Essentials of Microsoft Office Certificate

Essentials of Microsoft Office

Program Number: 901031CERT

Your Degree: Certificate

Estimated Time to Complete: 6 Credits | Finish in 1 semester

Delivery Method: 100% Online, Some Online/Some In Person

Area of Study: Business

Estimated Program Cost: $1,317.47

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Program Overview
Madison College developed the Essentials of Microsoft Office program to help you get hired, earn a promotion, or update your skills for work in today's modern offices. Completing the Essentials of Microsoft Office certificate at Madison College will prepare you to become certified as a Microsoft Office Specialist.
Program Details
Students in the Essentials of Microsoft Office certificate can attend part-time, and some courses are also available in a bilingual format.
Essentials of Microsoft Office certificate classes may be offered at these Madison College campuses:
Madison - Truax
Madison - South (bilingual version)
Careers
Madison College's Essentials of Microsoft Office certificate graduates are ready for a range of professional positions in the field of administration, including:
Word Processing Specialist
Secretarial Assistant
Program Assistant
Clerical Assistant
Office Assistant
Document Specialist
Administrative Clerk
Customer Service Representative
Office Support Assistant
Data Entry Operator
Information Assistant
Program Courses

Here's a sample course sequence that shows how classes for full-time students are typically organized by semester.
Once you're admitted, your full curriculum and sequence—including any pre-requisites—is defined in your Degree Progress Report.
Required Courses
10-103-165
Outlook
Use Microsoft's messaging and personal information management program. Communicate by email; schedule appointments, meetings and events; manage the Inbox, contact lists, tasks, notes, and to-do lists; categorize and flag messages; track and archive messages; configure and customize Outlook; manage Outlook components; integrate Outlook options; create quick steps and rules; configure autoarchive settings, work with news feeds.
1 credit
10-103-145
Access
Within the Microsoft Office Suite, Microsoft Access database software can help manage your information, data, and records. In this beginning level course, students will create, edit, and manipulate databases, add tables to store and organize data, create relationships to take advantage of a relational database, perform queries to extract meaningful information, add calculations to tables and queries to determine values, create and use forms to assist with data entry and online data management, and develop reports for data analysis and reporting out to stakeholders. Students must be competent in Windows and have file management skills.
1 credit
10-106-168
Microsoft Office for Business Applications
Learn basic features of Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook using Microsoft Office 365. Explore Excel to create workbooks, write formulas & functions, manage data, and produce charts & graphs. Discover how Word can automatically generate footnotes, insert citations, and create a bibliography. Create presentations through PowerPoint focusing on layout and design elements. Manage email and calendar using Outlook. Students must have file management skills including saving, organizing, and retrieving files.
3 credits
10-103-104
Microsoft Teams and Integrated Applications
This course introduces Microsoft Teams as a collaboration and communication tool within Microsoft 365. Students learn to create teams, manage meetings, share files, and collaborate in real time using channels and integrated apps such as Forms, Planner, Lists, Whiteboard, and Loop. Emphasis is placed on productivity, digital etiquette, and ethical and responsible use of digital tools. Competency in Windows and file management required.
1 credit
How to Apply
Earning a certificate is a great way to expand your skill set and add professionalism to your resume. Applications are always open, so apply today!
International students who wish to apply for, maintain, or transfer their F-1 student visa status to Madison College are required to complete the International Admission Process.
There are no admission requirements for this certificate. Simply submit your application by the deadline for each term.
Application Dates
Fall 2026
Application open
Application completion deadline is November 15, 2026
Spring 2027
Application open
Application completion deadline is April 15, 2027
Fall 2027
Application available on October 15, 2026
Application completion deadline is August 31, 2027
Additional Notes
Certificate programs are not eligible for financial aid.
Individual courses may have prerequisites to enroll. Admission into a certificate does not guarantee eligibility to enroll in courses. See the Curriculum section for the list of courses for the certificate.
Questions?
Contact the Enrollment Center at EnrollmentServices@madisoncollege.edu or 608.246.6210.
Get Started!
Apply to Madison College and take the first step towards your Essentials of Microsoft Office career.
It's Free to Apply