iSAQB-accredited training provider
iSAQB Training & Certification: Foundation and Advanced
Accredited courses based on the official iSAQB curricula, taught by practising architects. Start with CPSA-Foundation, collect credit points in the Advanced modules and plan your path to CPSA-A.
- 98.4%first-time pass rate
- 12,000+architects certified
- 4.9 out of 5trainer rating
Architecture teams that train with Albion
- Siemens
- SAP
- Bosch
- Allianz
- Deutsche Bank
- Zalando
Accredited training provider
Certified to ISO 9001
Understanding certification
What is iSAQB?
The International Software Architecture Qualification Board (iSAQB) is an association that develops the CPSA curricula for software architecture. It defines the skills taught and examined at Foundation Level and at Advanced Level. The iSAQB does not run courses or exams itself.
CPSA stands for Certified Professional for Software Architecture. CPSA-F is the Foundation Level, CPSA-A the Advanced Level. Certification does not replace project experience. It gives that experience a shared methodical foundation.
Visit the official iSAQB websiteStandard
iSAQB
Curricula and exam rules
Training
Albion
Curriculum-based live courses
Exam
Certification body
Exam and CPSA certificate
Standard
iSAQB
Curricula and exam rules
Training
Albion
Curriculum-based live courses
Exam
Certification body
Exam and CPSA certificate
The iSAQB accredits Albion as a training provider and licenses the certification body. You take the course with Albion first, then the exam with the certification body.
Who is an iSAQB certification for?
Software developers
You want to understand, justify and document architecture decisions.
Software architects
You are responsible for how a system is structured and want a systematic way of working.
Tech leads
You make technical decisions for a team and have to stand behind them.
Technical consultants
You advise on the design, modernisation or evaluation of architectures.
Deepen and specialise
Accredited training provider
iSAQB Advanced Level: modules and courses
You can book each module on its own, and each one earns credit points in one or more competence areas. A module has no exam of its own: you complete it by attending.
CPSA-A70 credit points
At least 10 per areaPlan your credit points
- AGILAAgile Software ArchitectureCredit points: 0 technical, 20 methodical, 10 communicative.Next date: 2 Mar 2027Live onlinefrom €1,980
- ADOCArchitecture DocumentationCredit points: 0 technical, 20 methodical, 0 communicative.Next date: 22 Feb 2027Live onlinefrom €1,305
- ARCEVALArchitecture EvaluationCredit points: 0 technical, 20 methodical, 0 communicative.Next date: 24 Feb 2027Live onlinefrom €1,305
- CLOUDINFRAInfrastructure, Containers and Cloud NativeCredit points: 20 technical, 10 methodical, 0 communicative.Next date: 25 NovLive onlinefrom €1,980
- DDDDomain-Driven DesignCredit points: 0 technical, 20 methodical, 10 communicative.Next date: 24 NovMunichfrom €1,980
- EAMEnterprise Architecture Management for Software ArchitectsCredit points: 0 technical, 30 methodical, 0 communicative.Next date: 1 DecLive onlinefrom €1,980
- IMPROVEEvolution and Improvement of Software ArchitecturesCredit points: 10 technical, 20 methodical, 0 communicative.Next date: 10 Feb 2027Frankfurt am Mainfrom €1,980
- FLEXFlexible Architecture ModelsCredit points: 20 technical, 10 methodical, 0 communicative.Next date: 30 NovLive onlinefrom €1,980
- FUNARFunctional Software ArchitectureCredit points: 20 technical, 10 methodical, 0 communicative.Next date: 15 Feb 2027Live onlinefrom €2,115
- REQ4ARCRequirements for Software ArchitectsCredit points: 0 technical, 20 methodical, 10 communicative.Next date: 1 DecLive onlinefrom €1,980
- SOFTSoft Skills for ArchitectsCredit points: 0 technical, 0 methodical, 30 communicative.Next date: 24 NovLive onlinefrom €1,980
- WEBWeb ArchitecturesCredit points: 30 technical, 0 methodical, 0 communicative.Next date: 11 NovLive onlinefrom €1,870
- AGENTAArchitecture for Agentic Software Engineering ContextsCredit points: 10 technical, 20 methodical, 0 communicative.Next date: 8 DecLive onlinefrom €1,870
