(MCSE)

Course description :

MCSE Overview

The Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) certification shows clients and employers that you are skilled in designing, implementing, and administering infrastructures for business solutions based on Windows Server 2003 and Microsoft Windows 2000 Server. Implementation responsibilities include installing, configuring, and troubleshooting network systems.

If you want to be certified on newer Microsoft technologies, such as Exchange Server 2010, Windows Server 2008, or SQL Server 2008, you should pursue the Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) certification. And if you have the MCSE on Windows Server 2003 certification, you can upgrade to the Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) and Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) on Windows Server 2008 certifications.

Get more information on how to upgrade to the MCTS and MCITP on Windows Server 2008 certifications

Note Mainstream support for Windows Server 2003 ended on July 13, 2010. Microsoft Windows 2000 Server reached the end of its product lifecycle on July 13, 2010.

View MCSE requirements
Learn about MCSE specializations
Get more information about the MCITP certification
View information about upgrade paths

MCSE candidate profile

An MCSE candidate should have one to two years of experience in designing, installing, configuring, and troubleshooting network systems.

Why get certified?

Earning a Microsoft Certification helps validate your proven experience and knowledge in using Microsoft products and solutions. Designed to be relevant in today\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s rapidly changing marketplace, Microsoft Certifications help you utilize evolving technologies, fine-tune your troubleshooting skills, and improve your job satisfaction.

Whether you are new to technology, changing jobs, or a seasoned professional, becoming certified demonstrates to customers, peers, and employers that you are committed to advancing your skills and taking on greater challenges. In addition, certification provides you with access to Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) resources and benefits, including opportunities to connect with a vast, global network of MCPs.

Learn more about the benefits of certification

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MCSE Certifications

On This Page

MCSE on Windows Server 2003
MCSE on Microsoft Windows 2000 Server

MCSE on Windows Server 2003

The enduring strength of Windows Server 2003 in the market suggests that demand for related expertise will continue for many years. The MCSE on Windows Server 2003 certification enables you to demonstrate your expertise with Windows Server 2003 and inspire confidence in clients and employers. Prove your ability to analyze business requirements for information systems solutions and validate your expertise in designing and implementing infrastructures based on Windows Server 2003.

To earn the MCSE on Windows Server 2003 certification, you must pass seven exams (in any order):

Four exams on networking systems
One exam on client operating systems
One exam on design
One elective exam

Note Many of the exams in this certification track are retired. If a required exam is retired and you have not yet passed that exam, you cannot complete the certification track. You must fulfill all listed requirements to earn the certification. If you passed a required exam before it retired, it can be applied toward certification. The certification will not expire.

Exams on networking systems: All required	Exam number
Managing and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Environment	Exam 70-290
Implementing, Managing, and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure	Exam 70-291
Planning and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure	Exam 70-293
Planning, Implementing, and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Active Directory Infrastructure	Exam 70-294

Exams on client operating systems: Choose one	Exam number
TS: Windows 7, Configuring Suggested exam: Passing the most current exam for MCSE on client operating systems will also count toward Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) certifications. See the illustration on the Upgrade Paths tab. Note You can apply this exam toward either the elective requirement or the client operating systems requirement—not both.	Exam 70-680
TS: Configuring Windows Vista Client Note You can apply this exam toward either the elective requirement or the client operating systems requirement—not both.	Exam 70-620
Installing, Configuring, and Administering Windows XP Professional	Exam 70-270
Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification.	Exam 70-210

Exams on design: Choose one	Exam number
Designing a Windows Server 2003 Active Directory and Network Infrastructure Note You can apply this exam toward either the elective requirement or the design requirement—not both.	Exam 70-297
Designing Security for a Windows Server 2003 Network Note You can apply this exam toward either the elective requirement or the design requirement—not both.	Exam 70-298
Designing a Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Organization Note You can apply this exam toward either the elective requirement or the design requirement—not both.	Exam 70-285²

Exams on design: Choose one

Exam number

Designing a Windows Server 2003 Active Directory and Network Infrastructure

Note You can apply this exam toward either the elective requirement or the design requirement—not both.

Exam 70-297

Designing Security for a Windows Server 2003 Network

Note You can apply this exam toward either the elective requirement or the design requirement—not both.

Exam 70-298

Designing a Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Organization

Note You can apply this exam toward either the elective requirement or the design requirement—not both.

