Professional Certifications
Get Certified
Why professional certifications are important
Certifications make a great first impression.
- 92% believe IT certifications help to ensure credibility of IT employees.
- 92% said IT certified individuals receive higher starting salaries than those without IT certifications.
- 91% of employers believe IT certifications play a key role in the hiring process and that IT certifications are a reliable predictor of a successful employee.
- 67% of employers use certifications to measure a candidate’s willingness to work hard and meet a goal.
- 60% of employers use certifications to confirm subject matter expertise.
Additional reasons to become professionally certified
Palm Beach State College's Lake Worth campus Testing Center offers the CompTIA, Cisco, C++ Institute and EC Council certifications on site.
For more information, visit the Testing Center website.
College Credit for Existing Certifications
If you already have certifications and/or work in the IT field, Palm Beach State offers credit. Complete the Course Equivalency Form found on the Prior Learning page and submit this to the appropriate department chair to determine if you qualify for credit. Use the chart below as a guide.
Courses and Certification Equivalents
Apply what you learn to industry certifications. As a current student, the chart below highlights the equivalent industry certifications you are preparing for within the specific courses in your degree plan.
| Course ID | Course Title | Industry Certification |
|---|---|---|
| CGS1100 | Microcomputer Applications | PBSC Challenge Exam option |
| CNT2000 | Network Technologies | CompTIA Network+ * |
| CNT2700 | TCP/IP and Network Administration | Microsoft MCP/MCSA ** |
| COP2334 | Programming in C++ | Certified Associate Programmer |
| CTS1110 | Microcomputer Operating Systems | Microsoft MCP/MCSA |
| CTS1150 | Computer Maintenance and Repair | CompTIA A+ |
| CTS2651, CTS2652, CTS2653 | Cisco 1-3 | Cisco, CCNA |
| CTS2301 | Introduction to Linux | CompTIA Linux+ |
| CTS2320 | Wide Area Networks | Microsoft MCP/MCSA ** |
| CTS2334 | Local Area Networks | Microsoft MCP/MCSA ** |
Note: The majority of the courses listed above are specific to the AS in Networking Administration
degree except for the Cisco electives and COP2334. Per the notes below, you should
submit the course equivalency form or speak with the Department Chair if you have
any questions on entering the college with prior certifications.
* CNT2000 prepares students for the Network+ certification; however, students applying to PBSC with Network+ certification will receive elective credit towards their AS degree as CNT2000 is an AA course.
** Students taking CNT2700, CTS2320 and CTS2334 will be prepared to sit for the MCP/MCSA certifications; however, there is no reciprocity for students entering with Microsoft certifications. Rather, we do offer applied technical skills courses that will be applied to your Business/Computer Science electives for certain Microsoft, Cisco and CompTIA exams.
