The past couple of years have demonstrated that the future of work is fluid, dynamic, and cloud-powered—and that future is now here. Whether you’re a tech professional tuning your skills or you’re part of an organization that relies on those skills, you know that staying ahead of the curve in this rapidly changing environment requires proactivity and adaptability.
Microsoft Learn helps you build skills that open doors, so you can get the most value from Microsoft products and services. Because your career or the success of your organization depends on keeping skills current and relevant to the work you do, we regularly review and update our portfolio of training and certification offerings to help ensure that they’re tightly aligned with workplace needs.
In the coming months, watch for the following changes in the Microsoft 365 certification portfolio.
We’re renaming the Microsoft 365 Certified: Modern Desktop Administrator Associate certification to Microsoft 365 Certified: Endpoint Administrator Associate, and we’re streamlining the exam requirements—consolidating two exams into one.
Plus, we’re renaming the Microsoft 365 Certified: Enterprise Administrator Expert certification to Microsoft 365 Certified: Administrator Expert. Here, too, we’re consolidating two exams into one.
We’re replacing the Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Voice Engineer Expert certification with the new Microsoft 365 Certified: Collaboration Communications Systems Engineer Associate certification, which comes with a new exam.
Finally, we’re retiring two certifications, Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Application Developer Associate and Microsoft 365 Certified: Security Administrator Associate.
The new Microsoft 365 Certified: Endpoint Administrator Associate certification name better reflects the focus for professionals in this role, as the term endpoint more accurately characterizes the range of applicable devices used in solutions they manage. The associate level remains the same.
Plus, the new Exam MD-102: Endpoint Administrator (beta available in May 2023) will replace Exam MD-100: Windows Client and Exam MD-101: Managing Modern Desktops (both retiring in July 2023). This change can help streamline your journey to certification.
Q. I’ve already earned the Microsoft 365 Certified: Modern Desktop Administrator Associate certification. What happens now?
A. On July 1, 2023, the new certification name will appear in your profile on Microsoft Learn, replacing the old name. If your certification is active, be sure to renew it before it expires—passing the renewal assessment will prove that you’re current on the skills for the new version.
Q. What are my options if I’ve already passed just one of the exams—Exam MD-100 or Exam MD-101?
A. We encourage you to earn the certification by passing the other exam before it retires in July 2023.
Q. I’m preparing for the current exams. What should I do?
A. If you’re preparing for this certification but haven’t yet passed either Exam MD-100 or Exam MD-101, we recommend that you consider preparing for the new Exam MD-102. Review the required skills, and start your preparation with this curated collection of learning paths.
The new Microsoft 365 Certified: Administrator Expert certification name more closely aligns with current workplace opportunities. The focus for the role hasn’t changed—you’ll still be proving the same expert-level skills in evaluating, planning, migrating, deploying, and managing Microsoft 365. But because the role and skills apply to organizations of all sizes, the new name better fits the scope of work opportunities. The expert level remains in place, as do the current prerequisite certifications.
In addition, we’re streamlining the certification process with Exam MS-102: Microsoft 365 Administrator (beta available in May 2023), which will replace Exam MS-100: Microsoft 365 Identity and Services and Exam MS-101: Microsoft 365 Mobility and Security (both retiring in July 2023).
Q. I’ve already earned the Microsoft 365 Certified: Enterprise Administrator Expert certification. What happens now?
A. On July 1, 2023, the new certification name will appear in your profile on Microsoft Learn, replacing the old name. If your certification is active, be sure to renew it before it expires—passing the renewal assessment will prove that you’re current on the skills for the new version.
Q. What are my options if I’ve already passed either Exam MS-100 or Exam MS-101?
A. We encourage you to earn the certification by passing the other one before it retires in July 2023.
Q. I was preparing for the current exams. What should I do?
A. If you’re preparing for this certification but haven’t yet passed either exam, we recommend that you consider preparing for the new Exam MS-102. Review the required skills, and start your preparation with the curated collection of learning paths. If you need to earn the certification before the new exam is available, be sure to pass Exam MS-100 and Exam MS-101 before they retire in July 2023. The prerequisite certifications remain the same.
Security-related roles have evolved to deliver solutions in specialized areas of security—like information protection, operations, or identity management—using multiple technologies. Because of this evolution, Microsoft 365 Certified: Security Administrator Associate no longer has a distinct role, and we are retiring the certification and Exam MS-500: Microsoft 365 Security Administration on June 30, 2023. Skills for security administrators are included on certifications like Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate (Exam SC-200), Microsoft Certified: Identity and Access Administrator Associate (Exam SC-300), and Microsoft Certified: Information Protection Administrator Associate (Exam SC-400), each reflecting the depth of knowledge for its particular specialization.
Q. I’ve been preparing and I’m ready to take Exam MS-500. What should I do?
A. We encourage you to continue your preparation and to pass the exam before it retires on June 30, 2023.
Q. I’ve already earned the Microsoft 365 Certified: Security Administrator Associate certification. What happens now?
A. This certification will stay on your transcript.
Q. What about renewals for the Microsoft 365 Certified: Security Administrator Associate certification?
A. Learners with an active certification can renew it for up to six months after its final retirement date of June 30, 2023.
Q. I am considering the Microsoft 365 Certified: Security Administrator Associate certification. What should I do?
A. We recommend that you consider any of these certifications instead: Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate, Microsoft Certified: Identity and Access Administrator Associate, or Microsoft Certified: Information Protection Administrator Associate.