The 50 Best Microsoft Certifications to Enhance Your Skill Set

Certifications are more than a piece of paper. They demonstrate your professional experience in a public way. Because it’s not just about doing the work: it’s also about proving that to others, and easily. 

As the largest software company in the world, Microsoft has a virtually endless amount of certifications available for professionals to test their mettle. Its certifications span a variety of different roles, products, skill levels, and specializations. 

With a Microsoft certification you can: 

• Stay up to date: Technology changes all the time, and a Microsoft certification helps you stay ahead of the curve. 
• Meet demand: If you work in IT, there’s a huge demand for certified professionals. Microsoft certifications give you an edge in an already competitive market and open up your career opportunities. 
• Demonstrate expertise: Do you need to justify a promotion or a raise? Get Microsoft certified to prove your worth to your organization.

If you’re a leader, it’s beneficial to get as many employees certified as possible. It’s a relatively easy way to stand out – and to stand apart from the competition. 

But which Microsoft certifications are the most useful? While all Microsoft certifications are valuable, we’ve highlighted what we believe are the 50 most useful and sought-after Microsoft certifications you can get right now. 

1. Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate

Are you a data science and machine learning wiz? This Microsoft certification is perfect for pros whose expertise is in data experiments and predictive modeling. You’ll need to pass the DP-100 exam from Microsoft to earn this certification. 

Skills proven:

• Creating an environment for data science workloads in Azure
• Azure Machine Learning
• Azure Databricks

Cost: $165

2. Microsoft Certified Educator

If you’re an educator or trainer who exclusively works with Microsoft technology, this certification is practically required, and will help you create a better student experience. The goal of this certification is to prove that you, as an educator, know how to use Microsoft technology in six different key areas. You’ll need to pass exam 62-193 to successfully earn this certification.

Skills proven:

• Facilitating collaboration and self-regulation
• Facilitating students’ use of Information and Communication Tools (ICT)

Cost: $127

3. Microsoft 365 Certified: Fundamentals

This fundamental certification is great for beginners who want to learn more about Microsoft 365. You’ll need to pass the MS-900 certification test to prove you understand basic Microsoft 365 concepts, making this a perfect fit for professionals new to working in SaaS companies. 

Skills proven:

• Understanding pricing and support for Microsoft 365
• Ability to describe basic cloud concepts
• Understanding security in Microsoft 365

Cost: $99

4. Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Developer Associate

This technical certification is really for developers only. You’ll need to pass the PL-400 exam to earn this certification, which proves you know how to design, create, and configure in Power Platform. It’s helpful to know JavaScript, JSON, TypeScript, C#, HTML, .NET, Azure, Microsoft 365, RESTful web services, ASP.NET, and Power BI.

Skills proven:

• Configuration of Microsoft Dataverse
• Creation and configuration of Power Apps
• Integration development for Power Platform

Cost: $165

5. Microsoft Office Specialist: Microsoft Word Expert (Word and Word 2019)

Many people take “knowing Word” for granted, but that’s only because they don’t know the real power behind it. With this Microsoft certification, you can prove you know how to get the most value out of Microsoft Word as an expert. Pros with this certification have 150 hours of instruction and experience using Word in an expert capacity. 

Skills proven:

• Managing document settings
• Advanced editing and formatting
• Custom document elements

Cost: $100

6. Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Support Engineer Specialty

Microsoft Teams allows employees to collaborate from nearly anywhere, but it requires specialized support, which is what this Microsoft Certification provides. A Microsoft 365 Teams Support Engineer with this certification knows how to troubleshoot issues with Teams, but also has working knowledge of Azure, data storage, APIs, and other specialized features. 

Skills proven:

• Fixing voice issues
• Fixing file issues
• Meetings and live events troubleshooting
• Sign-in issues with Microsoft Teams

Cost: $165

7. Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate

Azure administrators are the go-to for an organization’s Microsoft cloud needs. This certification proves you have what it takes to implement, manage, and monitor your organization’s Azure environment. 

Skills proven:

• Azure governance
• Azure storage management
• Azure backups and monitoring

Cost: $165

8. Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Solution Architect Expert

Senior developers and consultants pursue this certification to show they have the talent to engineer applications addressing broad needs in an organization. You’ll need to pass PL-600 to earn this certification, but it also helps to have 1-3 years of experience as a Power Platform solution architect or 7-10 years as a senior developer. 

