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U.S. News and World Report ranked Software Developers as their #1 technology job for 2023 citing a median salary of $120,730 per year. Their rankings are based in part on a U.S. Labor Department report touting Software Developers as one of the fastest growing jobs of the decade citing the projected number of jobs to be 370,000. Information Security Analysts have a projected median salary of $102,000 and 56,500 jobs. Web developers median salary is projected to be $77,030 with 28,900 projected jobs. One other perk, a large portion of these jobs will be located in the Golden State.

Introduction

A diagram depicting IoT, Mobile, PC, XBox, Surface Hub, and HoloLens devices targeted by the new .NET Core framework. — Figure 1: The new Microsoft .NET Core framework gives C# developers the ability to target multiple devices on multiple platforms.

The CIS C# Programming track provides scholars with an opportunity to learn skills and technologies which are literally on the bleeding edge of modern day application development.

CIS Course to MCSD Exam Matrix

MTA Exams	105A	115A	125A	116B	113C	123C
98-361: Software Development Fundamentals	X				X
98-375: HTML5 App Development Fundamentals	X	X	X	X
MCSD Exams (Web Applications)
70-480: Programming in HTML with JavaScript and CSS	X	X	X	X
70-486: Developing ASP.NET MVC 4 Web App	X	X	X	X
70-487: Developing Windows Azure and Web Services
MCSD Exams (Windows Store Apps using HTML5)
70-480: Programming in HTML5 with JavaScript and CSS3	X	X	X	X
70-481: Essentials of Developing Windows Store Apps Using HTML5 and JavaScript	X	X	X	X
70-482: Advanced Windows Store App Development Using HTML5 and JavaScript	X	X	X	X
MCSD Exams (Windows Store Apps using C#)
70-483: Programming in C#	X			X	X	X
70-484: Essentials of Developing Windows Store Apps using C#					X	X
70-485: Advanced Windows Store Apps using C#

Table 1: The table above identifies the current Microsoft Technical Associate (MTA) and Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD) Exams and which CIS courses you need to enroll in to prepare for a particular exam.

MCSD Exam Details

In order to become certified as a Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) you must pass one of the following exams:

98-361: Software Development Fundamentals

~~98-362: Windows Development Fundamentals~~

~~98-363: Web Development Fundamentals~~

98-375: HTML5 App Development Fundamentals

In order to become certified as a Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD) you must pass three of the following exams all of the same track, Web Apps, Windows Store Apps-HTML5, or Windows Store Apps-C#:

98-480: Programming in HTML5 with JavaScript and CSS3. (Web Apps and Windows Store Apps-HTML5)

98-481: Essentials of Developing Windows Store Apps using HTML5 and JavaScript (Windows Store Apps-HTML5)

98-482: Advanced Windows Store App Development using HTML5 and JavaScript (Windows Store Apps-HTML5)

98-483: Programming in C# (Windows Store Apps-C#)

98-484: Essentials of Developing Windows Store Apps using C# (Windows Store Apps-C#)

98-485: Advanced Windows Store App Development using C# (Windows Store Apps-C#)

98-486: Developing ASP.NET 4.5 MVC Web Applications (Web Apps)

98-487: Developing Windows Azure and Web Services (Web Apps)

MTA Exams

98-361: Software Development Fundamentals

Skills Measured

This exam measures your ability to accomplish the technical tasks listed below. The percentages indicate the relative weight of each major topic area on the exam. The higher the percentage, the more questions you are likely to see on that content area on the exam.

Please note that the questions may test on, but will not be limited to, the topics described in the bulleted text.

Understanding core programming (18%)

Understand computer storage and data types
- How a computer stores programs and the instructions in computer memory; memory stacks and heaps; memory size requirements for the various data storage types; numeric data and textual data
Understand computer decision structures
- Various decision structures used in all computer programming languages; If decision structures; multiple decision structures such as If…Else and switch/Select Case; reading flowcharts; decision tables; evaluating expressions
Identify the appropriate method for handling repetition
- For loops, While loops, Do..While loops, and recursion
Understand error handling
- Structured exception handling

Preparation resources

Understanding object-oriented programming (19%)

Understand the fundamentals of classes
- Properties, methods, events, and constructors; how to create a class; how to use classes in code
Understand inheritance
- Inheriting the functionality of a base class into a derived class
Understand polymorphism
- Extending the functionality in a class after inheriting from a base class; overriding methods in the derived class
Understand encapsulation
- Creating classes that hide their implementation details while still allowing access to the required functionality through the interface; access modifiers

Preparation resources

Understanding general software development (14%)

