What is the ICCP?

When I first entered DSU's DSc in information systems program, my goal was [and is] to earn the MSIS en route to the DSc. Apparently DSU has decided to implement a new requirement to the MSIS; mainly, students now have to pass the IS 2002 exam from the Institute for Certification of Computing Professionals (ICCP).

I don't know much about the ICCP but from what I've read so far, they appear to just offer another worthless certification. Am I correct on this or is my comment off? I hope I am off because I do not want to earn a worthless piece of paper in order to earn the MSIS.

http://www.dsu.edu/msis/msis-is2002-exam.htm

http://www.iccp.org/

 

You don't have to pick up the CCP certification if you don't want to. Do a search on these boards and you will find info on ICCP. Bird Publications sells study materials as well as the ICCP site. I took the tests for college credits. The certification was a bonus.

 

I've worked with the ICCP for the past 10 years or so as a member of the Education Foundation. The ICCP is a vendor neutral certification that recently has joined with the CCER (Center for computing education research) to do outcome assessments for computer related degree programs.

The key things ICCP brings to the table are vendor neutrality and a connection to higher education when compared with industry certifications.

Regards - Andy

 

I agree with the worthless certification comment. It's amazing to me that an organization such as ICCP gets recognition (which I assume they work for) from schools such as Excelsior and DSU yet they have such a horrible process and bad marketing. They don't use a standard vendor such as Vue or Prometric and they have very little training material. I took their security test, which was outdated, and easy. I only took it because Excelsior allowed it to be used for a security course but didn't allow one of the more popular or standard security certs.

 

Thanks...I just noticed the following line on DSU's exam page.

"All MSIS students are required to take the Certified Computing Professional Core Examination developed by the Institute for Certification of Computing Professionals (ICCP) before graduation."

Students can then go on to get the certification if they pass the core exam with at least 50%.

I have no interest in an IT certification because I am not an IT professional. Even if I were an IT professional, I can think of other certs that would hold a lot more weight than the ICCP cert.

 

Based on feedback I received from a CCP, she indicated that her test taken years ago was conducted at her kitchen table, and proctored by an ICCP volunteer.

I'm looking at taking the CCP core exam, probably in April or May.

 

I find it interesting that they are requiring a certification that is not in high demand or that many people know about. I for one thought I was well versed in the Certifications but after looking at this one, I was baffled that I had not heard of it. The website states that you have to pass three exams for the CCP credential.

Certified Computing Professional (CCP)

The CCP is the pinnacle of achievement for Information Technology Management, Business and Systems Analysts and Computer Professionals world-wide. It requires the highest standards for the profession - that is, passing the CORE examination, plus two specialty examinations at the Expert-Mastery level (70% or higher over each examination). The CCP holder is automatically enrolled into the Recertification program.

Examination: To satisfy the examination requirements for the CCP designation, a candidate must pass at the professional level of 70% or higher during a given 36-month period

• the Core examination and any two Specialty exams, or
• the Core examination, any one Specialty exam, and any two Language exams, or
• the Core examination and any one Specialty exam - and concurrently hold another approved computing professional certificate (ask ICCP office for current approved list).

The specialty exams are:

• Core I.T. Skills and Knowledge
• Business Information Systems
• Database Administration
• Data Management
• Data Warehousing
• Integrated IT Project Management
• Internetworking & Communications
• IS/IT Management
• Microcomputing and Networks
• Object Oriented Analysis and Design
• Office Information Systems
• Procedural Programming (Structured Programming)
• Systems Development
• Systems Programming (Operating Systems)
• Software Engineering
• Systems Security
• Web Development

Interesting track for this certification. I wonder how recognized it is in the industry. Anyone like to share with me what recognition they have received from this certification.

Thanks

 

The CCP certificate goes way, way back - long before the current cert craze. It was originally known as the Certified Data Processor (CDP) and has been around as long as thirty years. The CDP was fairly well known and respected back in the day.

I took the CDP exam in 1988 in a college classroom. It was far broader than anything today (including the CCP) and covered accounting, general and operations management concepts, statistics, systems analysis, programming, databases, file structures, data comm - everything an experienced "DP" (and probably mainframe) guy would have been expected to know.

They changed the name from CDP to CCP in the nineties when the term "data processing" became obsolete and updated the exam. Around the same time, languages, hardware platforms and databases proliferated and employers needed something to verify that a candidate actually had the competencies claimed on his/her resume. Lord knows that the various "body shops" that sent me out on consulting engagements back then represented me as knowing far more languages, databases and platforms that I claimed on my resume.

Microsoft, and other, narrower vendor-specific certs evolved to give employers some assurance that a candidate had a clue in the areas for which they were being hired.

My CDP was grandfathered into a CCP some years back. I have easily met the continuing ed requirements because my teaching relates to IT. As an academic, I've never been crazy about the vendor specific technical certs, but understand why employers value them.

In my opinion, the CCP exam does serve as an independent validation that a degree candidate understands the fundamental IT concepts that anyone awarded a degree in IS should know.