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Microsoft Learn Blog
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Microsoft Learn: Updates to our training and certification portfolio

michaelkophs's avatar
michaelkophs
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Aug 03, 2023

As an IT pro, you know that staying ahead of the curve in today’s rapidly changing tech environment is critical. Your skills are key to your success—and the success of your team. Microsoft Learn has the tools, resources, and opportunities to help you build those skills and get the most value from Microsoft products and services. To keep pace with in-demand job roles and skills and to help ensure a close alignment with current workplace needs, we regularly review our training and certification portfolio. In today’s blog post, check out the latest updates.

 

Changing the name of the updated Microsoft Certified: Information Protection Administrator Associate certification and its associated exam

Security teams understand that compliance tools and features are essential for addressing the regional and industry-specific requirements that govern the collection and use of data. In a recent job-task analysis of the Microsoft Certified: Information Protection Administrator Associate certification and its associated Exam SC-400: Microsoft Information Protection Administrator, we recognized the need to expand this certification and exam to include compliance features. This resulted in the addition of two new functional groups (“Monitor and investigate data and activities by using Microsoft Purview” and “Manage insider and privacy risk in Microsoft 365”), which we’ve documented in the study guide for Exam SC-400. The updated exam that includes questions to support these groups was released on June 1, 2023.

 

Since the original titles don’t include the concept of compliance, we're updating the certification name to the Microsoft Certified: Information Protection and Compliance Administrator Associate certification and the exam name to Exam SC-400: Administering Information Protection and Compliance in Microsoft 365. These changes are effective August 22, 2023.

 

 

If you’re preparing for Exam SC-400, you’ll be interested to know that on June 2, 2023, we added two new learning paths to help you get ready to earn certification:

 

The corresponding four-day instructor-led training, Course SC-400, was also updated on June 2, 2023, to support the new functional groups.

 

How might these updates impact you?

The following question and answer set can help you determine how this news impacts your learning journey:

 

Q. I’ve already earned the Microsoft Certified: Information Protection Administrator Associate certification. What happens now?

A.If you’ve already earned the Microsoft Certified: Information Protection Administrator Associate certification, the name will automatically update to Microsoft Certified: Information Protection and Compliance Administrator Associate on August 22, 2023, on the transcript in your profile on Microsoft Learn.

 

Retiring the Microsoft 365 Certified: Messaging Administrator Associate certification and its corresponding exam

Learners and organizations have shared their feedback that this certification should better align to current needs and the evolving business landscape. To focus on developing the right experience, we’ll retire the Microsoft 365 Certified: Messaging Administrator Associate certification and its associated Exam MS-203: Microsoft 365 Messaging, on December 31, 2023. And we’ll invest in building new exams, certifications, and training to meet the needs of today’s workplace.

 

 

How might these updates impact you?

The following questions and answers can help you determine how this news impacts your learning journey:

 

Q. I’ve been preparing for Exam MS-203: Microsoft 365 Messaging. What are my options?

A. If you’ve been preparing for Exam MS-203, be sure to pass it before the end of December 2023. If you pass Exam MS-203 before the end of December 2023, you’ll earn the Microsoft Certified: Messaging Administrator Associate certification, and it will be active for one year.

 

Q. I’ve already earned the Microsoft 365 Certified: Messaging Administrator Associate certification. What happens now?

A. If you’ve already earned the Microsoft 365 Certified: Messaging Administrator Associate certification, it will stay on the transcript in your profile on Microsoft Learn.

 

Q. What about renewal for the Microsoft 365 Certified: Messaging Administrator Associate certification?

A. Learners with an active Microsoft 365 Certified: Messaging Administrator Associate certification can renew it for one year (one final time) up to six months after its retirement at the end of December 2023. The renewal window closes at the end of June 2024.

 

Updated Sep 22, 2023
Version 2.0

51 Comments

  • JonGodbeer's avatar
    JonGodbeer
    Copper Contributor

    Miss_BC Enterprise Administrator only requires one of the component certifications (being Teams, Messaging, Endpoint, Identity and Access, or Information Protection and Compliance). Also Enterprise Administrator is now more aptly named Microsoft 365 Administrator. Hope that helps!

  • midiman810new's avatar
    midiman810new
    Brass Contributor

    This is the reason why I don't bother getting certified anymore. 

    Exams are useless and employers are no longer recognising them. The only thing they are doing is making MS $$$$. 

     

    I work in a large establishment that spends millions on IT and we do not put any emphasis on MS Exams. 

    Just use all of the good free material out there and learn the product yourself. 

     

    I've been in IT for nearly 25 years and MS retired all my exams and didn't care about all the hard work and money I invested in them. 

     

     

  • felipe_t's avatar
    felipe_t
    Copper Contributor

    Buenas buenas, 

     

    Y entonces qué tenemos que estudiar?, a la espera de una respuesta de los expertos.

  • michaelkophs 

    Its so unhelpful to the learning partner and learner community to retire these courses without a plan of action as to which course will have this information in the future. Could you please address where we should point learners to gain the information  in the MS203 course retiring Oct. 31?  Business schedules don't always meet your retirement schedules and the students can not make this class prior to the retirement date.  We need to know how to help them plan.  

  • Miss_BC's avatar
    Miss_BC
    Copper Contributor

    Hi, Once the MS 203 expires, would it mean i have to take different exam/cert if i wanted to be MS Enterprise Admin Expert? Thank you 🙂

  • Commoner20's avatar
    Commoner20
    Copper Contributor

    mattunverferth I reached out with the same https://trainingsupport.microsoft.com/en-us/mcp/forum/all/will-there-be-a-replacement-for-the-upcoming/cb31a6ff-4b54-4699-ab81-a3ef7870f9d7?tm=1691452468212, but as of now, the Microsoft Certification Team hasn't made any announcements regarding the replacement certificate for MS-203. I hope this information is helpful.

  • Thank you for sharing this update! Which exams are currently most relevant for Microsoft Exchange? Should this have been covered in the MS-102 Exam?