Understand application life cycle management
- Phases of application life cycle management; software testing
Interpret application specifications
- Reading application specifications and translating them into prototypes, code, and components
Understand algorithms and data structures
- Arrays, stacks, queues, linked lists, and sorting algorithms; performance implications of various data structures; choosing the right data structure

Preparation resources

Understanding web applications (20%)

Understand web page development
- HTML, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), JavaScript
Understand Microsoft ASP.NET web application development
- Page life cycle; event model; state management; client-side vs. server-side programming
Understand web hosting
- Creating virtual directories and websites; deploying web applications; understanding the role of Internet Information Services
Understand web services
- Web services that will be consumed by client applications; accessing web services from a client application; SOAP and Web Service Definition Language (WSDL)

Preparation resources

Understanding desktop applications (12%)

Understand Windows Forms applications
- Windows Forms event model; visual inheritance; UI design; use of Multiple Document Interface (MDI) and Single Document Interface [and here] (SDI) applications
Understand console-based applications
- Characteristics and capabilities of console-based applications
Understand Windows Services
- Characteristics and capabilities of Windows Services

Preparation resources

Understanding databases (17%)

Understand relational database management systems
- Characteristics and capabilities of database products; database design; Entity Relationship Diagrams (ERDs); normalization concepts
Understand database query methods
- Structured query language (SQL); creating and accessing stored procedures; updating data and selecting data
Understand database connection methods
- Connecting to various types of data stores such as flat file; XML file; in-memory object; resource optimization

Preparation resources

Exam 98-363: Web Development Fundamentals

Skills Measured

Programming web applications (20-25%)

Customize the layout and appearance of a web page
- CSS; tables; embedding images; page layout for navigation
Understand ASP.NET intrinsic objects
- Request; Server; Application; Session; Response; HttpContext
Understand state information in web applications
- Understand how state is stored based on application design and hardware; understand different types such as session state, view state, control state, and application state
Understand events and control page flow
- Application and page life cycle events; page events; control events; application events; session events; cross-page posting; Response.Redirect; Server.Transfer; IsPostBack; setting AutoEventWireup
Understand controls
- Understanding various types of controls, including user, server, web, and validation controls; know which is the appropriate type of control for a scenario
Understand configuration files
- Understanding the usage of web.config and machine.config, and the settings that can be made

Preparation resources

Working with data and services (20-25%)

Read and write XML data
- Understanding XML, XML validation
- Does not include: Web services; XPath syntax; XmlDocument; XPathNavigator; XPathNodeIterator; XPathDocument; XmlReader; XmlWriter; XmlDataDocument; XmlNamespaceManager
Distinguish between DataSet and DataReader objects
- The ability to choose the proper data object to use based on application requirements/design
Call a service from a web page
- Creating a basic WCF service or web service so that it can be consumed; App_WebReferences; configuration
Understand DataSource controls
- LinqDataSource: ObjectDataSource; XmlDataSource; SqlDataSource
Bind controls to data by using data binding syntax
- Ensure that data is updated and displayed in data-aware controls
Manage data connections and databases
- Database connections; connection objects; connection pools; transaction objects

Preparation resources

Troubleshooting and debugging web applications (20-25%)

Debug a web application
- Use in conjunction with custom error pages to display appropriate error information to the appropriate user; implement tracing of a web application, Trace.axd, Trace=True on @Page directive
Handle web application errors
- HTTP error codes

Preparation resources

Working with client-side scripting (15-20%)

Understand client-side scripting
- Purpose of client-side scripting; various client-side scripting languages
Understand AJAX concepts
- ASP.NET AJAX implementation; working with client-side libraries, EnablePartialRendering, Triggers, ChildrenAsTriggers, Scripts, Services, UpdateProgress, Timer, ScriptManagerProxy, extender controls

Preparation resources

Configuring and deploying web applications (15-20%)

Configure authentication and authorization
- Forms authentication, Windows authentication; authorization; file authorization; impersonation
- Does not include: Windows Cardspace authentication, Passport (Windows Live ID) authentication, Custom authentication
Configure projects, solutions, and reference assemblies
- Local assemblies; shared assemblies (GAC); web application projects; solutions; configuration files; AppSettings
Publish web applications
- Choosing the appropriate method to deploy an application based on existing or intended environment; updatable vs. not updateable; MSI deployment; Internet Information Server (IIS) installation and configuration
Understand application pools
- Purpose of application pools; effect of application pools on web applications
- Does not include: Configuring or assigning application pools

Preparation resources

MCSD Exams

70-480: Programming in HTML5 with JavaScript and CSS3

Skills Measured

Please note that the questions may test on, but will not be limited to, the topics described in the bulleted text.