Skills proven:

• Architecting and implementing Power Platform solutions
• Performing requirement analysis

Cost: $165

9. Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate

Cyber threats are on the rise globally, which means there’s never been a greater need for security professionals. This Microsoft certification proves that you have what it takes to reduce your organization’s risk with cybersecurity best practices. 

Skills proven:

• Microsoft 365 Defender
• Microsoft Sentinel
• Microsoft Defender for Cloud

Cost: $165

10. Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365: Finance and Operations Apps Developer Associate

Operations and finance apps are critical to any organization—and professionals need to prove they’re qualified to handle these important ERP systems. This Microsoft certification proves you know how to develop software, as well as stay compliant in Dynamics 365. You’ll need to pass either MB-500 or MB-300 to earn this certification.

Skills proven:

• Finance and operations data management
• AOT elements design and development
• Security and performance optimization

Cost: $165

11. Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals

Azure is Microsoft’s cloud platform, and getting familiar with it is fundamental for any IT staff in an organization using Microsoft solutions. This certification is an excellent starting point to prove you understand cloud computing, as well as basic Azure concepts like security and compliance. 

Skills proven:

• Basic cloud concepts
• Understanding of Azure services
• Understanding of Azure SLAs

Cost: $99

12. Microsoft Certified: Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals

Security, compliance, and identity management are essential for any organization. This Microsoft certification proves you understand the fundamentals of cybersecurity, which is critical if you want a career in IT. You’ll need to pass the SC-900 exam to earn this certification. 

Skills proven:

• Understanding of security, compliance, and identity
• Understanding Microsoft security and access management solutions

Cost: $99

13. Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate

For this certification, you’ll need to be a subject matter expert on workloads for infrastructure as a service (IaaS). You need hands-on experience managing on-premises and hybrid solutions, as well as a passing grade on the AZ-800 and AZ-801 exams. 

Skills proven:

• Managing Windows Servers in a hybrid environment
• Virtual Machine management
• Storage and file services

Cost: $330

14. Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Voice Engineer Expert

Microsoft Teams is a popular unified communications tool, and its voice capabilities are second-to-none. This certification shows you’re qualified to handle more advanced troubleshooting for Microsoft Teams. You need experience in Microsoft Teams, Microsoft 365, and PowerShell to do well on the certification exam. 

Skills proven:

• Microsoft Teams Phone configuration
• Network performance optimization
• Direct routing configuration

Cost: $165

15. Microsoft 365 Certified: Enterprise Administrator Expert

Do you want to manage all your organization’s Microsoft 365 services? This expert-level certification demonstrates advanced skills, but it requires a lot of experience. In addition to prerequisite certifications, you’ll need to also pass two tests to achieve this certification: MS-100 and MS-101.

Skills proven:

• Design and implementation for Microsoft 365
• User identity and role management
• Governance, compliance, and threat management in Microsoft 365

Cost: $330

16. Microsoft Certified: Information Protection Administrator Associate

This associate-level certification proves you know how to help your organization stay compliant with its Microsoft products. With this certification, you’ll be qualified to work under a compliance or security officer, helping your organization stay safe and compliant in the process. 

Skills proven:

• Information protection
• Data loss prevention
• Information governance

Cost: $165

17. Microsoft Certified: Power Automate RPA Developer Associate

Robotic process automation (RPA) has so much potential, and a multitude of businesses are now seeking professionals with certifications in RPA. This certification proves you’re a developer who’s able to take automation to the next level. You’ll need to pass the PL-500 exam to earn this certification. 

Skills proven:

• Design, develop and manage RPA solutions

Cost: $165

18. Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Fundamentals

Are you ready to start creating Power Apps? Or maybe you want to build Power BI Dashboard, or use Power Automate? Power Platform is a fantastic addition to your toolkit, and this fundamental certification shows you understand the basics of the platform.

Skills proven:

• Understanding of Power Platform capabilities
• Knowledge of Power Platform core components and value

Cost: $99

19. Microsoft Certified: Customer Data Platform Specialty

Businesses need to understand their customers to get ahead. Professionals with this certification know how to do just that leveraging Dynamics 365 Customer Insights to go further, faster. You’ll need hands-on experience using Dynamics 365 customer data, as well as a passing grade on the MB-200 exam to earn this certification. 

Skills proven:

• Customer Insights 
• Customer profiles with unified data
• AI predictions

Cost: $165

20. Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Sales Functional Consultant Associate

Whether you want to market yourself or prove that you know how to use Dynamics 365 Sales (one of Microsoft’s most popular CRM solutions), this certification will do the trick. For this certification, you’ll need to know how to configure Power Platform and use data modeling in Dynamics 365. You’ll also need to pass both PL-200 and MB-210 to earn this certification.

