Introduction to the Windows 2003 MCSA Certification Track

In our last article, we discussed the upcoming Windows 2003 MCSE certification track. In this article, we will examine the new MCSA certification requirements.

The MCSA will still require a total of 4 exams and will consist of 2 core networking system exams as follows:

Exam 70–290: Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment
Exam 70-291: Implementing, Managing, and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure

The client component consists of Windows XP Professional (70-270).

Finally, there is 1 elective exam as previously mentioned. CompTIA exams can be used in place of your elective as follows:

A+ and Network+
or
A+ and Server+

A list of available elective exams is located on Microsoft's web site.

Upgrading:
In order to upgrade an MCSA from Windows 2000 to Windows 2003, a candidate must only pass 1 upgrade exam as follows:

Exam 70-292: Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment for an MCSA Certified on Windows 2000

Once you have achieved your MCSA, you may wish to move on toward an MCSE. In order to do this, you need to take 3 additional exams as follows:

Networking System:

Exam 70-293: Planning and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure
Exam 70-294: Planning, Implementing, and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Active Directory Infrastructure

Design:

Exam 70-297: Designing a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Active Directory and Network Infrastructure
or
Exam 70-298: Designing Security for a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network

If you have any questions about any of this, we can try to help you out in our forums.