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Students get the MOS out of Freeman

Thanks to a new program, employers will no longer have to worry whether Freeman students possess the necessary computer skills for a job. They can check for themselves.

The Freeman School has partnered with Certiport, a leading provider of desktop productivity training and assessment, to offer instruction at both the undergraduate and MBA level for Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certification, a global standard for the use of Microsoft Office applications.

“Everybody puts 'computers skills' on their resume,” says Pris Hagebusch, clinical professor of e-business and information systems. “Now all our students will have the certification to prove it.”

Freshmen will now train for MOS certification in Word, PowerPoint and Excel at the Specialist level and MOS certification in Excel at the Expert level, which designates an even greater degree of proficiency. In addition, freshmen can expand their credentials by completing an online training module for Internet and Computing Core Certification (IC3), the world’s first globally recognized standards-based certification for general computer skills.

MBAs, meanwhile, will complete a workshop during orientation that trains them for MOS certification in Excel at the Specialist level.

At the end of the training, the undergraduates will take exams to earn MOS certifications and the IC3 designation, and the MBAs will take the exam to earn MOS Specialist certification in Excel. With those credentials on their resumes, employers will know immediately that a student possesses exceptional computer skills, and, what’s more, the employer can verify that student’s certification via Certiport’s website.

Hagebusch has been teaching Microsoft Office applications to undergraduates and MBAs for years, but she jumped at the opportunity to work with Certiport to provide certification training. “When I give a test, they get my stamp of approval, but who knows what that means?” she says. “With the MOS certification, they have a meaningful, verifiable credential to present to an employer. More and more companies are embracing this standard, so this can only help our students as they apply for jobs and internships.”