Skills proven:

• App creation in Microsoft Power Apps
• Core sales table management
• Microsoft Dataverse configuration

Cost: $330

21. Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Customer Service Functional Consultant Associate

This certification is specifically designed for functional consultants. To earn this Microsoft Certification, you’ll need to have 1-3 years of experience implementing Dynamics 365, and hands-on practice with Dynamics 365 Customer Service implementations. You’ll also need to pass both PL-200 and MB-230 for this Microsoft certification.

Skills proven:

• Case and knowledge management
• Omnichannel for Customer Service
• Microsoft Dataverse configuration

Cost: $330

22. Microsoft 365 Certified: Developer Associate

As a Microsoft 365 Developer, you can keep your organization moving with Microsoft 365 designs and applications. This associate-level certification proves you know how to work with Microsoft Identity, Microsoft Graph, and Microsoft Teams apps. 

Skills proven:

• Microsoft Graph apps
• SharePoint customization
• Office and Microsoft Teams extension

Cost: $165

23. Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Functional Consultant Associate

Consultants, developers, and analysts should go after this Microsoft certification to prove they know how to configure strategic solutions for Power Platform, and ensure a fundamental grasp on Power Platform deliverables: chatbots, BI, custom applications, and more.

Skills proven:

• Microsoft Dataverse configuration
• Microsoft Power App creation
• Microsoft Power Automate creation and management

Cost: $165

24. Microsoft Certified: Azure Stack Hub Operator Associate

If you currently offer cloud services to your customers from your own data center, this is a great certification to prove your expertise. You’ll need significant experience working in Azure Stack Hub, as well as experience with virtualization, networking, and identity management. 

Skills proven:

• Identity and access management
• Infrastructure management
• Data center integration

Cost: $165

25. Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Fundamentals (CRM)

A customer relationship management (CRM) platform makes it much easier to exchange tasks, data, and customer information across an enterprise. This Microsoft certification proves you know how to use Dynamics 365 CRM solutions (Sales, Marketing, Field Service, and more) to automate sales, marketing, and customer support. 

Skills proven:

• Understanding of Dynamics 365 for marketing, sales, customer service, and field service

Cost: $99 

26. Microsoft Certified: DevOps Engineer Expert

As a DevOps engineer, you need to know how to manage both people and technical resources. For this certification, you need to understand Azure administration and development, as well as have hands-on experience improving people, processes, and technologies. 

Skills proven:

• SRE strategy development
• Source control management
• Communication and collaboration facilitation

Cost: $165

27. Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management Functional Consultant Associate

This Microsoft certification shows you understand how to do supply chain management under the supervision of upper-level management. You’ll need to pass both MB-300 and MB-330 to prove you have what it takes to manage Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management. 

Skills proven:

• Implement inventory management
• Manage supply chain processes
• Warehouse and transportation management

Cost: $330

28. Microsoft Certified: Azure Virtual Desktop Specialty

Does your organization rely on Microsoft Azure to deliver virtual desktop experiences? If so, you can earn this Microsoft certification to prove your expertise as a Microsoft Azure administrator. 

Skills proven:

• Azure Virtual Desktop architecture and infrastructure 
• Access and security management
• User environment and app management

Cost: $165

29. Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Field Service Functional Consultant Associate

Dynamics 365 Field Service can be a game changer, if implemented correctly and strategically: this certification proves you know how to do just that. It’s a good idea to have hands-on experience working as a Dynamics 365 functional consultant before taking the PL-200 and MB-240 exams for this certification. 

Skills proven:

• Field service application configuration
• Work order management
• Inventory and purchasing management

Cost: $330

30. Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Fundamentals (ERP)

Do you understand the fundamentals of Dynamics 365? Earn this certification to prove you understand the basics of the platform, you’ll need to specifically demonstrate how to leverage Dynamics for enterprise resource planning (ERP) needs.

Skills proven:

• Dynamics Finance
• Dynamics 365 Commerce
• Project Operations

Cost: $99

31. Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management, Manufacturing Functional Consultant Associate

Microsoft requires you to earn a passing grade on both MB-300 and MB-320 to earn this certification, but if you pass both, you’ll prove you have what it takes to be a Dynamics 365 SCM consultant. Before taking the tests, it’s a good idea to join the Dynamics 365 community, shadow functional consultants, and study supply chain management in Microsoft Learn. 