Implement and manipulate document structures and objects (24%)

Create the document structure
- Structure the UI by using semantic markup, including for search engines and screen readers (Section, Article, Nav, Header, Footer, and Aside); create a layout container in HTML
Write code that interacts with UI controls
- Programmatically add and modify HTML elements; implement media controls; implement HTML5 canvas and SVG graphics
Apply styling to HTML elements programmatically
- Change the location of an element; apply a transform; show and hide elements
Implement HTML5 APIs
- Implement storage APIs, AppCache API, and Geolocation API
Establish the scope of objects and variables
- Define the lifetime of variables; keep objects out of the global namespace; use the “this” keyword to reference an object that fired an event; scope variables locally and globally
Create and implement objects and methods
- Implement native objects; create custom objects and custom properties for native objects using prototypes and functions; inherit from an object; implement native methods and create custom methods

Preparation resources

Implement program flow (25%)

Implement program flow
- Iterate across collections and array items; manage program decisions by using switch statements, if/then, and operators; evaluate expressions
Raise and handle an event
- Handle common events exposed by DOM (OnBlur, OnFocus, OnClick); declare and handle bubbled events; handle an event by using an anonymous function
Implement exception handling
- Set and respond to error codes; throw an exception; request for null checks; implement try-catch-finally blocks
Implement a callback
- Receive messages from the HTML5 WebSocket API; use jQuery to make an AJAX call; wire up an event; implement a callback by using anonymous functions; handle the “this” pointer
Create a web worker process
- Start and stop a web worker; pass data to a web worker; configure timeouts and intervals on the web worker; register an event listener for the web worker; limitations of a web worker

Preparation resources

Access and secure data (26%)

Validate user input by using HTML5 elements
- Choose the appropriate controls based on requirements; implement HTML input types and content attributes (for example, required) to collect user input
Validate user input by using JavaScript
- Evaluate a regular expression to validate the input format; validate that you are getting the right kind of data type by using built-in functions; prevent code injection
Consume data
- Consume JSON and XML data; retrieve data by using web services; load data or get data from other sources by using XMLHTTPRequest
Serialize, deserialize, and transmit data
- Binary data; text data (JSON, XML); implement the jQuery serialize method; Form.Submit; parse data; send data by using XMLHTTPRequest; sanitize input by using URI/form encoding

Preparation resources

Use CSS3 in applications (25%)

Style HTML text properties
- Apply styles to text appearance (color, bold, italics); apply styles to text font (WOFF and @font-face, size); apply styles to text alignment, spacing, and indentation; apply styles to text hyphenation; apply styles for a text drop shadow
Style HTML box properties
- Apply styles to alter appearance attributes (size, border and rounding border corners, outline, padding, margin); apply styles to alter graphic effects (transparency, opacity, background image, gradients, shadow, clipping); apply styles to establish and change an element’s position (static, relative, absolute, fixed)
Create a flexible content layout
- Implement a layout using a flexible box model; implement a layout using multi-column; implement a layout using position floating and exclusions; implement a layout using grid alignment; implement a layout using regions, grouping, and nesting
Create an animated and adaptive UI
- Animate objects by applying CSS transitions; apply 3-D and 2-D transformations; adjust UI based on media queries (device adaptations for output formats, displays, and representations); hide or disable controls
Find elements by using CSS selectors and jQuery
- Choose the correct selector to reference an element; define element, style, and attribute selectors; find elements by using pseudo-elements and pseudo-classes (for example, :before, :first-line, :first-letter, :target, :lang, :checked, :first-child)
Structure a CSS file by using CSS selectors
- Reference elements correctly; implement inheritance; override inheritance by using !important; style an element based on pseudo-elements and pseudo-classes (for example, :before, :first-line, :first-letter, :target, :lang, :checked, :first-child)

Microsoft Certifications

Links of Interest:

MSJC MCSD Programs:

Best Jobs

Top Tech Jobs

Introduction

CIS Course to MCSD Exam Matrix

MCSD Exam Details

In order to become certified as a Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) you must pass one of the following exams:

In order to become certified as a Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD) you must pass three of the following exams all of the same track, Web Apps, Windows Store Apps-HTML5, or Windows Store Apps-C#:

MTA Exams

98-361: Software Development Fundamentals

Skills Measured

Exam 98-363: Web Development Fundamentals

Skills Measured

Preparation resources

Preparation resources

Preparation resources

Preparation resources

Preparation resources

MCSD Exams

70-480: Programming in HTML5 with JavaScript and CSS3

Skills Measured

Preparation resources