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Microsoft Certified Architect

I am not a fan of Microsoft Certifications but the new Microsoft Certified Architect program looks promising:

The Microsoft Certified Architect Program will validate top industry experts in Information Technology Architecture. These professionals will likely have 10 or more years of experience in Information Technology with at least three years of experience as a practicing architect, and will possess strong technical and leadership skills and form a distinguished community. Unlike other Information Technology certifications, this credential will be granted by industry architects, as candidates will be required to present to and be approved through a rigorous review board process overseen by previously certified architects.

A longer and more expensive process but hopefully the certification process will give more accurate results:

1. The candidate applies for the program by completing the program application and paying the application fee.


2. The candidate's application is assessed relative to the established criteria, such as years and type of experience, architectural knowledge, and complexity of technical solutions to determine whether the candidate will advance in the application process. If he or she does advance, the next step is a telephone screening with an MCA who will determine whether the candidate is accepted into the program.


3. Upon acceptance into the program, the candidate will work with mentors to prepare for his or her review board interview. Additionally, the candidate will continue to work on his or her documentation. The documentation consists of a dossier that includes a work history, an architectural solution case study, and a document specifying instances in which the candidate has displayed the program competencies.


4. As soon as a mentor determines that the candidate is ready, the candidate submits his or her final documentation and schedules the review board interview. For more information about the review board interview, see Review Board Interview.


5. At the conclusion of the interview and a positive vote from the review board, the candidate is awarded the MCA credential. For information about the composition of the review board, see Review Board Composition.