University of Texas at San Antonio Excel Certification Requirement
Carlos Alvarez College of Business · MO-210
At UTSA, a Microsoft Office Specialist Excel certification does not just prepare you for a course — it can stand in for one. Here is exactly which courses that applies to.
Requirement details verified against UTSA’s own pages on September 16, 2026. Always confirm your deadline with Carlos Alvarez College of Business.
What UTSA requires
UTSA's undergraduate catalog lists ISC 1413, Excel for Business Information Systems, as support-work coursework in the Accounting BBA's Business Common Body of Knowledge. The course description states that successful completion of ISC 1413 will help prepare the student for taking the Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS): Microsoft Office Excel Core exam, and that students who are already MOS certified, or who have completed an equivalent course, may petition for exemption from the course.
The certification does more than exempt you from a class — the catalog uses it as a direct substitute in a course prerequisite. ACC 3113, Accounting Information Systems, lists its prerequisites as a grade of C- or better in ACC 2033, and Microsoft Office Specialist Certification in Excel or a grade of C- or better in either ISC 3003 or ISC 1413. A MOS certification satisfies that half of the prerequisite on its own, in place of passing an entire 3-credit course.
ISC 1413 itself is aimed at quantitative majors. The catalog states that students in quantitative majors such as Accounting, Actuarial Science, Economics, Finance, Operations and Supply Chain Management, Statistics and Data Science, and Business Analytics are strongly encouraged to take this course in lieu of ISC 1403, the non-quantitative version.
UTSA's own wording for the exam is MOS Excel Core, with no year or version stated. Core is the older name for what Microsoft now calls the Associate level, and the current Microsoft 365 Apps associate exam is MO-210, which is what our practice exams are built for.
At a glance
Why passing on the first attempt matters
- Because certification can substitute for an entire 3-credit course prerequisite, a strong pass has a payoff most schools on this site do not offer: one fewer course standing between you and ACC 3113.
- ISC 1413 is support-work coursework in the Accounting BBA, so accounting majors who neither pass the course nor certify have a required box left unchecked.
- UTSA names no exam version, so an unprepared search for practice material can just as easily land you on the wrong exam's content as the right one.
- MO-210 is performance-based: you complete tasks in a live Excel workbook rather than answering multiple-choice questions about Excel. Reading about Excel does not prepare you for that.
Core is the older name for the Associate level of the Microsoft Office Specialist Excel certification. UTSA's own catalog entries for ISC 1413 and ACC 3113 do not name a year or edition. The current Microsoft 365 Apps associate exam is MO-210, which is what our practice exams are built for. Confirm with the Alvarez College of Business which exam version your petition or coursework is evaluated against before you prepare.
A MOS Excel certification stands in for the ISC 3003-or-ISC-1413 half of ACC 3113's prerequisite. It does not touch the other half — a grade of C- or better in ACC 2033 is still required regardless of certification.
How we help you pass MO-210
Our practice exams are timed, task-based, and scored out of 1000 against the same 700 pass mark MOS exams use. Your first one is free and needs no card — take it before deciding whether to petition for exemption from ISC 1413 or sit the course.
You do the tasks in your own desktop Excel and upload the workbook. We grade what you did, task by task, and show you which tasks cost you points, so your next attempt is aimed at something specific instead of at studying Excel in general.
Our practice exams are built from Microsoft's published skills-measured outline for MO-210, and our exam guide reproduces the objective domains and their weightings so you can see what is actually tested.
ISC 1413 is already delivered entirely online at UTSA. Our practice exams run the same way — in your own copy of Excel, graded on the workbook you upload, no testing appointment required to practice.
UTSA Excel certification FAQ
Does UTSA require an Excel certification?
Not as a blanket rule for every student. UTSA's catalog lists ISC 1413, Excel for Business Information Systems, as support-work coursework in the Accounting BBA, and lets a Microsoft Office Specialist Excel certification substitute directly for part of ACC 3113's prerequisite. Other quantitative majors are strongly encouraged, not required, to take ISC 1413.
Which exam does UTSA mean by MOS Excel Core?
Core is the older name for the Associate level of the Microsoft Office Specialist Excel certification. UTSA's catalog does not name a year or edition. The current Microsoft 365 Apps associate exam is MO-210, which is what our practice exams are built for — confirm with the Alvarez College of Business which version your petition is evaluated against.
Can a certification really replace a class?
For one specific prerequisite, yes. ACC 3113, Accounting Information Systems, lists its prerequisites as a C- or better in ACC 2033, and Microsoft Office Specialist Certification in Excel or a C- or better in either ISC 3003 or ISC 1413. The certification satisfies that second condition on its own.
What if I already hold a MOS Excel certification?
UTSA's catalog states that students who are already MOS certified, or who have completed an equivalent course, may petition for exemption from ISC 1413. The catalog does not detail the petition process itself — ask an Alvarez College of Business advisor how to file it.
Do I have to take ISC 1413 specifically, or is ISC 1403 the same thing?
They are different courses. UTSA's catalog says students in quantitative majors — Accounting, Actuarial Science, Economics, Finance, Operations and Supply Chain Management, Statistics and Data Science, and Business Analytics — are strongly encouraged to take ISC 1413 in lieu of ISC 1403, and that credit cannot be earned for both, since ISC 1413 was formerly numbered IS 1413.
Is Excel Experts Certify affiliated with UTSA?
No. We are an independent Certiport Authorized Test Center and practice-exam provider. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the University of Texas at San Antonio or the Carlos Alvarez College of Business. Always confirm your own requirement with the college.
Sources
Every requirement, deadline and fee on this page comes from the pages below, read on September 16, 2026. UTSA can change them at any time.
- ISC 1413, Excel for Business Information Systems — UTSA Undergraduate Catalog
- ACC 3113, Accounting Information Systems, including prerequisites — UTSA Undergraduate Catalog
- Accounting BBA, Business Common Body of Knowledge and support work — UTSA Undergraduate Catalog
Excel Experts Certify is an independent practice-exam provider and a Certiport Authorized Test Center. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by University of Texas at San Antonio or the Carlos Alvarez College of Business. University names are used here only to identify whose requirement is described. This page is informational; your requirement, deadline and fees are whatever Carlos Alvarez College of Business says they are.
Walk into MO-210 knowing your score
Take a full, timed practice exam, upload the workbook you built, and get a score out of 1000 with per-task feedback. Your first one is free.
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