Exam 70-285²

Elective exam: Choose one	Exam number
Implementing and Supporting Microsoft Systems Management Server 2.0 Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification.	Exam 70-086
Designing, Managing, and Maintaining Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003 Note This exam can count toward both the MCSA and the MCSE elective exam requirements.	Exam 70-089¹
Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2000, Enterprise Edition Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification. This exam can count toward both the MCSA elective requirement and an MCSA: Security Specialization requirement.	Exam 70-227
Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification. This exam can count toward both the MCSA and the MCSE elective exam requirements.	Exam 70-228
Designing and Implementing Databases with Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification.	Exam 70-229
TS: Developing Business Process and Integration Solutions Using Microsoft BizTalk Server	Exam 70-235
TS: Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, Configuring	Exam 70-236
TS: Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2005 – Implementing, Managing, and Troubleshooting	Exam 70-262¹
Planning, Deploying, and Managing Enterprise Project Management Solutions	Exam 70-281¹
Designing, Deploying, and Managing a Network Solution for a Small- and Medium-Sized Business	Exam 70-282
Implementing and Managing Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Note This exam can count toward both the MCSA elective requirement and an MCSA: Messaging Specialization requirement.	Exam 70-284²
Designing a Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Organization	Exam 70-285²
Designing a Windows Server 2003 Active Directory and Network Infrastructure Note You can only choose this elective if you did not choose it to satisfy the design requirement.	Exam 70-297
Designing Security for a Windows Server 2003 Network Note You can only choose this elective if you did not choose it to satisfy the design requirement.	Exam 70-298
Implementing and Administering Security in a Windows Server 2003 Network	Exam 70-299
Managing, Organizing, and Delivering IT Projects by Using Microsoft Solutions Framework 3.0 Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification.	Exam 70-301
Implementing Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2004 Note This exam can count toward both the MCSA elective requirement and an MCSA: Security Specialization requirement.	Exam 70-350¹
TS: Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2006, Configuring	Exam 70-351²
TS: Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007, Configuring	Exam 70-400
TS: Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007, Configuring	Exam 70-401
TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2005 – Implementation and Maintenance	Exam 70-431
TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Implementation and Maintenance	Exam 70-432
TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Business Intelligence – Implementation and Maintenance	Exam 70-445
TS: Microsoft Windows Mobile Designing, Implementing, and Managing	Exam 70-500²
TS: Windows Server 2003 Hosted Environments, Configuration and Management	Exam 70-501
TS: Microsoft Forefront Client and Server, Configuration	Exam 70-557²
TS: Configuring Windows Vista Client Note You can only choose this elective if you did not choose it to satisfy the client operating systems requirement.	Exam 70-620
TS: Deploying and Maintaining Windows Vista Client and 2007 Microsoft Office System Desktops	Exam 70-624¹
TS: Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, Configuring	Exam 70-630
TS: Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, Configuring	Exam 70-631²
TS: Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, Configuring	Exam 70-638
TS: Microsoft Office Project Server 2007, Configuring	Exam 70-639
TS: Windows 7, Configuring Note You can apply this exam toward either the elective requirement or the client operating systems requirement—not both.	Exam 70-680
MCSA on Microsoft Windows 2000 Server or MCSA on Windows Server 2003	MCSA
MCSE on Microsoft Windows 2000 Server	See requirements in the next section
MCSE on Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Note This certification is discontinued, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification.	Discontinued
Third-party (CompTIA) certifications: CompTIA A+ and CompTIA Network+ or CompTIA Security+	CompTIA

¹This exam retired on October 31, 2010.

²This exam retires on March 31, 2011.

If you have the MCSE on Windows Server 2003 certification, you can upgrade to the Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) and Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) on Windows Server 2008 certifications.

View the upgrade paths

MCSE on Microsoft Windows 2000 Server

The MCSE on Microsoft Windows 2000 Server certification is designed for IT professionals working in the typically complex computing environments of medium-sized and large organizations.

To earn the certification, you must pass seven exams (in any order):

Three exams on networking systems
One exam on client operating systems
One exam on design
Two elective exams

Exams on networking systems: All required	Exam number
Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification.	Exam 70-215
Implementing and Administering a Microsoft Windows 2000 Network Infrastructure Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification.	Exam 70-216
Implementing and Administering a Microsoft Windows 2000 Directory Services Infrastructure Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification.	Exam 70-217

Exams on networking systems: All required

Exam number

Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Windows 2000 Server

Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification.

Exam 70-215

Implementing and Administering a Microsoft Windows 2000 Network Infrastructure

Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification.

Exam 70-216

Implementing and Administering a Microsoft Windows 2000 Directory Services Infrastructure

Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification.

Exam 70-217

Exams on client operating systems: Choose one	Exam number
Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification.	Exam 70-210
Installing, Configuring, and Administering Windows XP Professional	Exam 70-270
TS: Configuring Windows Vista Client Note You can apply this exam toward either the elective requirement or the client operating systems requirement—not both.	Exam 70-620

Exams on client operating systems: Choose one

Exam number

Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional

Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification.

Exam 70-210

Installing, Configuring, and Administering Windows XP Professional

Exam 70-270

TS: Configuring Windows Vista Client

Note You can apply this exam toward either the elective requirement or the client operating systems requirement—not both.

