is based on their designation and job profile. In India, the average salary of a System Administrator, Windows Server is ?446k, of Systems Administrator is ?466k, and an IT manager gets an average salary of ?1m.
Q: Is it easy or difficult to get MCSA certification?
A: It depends on the preparation and knowledge of the candidate. If one has the proper experience and knowledge of the topics, then the exams are not difficult to pass.
Q: Which are MCSA courses and certifications?
A: MCSA certifications include MCSA: BI reporting, MCSA: Microsoft Dynamics 365 for operations, MCSA: SQL 2016 BI development, MCSA: SQL 2016 database administration, MCSA: SQL 2016 database development, MCSA: SQL Server 2012/2014, MCSA: Universal Windows platform, and MCSA: Web applications.
Q: What is MCSA eligibility criteria?
A: There are no eligibility criteria for MCSA certification. It is designed for IT and networking professionals, especially for those who are looking for entry-level jobs in the IT field.
Q: What is the MCSA syllabus?
A: MCSA syllabus depends on the certification. For example, if one is doing MCSA: Universal Windows Platform certification, it includes topics like JavaScript, ASP.NET MVC, SQLite, CSS3, and HTML5. If one has opted for MCSA: Web applications, the topics would be mobile apps, C#, Framework 4.5, .NET, and visual studio.
Q: Which are MCSA exams?
A: Each MCSA certification requires the IT professionals to complete two or three exams depending on the specific certificate.
Q: Which are MCSA subjects?
A: MCSA subjects are based on the certification. Some of the subjects of MCSA programs include - installing and administering Windows servers, managing, configuring, and maintaining Windows 8, configuring Windows server services, implementing a data warehouse, administering Microsoft SQL Server databases, and querying Microsoft SQL servers
Q: Which are MCSA skills?
A: The skills include installing Windows servers, implementing windows Containers, Hyper-v, storage solutions, high availability, Domain Name System, advanced network infrastructure and network connectivity and remote access solutions.
Q: Which are MCSA degree and MCSA diploma courses?
A: MCSA is a certification program designed for aspiring IT professionals. One can choose from various MCSA certifications, including MCSA: BI reporting, MCSA: Microsoft Dynamics 365 for operations, MCSA: SQL 2016 BI development, MCSA: SQL 2016 database administration, MCSA: SQL 2016 database development, MCSA: SQL Server 2012/2014, MCSA: Universal Windows Platform, MCSA: Web applications, MCSA: Windows Server 2012, and MCSA: Windows Server 2016.
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