Microsoft IT Academy Program

Charter College is a member of the Microsoft IT Academy Program, which supports academic institutions in developing a highly global workforce for the twenty first century. Charter offers several Microsoft Official Curriculum courses which prepare students for desktop and corporate networking positions.

Students enrolled in the Associate of Applied Science Degree in Computer Science: Concentration in Networking Technology program are required to achieve the first level of Microsoft certification: Microsoft Certified Professional(MCP). The MCP credential is for professionals who have the skills to implement a Microsoft product or technology successfully as part of a business solution. In addition to the MCP, students are helped to achieve the coveted Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) certification. The MCSE is the premier certification for professionals who analyze business requirements and design and implement the infrastructure for business solutions based on the Microsoft Windows 2000 platform and Microsoft server software.

Microsoft Office Specialist
Charter College provides courses on the industry standard Microsoft Office suite of applications. Microsoft Office applications include Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint and Outlook.

In todays marketplace, employers demand that their staff be capable of effectively utilizing and interfacing with many of these applications. Therefore, Microsoft has developed a system of certifications which test proficiency on these Office applications.

The certification track, called the Microsoft Office Specialist, has been incorporated into many Charter programs, and is a degree requirement for these programs. Charter uses Microsoft Office Specialist approved courseware textbooks and materials.