Exam 70-620

Exams on design: Choose one	Exam number
Designing a Microsoft Windows 2000 Directory Services Infrastructure Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification. You can apply this exam toward either the elective requirement or the design requirement—not both.	Exam 70-219
Designing Security for a Microsoft Windows 2000 Network Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification. You can apply this exam toward either the elective requirement or the design requirement—not both.	Exam 70-220
Designing a Microsoft Windows 2000 Network Infrastructure Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification. You can apply this exam toward either the elective requirement or the design requirement—not both.	Exam 70-221
Designing Highly Available Web Solutions with Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Technologies Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification. You can apply this exam toward either the elective requirement or the design requirement—not both.	Exam 70-226
Designing a Windows Server 2003 Active Directory and Network Infrastructure Note You can apply this exam toward either the elective requirement or the design requirement—not both.	Exam 70-297
Designing Security for a Windows Server 2003 Network Note You can apply this exam toward either the elective requirement or the design requirement—not both.	Exam 70-298

Elective exams: Choose two	Exam number
Implementing and Supporting Microsoft Systems Management Server 2.0 Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification.	Exam 70-086
Planning, Deploying, and Managing Microsoft Systems Management Server 2003	Exam 70-089¹
Implementing and Administering Security in a Microsoft Windows 2000 Network Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification.	Exam 70-214
Managing a Microsoft Windows 2000 Network Environment Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification.	Exam 70-218
Designing a Microsoft Windows 2000 Directory Services Infrastructure Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification. You can only choose this elective if you did not choose it to satisfy the design requirement.	Exam 70-219
Designing Security for a Microsoft Windows 2000 Network Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification. You can only choose this elective if you did not choose it to satisfy the design requirement.	Exam 70-220
Designing a Microsoft Windows 2000 Network Infrastructure Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification. You can only choose this elective if you did not choose it to satisfy the design requirement.	Exam 70-221
Migrating from Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 to Microsoft Windows 2000 Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification.	Exam 70-222
Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Clustering Services by Using Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification.	Exam 70-223
Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification.	Exam 70-224
Designing and Deploying a Messaging Infrastructure with Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification.	Exam 70-225
Designing Highly Available Web Solutions with Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Technologies Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification. You can only choose this elective if you did not choose it to satisfy the design requirement.	Exam 70-226
Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2000, Enterprise Edition Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification.	Exam 70-227
Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification.	Exam 70-228
Designing and Implementing Databases with Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification.	Exam 70-229
Designing and Implementing Solutions with Microsoft BizTalk Server 2000, Enterprise Edition Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification.	Exam 70-230
Implementing and Maintaining Highly Available Web Solutions with Microsoft Windows 2000 Server Technologies and Microsoft Application Center 2000 Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification.	Exam 70-232
Designing and Implementing Solutions with Microsoft Commerce Server 2000 Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification.	Exam 70-234
Developing Business Process and Integration Solutions Using Microsoft BizTalk Server	Exam 70-235
TS: Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, Configuring	Exam 70-236
Supporting and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Network Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification.	Exam 70-244
TS: Microsoft Office Live Communications Server 2005 – Implementing, Managing, and Troubleshooting	Exam 70-262¹
Planning, Deploying, and Managing an Enterprise Project Management Solution	Exam 70-281¹
Designing, Deploying, and Managing a Network Solution for a Small- and Medium-Sized Business	Exam 70-282
Implementing and Managing Microsoft Exchange Server 2003	Exam 70-284²
Designing a Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Organization	Exam 70-285²
Designing a Windows Server 2003 Active Directory and Network Infrastructure Note You can only choose this elective if you did not choose it to satisfy the design requirement.	Exam 70-297
Designing Security for a Windows Server 2003 Network Note You can only choose this elective if you did not choose it to satisfy the design requirement.	Exam 70-298
Implementing and Administering Security in a Windows Server 2003 Network	Exam 70-299
Managing, Organizing, and Delivering IT Projects by Using Microsoft Solutions Framework 3.0 Note This exam is retired, but if you already passed it, you can apply it toward this certification.	Exam 70-301
Implementing Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2004	Exam 70-350¹
TS: Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2006, Configuring	Exam 70-351²
TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2005 – Implementation and Maintenance	Exam 70-431
TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Business Intelligence – Implementation and Maintenance	Exam 70-445
TS: Microsoft Windows Mobile Designing, Implementing, and Managing	Exam 70-500²
TS: Microsoft Forefront Client and Server, Configuration	Exam 70-557²
TS: Configuring Windows Vista Client Note You can only choose this elective if you did not choose it to satisfy the design requirement.	Exam 70-620
TS: Deploying and Maintaining Windows Vista Client and 2007 Microsoft Office System Desktops	Exam 70-624¹
TS: Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, Configuring	Exam 70-630
TS: Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, Configuring	Exam 70-631²
TS: Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007, Configuring	Exam 70-638
Third-party (CompTIA) certifications: CompTIA A+ and CompTIA Network+ or CompTIA Security+	CompTIA

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