What Is a Java Certification? How To Get One

Written by Coursera Staff • Updated on

A Java certification from Oracle can help showcase your skills and earn a higher-paying career. Learn which Java certification is a good match for your goals and how to get started.

[Featured Image] A Java software developer sits at their desk and studies for a Java certification exam.

The IT company Oracle offers six different Java certification paths for tech professionals. By earning a Java certification, you can develop and demonstrate your skills to potential employers, boost your programming abilities, qualify for a higher-paying job, and make your resume stand out. Compare six Java certifications and learn how you can earn one in the article below.

Looking for Java credentials to begin your career as a software developer? Consider learning from industry leaders in technology by enrolling to earn the Amazon Junior Software Developer Professional Certificate.

Read more: What Is Java Used For?

How to get a Java certification

To get a Java certification, you must first decide which certification path to follow and meet the necessary requirements to take your chosen exam. You can compare certification paths in the following section. Once you’re confident in the material, it’s time to register by purchasing an exam. Oracle offers Java certifications at various experience levels, as well as preparatory courses corresponding to each exam. You can study on your own or take the opportunity to earn a certificate for studying by enrolling in an online program covering core Java programming concepts:

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If you're transitioning from a related role, a certification can help demonstrate experience that your previous role may not. You can use certifications to fill the gaps in your resume or increase your competitiveness as a job market candidate. If the cost of a Java certification is an obstacle, you may opt for a more cost-effective credential that includes training, like a Java certificate program.

Read more: Free IT Certifications and Courses to Elevate Your Career

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Java certification paths

Oracle Java certification paths include two at the beginner or associate level and six at the advanced or professional level. To obtain a professional-level certification, you must first complete the corresponding associate-level certification, if applicable.

Associate Java certification paths

  • Oracle Certified Associate, (OCA) Java SE 8 Programmer: This certification path includes two steps and is designed to reflect a foundational understanding of Java. If you are new to Java and interested in becoming a professional Java developer, you might start here.

  • Java Certified Foundations Associate: This certification path is geared toward students in two-year colleges, four-year colleges, and secondary schools who are either studying computer science or have participated in the Oracle Academy program as well as faculty members teaching foundational Java. Although this is a beginner certification path, you'll need a basic understanding of Java.

Professional Java certification paths

Read more: What Does a Java Developer Do?

Let’s explore each certification in more detail in the sections below.

1. Oracle Certified Professional, Java EE 7 Application Developer (1Z0-900)

Requirements: Recommended prior experience with programming and Java SE

Cost (US): $245 [1]

Exam format: 70 questions, multiple-choice, 120 minutes

Exam topics: Java EE architecture, business logic using EJBs, Java Message Service API, SOAP services, REST services, WebSockets, CDI Beans, concurrency API, and Batch API

As an Oracle Certified Professional (OCP) in Java Enterprise Edition 7, it demonstrates your ability to develop and deploy programs using Java EE 7 to future employers. You’ll need prior experience using Java Standard Edition to qualify for this certification. 

2. Oracle Certified Associate, Java SE 8 Programmer (1Z0-808)

Requirements: Intermediate experience with Java SE 8

Cost (US): $245 [1]

Exam format: 56 multiple-choice questions, 120 minutes

Exam topics: Java basics, working with Java data types, operators, decision constructs, arrays, loops, handling exceptions, Java API

The Oracle Certified Associate Java Standard Edition 8 Programmer credential demonstrates your foundational Java skills. To succeed at this certification level, you should have an intermediate knowledge of Java SE 8 along with programming experience. Earning this credential is a prerequisite to attaining Java SE 8 credentials at a professional level. 

3. Oracle Certified Professional, Java SE 8 Programmer (1Z0-809)

Requirements: Oracle Certified Associate, Java SE 8 Programmer

Cost (US): $245 [1]

Exam format: 68 multiple-choice questions, 120 minutes

Exam topics: Java classes, advanced Java classes, generics and collections, Lambda built-in Functional Interfaces, Java I/O fundamentals, concurrency, localization

After completing the associate level certification, you can move on to earn a Oracle Certified Professional in Java SE 8 Programmer certification. The professional level demonstrates a more advanced background in Java SE 8 and a proven ability to use Java SE 8 in real-world applications. You can take a more advanced course in Java or gain hands-on experience to prepare yourself for a higher level of certification. 

4. Java Certified Foundations Associate (1Z0-811)

Requirements: Basic knowledge of Java 

Cost (US): $95 [1]

Exam format: 60 multiple-choice questions, 120 minutes

Exam topics: Real-world applications of Java, elements of Java, data types, operators, strings, classes, decision statements, looping statements, arrays, debugging

The Java Certified Foundations Associate requires you to understand Java concepts and have practical, hands-on skills with Java. Oracle designed this course for students studying Java or ready to begin careers using Java. 

