What are certifications?
Certifications are official designations that you can add to your resume/CV to show different technological skill sets that you’ve mastered. For example, students who have attained the CompTIA IT certification and added this to their resume demonstrate to potential employers that they are qualified to pursue entry-level IT positions based on their knowledge of IT fundamentals including infrastructure and computing.
How can I gain certifications through CIAT?
Here at CIAT, we offer certification instruction, support, and vouchers for the certification exams. As you begin your journey with CIAT, you can start working on your certification study in parallel with your classes. However, your class coursework will focus on the different skills you are learning, as there will be additional certification support provided outside of class.
Do I have to take certifications to graduate?
CIAT is introducing certification requirements to students enrolled in select Computer Information Systems (CIS) programs. Please use this table to reference how many certifications you will be required to take and pass in order to graduate if you are enrolled in a CIS program. Please note – this can be ANY of the related certifications in your program.
| Programs | Certifications Required to Graduate |
| CCIS | 1 |
| AASCIS | 2 |
| BACIS | 3 |
To review our full list of graduation requirements, use this link.
How do I gain access to certification resources?
There are two ways, depending on what classes you are currently taking. You can submit practice exam requests following the directions at this link ONLY for courses NOT listed below. After you begin the first associated course, the course shells listed below will automatically result in you being added to the certification prep resource shells in Canvas.
Here are the following course shells and their related certifications that are scheduled for roll-out in Canvas:
Available certification shells
- BDA106A: Project+
- CIS100B: ITF+
- CIS101A: A+ Core 1
- CIS101B: A+ Core 2
- CIS102A: Network+
- CIS120A: Security+
- CIS130: Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900)
- CIS131: Azure Administrator (AZ-104)
- CIS132: AWS Cloud Practitioner
- CIS133: AWS Solutions Architect
- CIS230A: Linux+
- CIS270A: Cisco CCNA
- CIS280A: Cisco DevNet
What if I’ve already taken a course and now a certification resource shell is available?
No problem – just notify your Student Success Advisor and they can add you to the shell retroactively.
How long will I be able to access these certification benefits?
- Extended Timeframe: To encourage students to begin their exams earlier, we have extended the timeframe in which we offer complimentary certification exam attempts. For every exam attempt, we are going to add six months on top of the 180 days after graduation. It does not matter when you take the exam. Simply attempting a certification exam will grant you an additional six-month timeframe.
- Multiple Attempts: This extension applies regardless of whether you pass or fail your first attempt.
- Increased Flexibility: You’ll have more time to prepare, retake exams if necessary, and ultimately achieve these valuable credentials.
- No Additional Cost: This extension comes at no extra charge to you.
- Graduation Requirements: Certification extension is for any certifications above and beyond the required certifications for graduation.
