Listing Awarding Bodies
Postgrad.ie lists all of the awarding bodies in Ireland, the UK and abroad. Most major postgraduate awards are made by bodies with statutory powers, but there are also many professional organisations that make their own awards in relation to postgraduate study. While courses and educational programmes in Ireland lead to qualifications from Irish awarding bodies, it sometimes be the case that courses lead to non-Irish awards, for example awards from international bodies, or national awards from other countries.
Certain Irish institutions are both providers of courses and programmes and also awarding bodies for postgraduate certification in their own right: these are the Irish universities and the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT).
An award is an academic qualification (degree, diploma or certificate) conferred in recognition of the successful completion of a higher education programme of study, either at undergraduate or postgraduate level, and issued by a designated awarding body. The National Framework of Qualifications sets out the criteria for major and non-major awards. Non-major awards include, minor awards, special purpose awards
and supplemental awards.
Major awards are the principal class of awards made at a given NFQ level and reflect a significant volume of learning, e.g. Honours Bachelor Degree (NFQ, Level 8), Master Degree (NFQ, Level 9), Doctorate Degree (NFQ Level 10).
In Ireland, following the changes in the qualifications system as a result recent legislation, the number of statutory bodies has been reduced as the new awards councils FETAC and HETAC have assumed the the awarding functions previously fulfilled by several other Irish organisations such as the National Council for Educational Awards (NCEA), National Council for Vocational Awards (NCVA), Solas, Teagasc, the National Tourism Certification Board (CERT) and Bord Iascaigh Mhara.
Postgrad.ie lists all of the awarding bodies giving postgraduate certification in Ireland and the UK below.
Microsoft (MSFT) offers certifications on server, desktop, application, database and developer platforms. The company’s certification programme teaches qualified administrators and technicians to support its system and application products.
The Certification Program
The Certification Program is divided into five main categories:
- Server: Windows Server, Exchange Server, Lync, SharePoint and Microsoft Azure certifications
- Desktop: Windows, devices certifications
- Applications: Office, Office 365 and Dynamics certifications
- Database: SQL Server certifications
- Developer: Visual Studio, SharePoint, Applications and Azure certifications
Credentials
Certifications include the following credentials:
- MTA: Microsoft (MSFT) Technology Associate
- MCSA: MSFT Certified Solutions Associate
- MCSE: MSFT Certified Solutions Expert
- MCSD: MSFT Solutions Developer
- Microsoft Specialist
- MOS: Office Specialist
The Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) certifications primarily deal with older editions of Windows Server, Windows clients, Exchange Server and related platforms.
About the company
MSFT is an American multinational technology company. The corporate headquarters are in Redmond, Washington. They develop, manufacture, license, support and sell computer software, consumer electronics and personal computers and services. Its best known software products are the Windows operating system, the Office suite of programmes, and Internet Explorer. The corporation's flagship hardware products are the Xbox video game console and the Surface tablet.
The company was founded by Paul Allen and Bill Gates on April 4, 1975. It rose to dominate the personal computer operating system market with MS-DOS in the mid-1980s. This was followed by Windows. Since the 1990s, it has increasingly diversified from the operating system market. They have also made a number of corporate acquisitions. In May 2011, the company bought Skype Technologies for $8.5 billion.