Skills proven:

• Administrative features and workflow configuration
• Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing configuration
• Master planning implementation

Cost: $330

32. Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Commerce Functional Consultant Associate

This certification is ideal for a variety of professionals working for companies that use Dynamics 365 Commerce (from back-end developers to POS experts). You should have an in-depth understanding of unified commerce business operations before pursuing this certification, and in order to become certified, you’ll need to pass exams MB-300 and MB-340. 

Skills proven:

• Managing finance and operations data
• Managing point-of-sale (POS) in Dynamics 365 Commerce
• Configuring and managing call centers in Dynamics 365 Commerce
• Configuring products, pricing, discounts, loyalty information, and affiliations  

Cost: $330

33. Microsoft Office Specialist: Expert (Office 365 and Office 2019)

Do you know Office 365 and Office 2019 like the back of your hand? This specialized Microsoft certification proves your expertise over a series of one prerequisite and three required exams. You need to be a Microsoft Office Specialist Associate in this area before you can pursue an expert certification, so keep that in mind. 

Skills proven:

• Expert-level knowledge in Word, Excel, and Access 2019

Cost: $300

34. Microsoft Office Specialist: Microsoft Access 2016

With this certification, you’ve proven you’re specialized in the ins and outs of using Microsoft Access 2016. This database software is essential for customizing database applications, and a certification can significantly expand your career prospects as a specialist. 

Skills proven:

• Database creation and management
• Table creation
• Queries, forms, and reports

Cost: $100

35. Microsoft Office Specialist: PowerPoint Associate (PowerPoint and PowerPoint 2019)

Need to make a point? Say it with Microsoft PowerPoint. This presentation software is a must, and with a certification in tow, you can prove your expertise on an associate level. This certification proves you understand how to create, edit, and enhance PowerPoint presentations, but it’s a good idea to have 150 hours of hands-on experience with PowerPoint before taking this certification exam. 

Skills proven:

• Formatting for text, shapes, and images
• Tables, charts, smartArt, 3D models, and media insertion
• Transitions and animations

Cost: $100

36. Microsoft Office Specialist: Microsoft Excel Expert (Excel and Excel 2019)

Excel spreadsheets are essential for any data-centric job, and this Microsoft certification proves you have the knowledge necessary to market yourself as an Excel expert. You’ll need at least 150 hours of training and hands-on experience using Microsoft Excel, as well as a passing grade on the MO-201 exam, to earn this certification. 

Skills proven:

• Workbook options and settings
• Data formatting and management
• Advanced formulas and macros

Cost: $100

37. Microsoft Certified: Power Platform App Maker Associate

This certification, which requires passing the PL-100 exam, is ideal for professionals who want to leverage Microsoft Power Platform’s maker tools to build applications. You should be experienced in using Teams, Microsoft Excel PivotTables, Visual Basic for Applications, and similar tools to successfully navigate this certification. 

Skills proven:

• Analyzing and visualizing data
• Designing and developing business solutions

Cost: $165

38. Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365 Marketing Functional Consultant Associate

This certification is suitable for consultants and professionals who use Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing and want to add to their skillsets. Candidates should have an understanding of data-modeling principles and experience working with Dynamics 365 model-driven applications. You should also have the ability to configure the Microsoft Power Platform, and you’ll need to pass the PL-200 and MB-220 exams to earn this certification. 

Skills proven:

• List management and segmentation
• Configuring marketing applications
• Creating and managing leads, contacts, and accounts as well as forms and pages

Cost: $330

39. Microsoft Office Specialist: Word Associate (Word and Word 2019)

This associate-level certification proves you understand the basic ins and outs of using Microsoft Word 2019. You don’t need to understand advanced Word settings for this certification: it’s largely proof you understand how to do basic work within Word, and that you’re capable of collaborating with a team in Word. 

Skills proven:

• Document management
• Text, paragraph, and section formatting
• Table and list management

Cost: $100

40. Microsoft 365 Certified: Messaging Administrator Associate

With this certification, you’ll learn how to configure, manage, monitor, and troubleshoot threat protection, compliance, and mail flow in hybrid and enterprise cloud environments. Candidates will also gain expertise in managing message hygiene, messaging infrastructure, and permissions, as well as other crucial messaging functions. To earn this certification, you’ll need to pass the MS-203 exam.

