Microsoft has overhauled the levels of certifications to meet their perceived changes in the skill sets of developers.  There will be four levels of certification in the Microsoft Solutions Expert program

1. Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA) – core skills and a prerequisite for further levels
2. Microsoft Solutions Expert (MCSE) – relevant and up-to-date skills for IT professionals working with the solutions
3. Microsoft Solutions Developer (MCSD) – Like MCSE, but geared toward developers, rather than IT professionals (not to imply that developers are unprofessional).
4. Microsoft Certified Solutions Master (MCSM) — Beyond expert level, the highest level of skills are validated by this rigorous testing process.

Microsoft has also integrated Cloud Computing concepts into many of the exams to reflect the changing environments that are emerging.

A track that has been changed, probably relevant to the readers of this article is MCSE Business Intelligence: http://aka.ms/MCSEBI

FYI, there’s a 2-for-1 offer by Prometric at this time: http://aka.ms/Prometric241

Opinion:  I like the clarification of levels of skill proficiency and the distinguishing of breadth versus depth with IT Professional and Developer, but MCSE has long been associated with Microsoft Certified System Engineer and this could cause confusion with older managers.