5. Oracle Certified Professional: Java SE 11 Developer (1Z0-819)

Requirements: Advanced knowledge of Java 

Cost (US): $245 [1]

Exam format: 50 multiple-choice questions, 90 minutes

Exam topics: Object-oriented approach, data types, exception handling, arrays, collections, streams, Lambda expressions, modular applications, secure coding, localizations

Earning an Oracle Certified Professional Java SE 11 Developer certification demonstrates your professional-level knowledge and skills working with Java SE 11, specifically the changes from version 8. If you currently hold an OCP in Java SE 8, you can take this Java certification to upgrade your skill set to a new version of Java. 

6. Oracle Certified Professional: Java SE 17 Developer (1Z0-829)

Requirements: Advanced knowledge of Java SE 17

Cost (US): $245 [1]

Exam format: 50 multiple-choice questions, 90 minutes

Exam topics: Controlling program flow such as if/else and switch statements; Java object-oriented approach; handling exceptions; working with arrays, collections, streams, and collections; Java Platform Module system

As an Oracle Certified Professional in Java SE 17, you demonstrate your advanced skills with Java Standard Edition 17. Java SE 17 is a recent edition of Java that Oracle offers as a certified credential, although it released Java SE 20 in March 2023 and Java SE 21 in September 2023. If you currently hold a certification in Java SE 11 or Java SE 8, upgrading to the Java SE 17 certification can help show potential employers that you’re staying current on the newest Java technology. 

Ready to start prepping for a Java certification exam? Get hands-on practice while building your technical communication skills for job interviews with the Object Oriented Java Programming: Data Structures and Beyond Specialization from UC San Diego.

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Java certification salary and job outlook 

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the projected job growth for software developers, quality assurance analysts, and testers is 17 percent from 2023 to 2033 [2]. Although it doesn’t offer insight into Java software developers, Statista reports that Java was the seventh most popular programming language in 2023 [3]. While Java certification may boost your earning power, it also helps you qualify for more advanced or senior programming roles. 

Java certification careers

Java is relevant for several careers in computer technology and software development. Three examples of positions you can pursue with a Java certification include Java software developer, Android developer, and full-stack developer. 

*All salary data is sourced from Glassdoor as of October 2024.

Java software developer

Average base US salary: $105,072 [4]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2022 to 2032): 25 percent [2]

Typical education requirements: Bachelor’s degree in an IT-related field to work as a Java software developer. 

As a Java software developer, you’ll work with a team to design, create, test, and repair software using the programming language. Depending on the size of your team, you may have a specialized role or a broad one. Some typical tasks for Java software developers include testing and debugging code, developing technical designs, and monitoring security. 

Android developer

Average base US salary: $88,835 [5]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2023 to 2033): 17 percent [2]

Typical education requirements: A bachelor’s in an IT-related field to work as an Android developer. 

As an Android developer, you’ll do a lot of similar tasks to a software developer. The major difference is that you’ll design and create software to run on Android devices that will be available in the Google Play Store. While the official Android app programming language has been Kotlin since 2019, Java was the official language prior to that and remains relevant for developing Android apps today.  

You can earn a certificate and specialized training from the experts at Meta within 8 months with no previous experience:

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Full stack developer

Average base US salary: $90,897 [6]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2023 to 2033): 17 percent [2]

Typical education requirements: An IT-related four-year degree to work as a full-stack developer. 

As a full-stack developer, you’ll help develop software as a versatile professional who can work on both back-end and front-end tasks. Java is one beneficial language for full-stack developers, as well as languages such as Python, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and SQL. In this role, you will likely complete a variety of tasks, such as front-end design, database management, and testing. 

Become a full-stack developer certificate holder in just 5 months with IBM's Full Stack Software Developer Professional Certificate program:

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Earn a certificate for gaining hands-on Java experience with Coursera

If you’re ready to prepare for your Java certification, learn new skills and prepare for your exam with the Object Oriented Java Programming: Data Structures and Beyond Specialization, offered by UC San Diego, focusing on using Java to solve complex problems.

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If you're new to Java and looking to support the start to your career as a Java developer, earn a certificate from the experts at Amazon by enrolling in the Junior Software Developer Professional Certificate program:

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Average time: 6 month(s)

Learn at your own pace

Skills you'll build:

Chatbots, Voice Assistants, Python Programming, Software Architecture, Computer Programming, Programming Principles, Agile and Scrum, Software Engineering, Communication, Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), Coding Challenge, Career, interview Preparation, Full Stack Developer, Software Engineer, Large Language Models (LLM), Generative AI, Natural Language Generation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), ChatGPT, Prompt Engineering, prompt patterns, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), Web, Web Development, JavaScript, Software Testing, Web Application, Flask, Application development, Code generation, Software Development, AI prompts, Pandas, Data Analysis, Data Science, Numpy, Natural Language Processing, AI ethics, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence

Article sources

1. 

Oracle. “Get Oracle Certified, https://education.oracle.com/buy-exam.” Accessed September 20, 2023.

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