Skills proven:

• Managing organizational resources and settings
• Developing and implementing hybrid cloud configurations and migration
• Managing security within the messaging environment

Cost: $165

41. Microsoft Certified: Identity and Access Administrator Associate

Identity management is a must for locking down an enterprise’s technology infrastructure. With this associate-level certification, you can prove you know how to manage your organization’s access management with Azure Active Directory. This certification will qualify you to provide authentication and authorization for all users in the enterprise.

Skills proven:

• Identity management 
• Authentication and access management implementation
• Identity governance strategy implementation

Cost: $165

42. Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Administrator Associate

Microsoft 365 Teams keeps enterprise teams moving, but it requires a certain degree of expertise to implement. With this Microsoft certification, you can demonstrate your ability to do just that. This is an associate-level certification, which means you’ll still need to work with a team lead to facilitate the Microsoft 365 environment. 

Skills proven:

• Microsoft Teams configuration
• Calling and meetings management
• Chat, teams, channel, and app management

Cost: $165

43. Microsoft 365 Certified: Security Administrator Associate

Can you stop cyber threats in their tracks? If so, this Microsoft certification is perfect for your level of expertise. As a Certified Security Administrator Associate, you’ll be able to manage security, compliance, and data governance alongside your organization’s IT security team. 

Skills proven:

• Threat protection
• Information protection
• Identity and access management

Cost: $165

44. Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Engineer Associate

As a certified Engineer Associate, you have proof you know how to build, manage, and deploy AI solutions within Azure. To earn this certification, you’ll need a passing grade on the AI-102 exam, as well as a sizeable Azure AI portfolio. 

Skills proven:

• Computer Vision solutions
• Natural language processing
• Knowledge mining

Cost: $165

45. Microsoft Certified: Azure Enterprise Data Analyst Associate

This Microsoft certification proves you have the experience to design, create, and deploy data analytics within Azure. Data Analyst Associates commonly work with solution architects, data engineers, and AI engineers to build enterprise data models, use advanced analytics, and more. 

Skills proven:

• Data querying and transformation
• Data model implementation
• Data visualization

Cost: $165

46. Microsoft 365 Certified: Modern Desktop Administrator Associate

Certified Modern Desktop Administrator Associates have proven experience with deploying and managing devices and applications within an enterprise. You’ll need to pass both MD-100 and MD-101 to successfully earn this certification.

Skills proven:

• Windows maintenance
• Policy and profile management
• Apps and data management

Cost: $330

47. Microsoft Certified: Power BI Data Analyst Associate

Expertise in analytics is key! Earn this Microsoft certification to do deeper work with data insights. It’s a good idea to have experience working on Power BI data analyses, as well as additional training on Microsoft Learn, before taking the certification exam. 

Skills proven:

• Data modeling
• Data visualization and analysis
• Asset deployment and maintenance

Cost: $165

48. Microsoft 365 Certified: Exchange Online Support Engineer Specialty

Engineers often have to troubleshoot any problems users have within an enterprise-level system, and this Microsoft certification proves you have the skills to do just that. You’ll need to know how to troubleshoot common 365 issues for this certification exam, including mail client, compliance issues, migration issues, and more. 

Skills proven:

• Exchange Online configuration and troubleshooting
• Hybrid and migration issue troubleshooting
• Mail flow issue troubleshooting

Cost: $165

49. Microsoft Certified: Azure IoT Developer Specialty

The Internet of Things (IoT) has fundamentally changed how we do business. This Microsoft certification proves you understand how to develop specialty applications for Azure IoT. This specialization allows you to work alongside data engineers and architects to implement IoT solutions, Azure Digital Twins, and more. 

Skills proven:

• IoT Edge implementation
• Monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize IoT
• IoT infrastructure setup

Cost: $165

50. Microsoft Certified: Azure for SAP Workloads Specialty

If you have extensive experience in SAP and Microsoft Azure, this is the certification for you. As a certified specialist, you can optimize the performance of Azure for SAP Workloads alongside cloud administrators and database administrators. Remember, this certification requires knowledge of SAP, so it’s a good idea to be SAP-certified before you take this exam.

Skills proven:

• SAP workload migration to Azure
• SAP workload infrastructure design and implementation
• SAP workload management on Azure

Cost: $165

We’ve listed 50, but there are many more Microsoft certifications suitable for a wide range of professionals. If you’re a consultant looking to add to your skills and expertise or a professional who works with Microsoft solutions for your company, adding relevant Microsoft certifications to your repertoire will help you deliver more value to your company or your clients.