- DSLDomain-Specific LanguagesCredit points: 10 technical, 20 methodical, 0 communicative.Next date: 9 Mar 2027Live onlinefrom €1,980
- FMFormal MethodsCredit points: 20 technical, 10 methodical, 0 communicative.Next date: 30 NovLive onlinefrom €1,800
- GREENGreen Software - Development of resource-efficient applicationsCredit points: 10 technical, 10 methodical, 0 communicative.Next date: 7 DecStuttgartfrom €1,305
- SWARC4AISoftware Architecture for AI SystemsCredit points: 20 technical, 10 methodical, 0 communicative.Next date: 19 Jan 2027Live onlinefrom €2,061
- WEBSECWeb SecurityCredit points: 20 technical, 10 methodical, 0 communicative.Next date: On requestInhouse availableOn request
- APIApplication Programming InterfacesCredit points: 10 technical, 10 methodical, 0 communicative.Next date: On requestInhouse availableOn request
- EMBEDDEDDependable Embedded SystemsCredit points: 20 technical, 10 methodical, 0 communicative.Next date: On requestInhouse availableOn request
- EMBEDDEDSECEmbedded Security for ArchitectsCredit points: 10 technical, 20 methodical, 0 communicative.Next date: On requestInhouse availableOn request
All prices per person, plus VAT.
21 of 21 modules
Your start in software architecture
iSAQB Foundation Level (CPSA-F)
Three days of software architecture based on the iSAQB 2025.1 curriculum: write quality scenarios, break a system down into building blocks, document the views in arc42 and evaluate the design. By the end you have an architecture you designed and justified yourself.
How the three days run
- Day 1:
Role and requirements
Where architecture work starts and what it answers for.
- Clarify the role's tasks and stakeholder concerns
- Write qualities as quality scenarios
- Weigh requirements against constraints
- Agree the case study's quality goals
- Day 2:
Design and structure
The curriculum's longest chapter, 360 of 1080 minutes.
- Cut the system into building blocks and cross-cutting concepts
- Choose design principles and architectural patterns
- Design, version and document the interfaces
- Sketch the design in C4 levels and weigh what distribution costs
- Day 3:
Documentation and assessment
Writing the architecture down, then checking it.
- Document views in an arc42 structure
- Record decisions as ADRs
- Review another group's design against its scenarios
- A short ATAM introduction, not examined per the curriculum
- Sit a mock exam in the iSAQB format and review it together
- Format
- Live online or on site
- Language
- German or English
- Curriculum
- iSAQB CPSA-F 2025.1
Who it is for: You have more than 18 months of experience developing software in a team, and practical knowledge of at least one higher-level programming language. Basic UML knowledge helps.
Next date
3 days · €2,590 per person
24–26 November 2026Tue–Thu · 09:00–17:00 CET
in 14 days- Format
- On site in Prague
- Language
- English
- Trainer
Serkan Karagulle
Exam optional, €250 plus VAT, bookable at checkout
Your personal certification plan
Plan your CPSA‑A credit points
For the CPSA‑A exam you need at least 70 credit points, with at least 10 each in the technical, methodical and communicative areas. Tick off what you already have and choose what you still want to take.
You do not need CPSA-F for Advanced modules. You do need it to register for the CPSA‑A exam.
Bars: credit points in technical, methodical and communicative. API, WEBSEC, EMBEDDED, and EMBEDDEDSEC have no public date right now. Ask us about an inhouse date.
Certification in detail
The iSAQB exam: format, prerequisites and costs
The course prepares you. You get the CPSA certificate when you pass the exam. The course and the exam are two separate services.
Prove the fundamentals of software architecture
- Course
- 3 daysBased on the 2025.1 curriculum. Not required for the exam, but it prepares you in a structured way.Go to the Foundation course
- Exam
- Multiple choiceAbout 40 questions in 75 minutes (+15 min for non-native speakers), at a licensed certification body
- Prerequisites
- None
- Passing
- 60% of the points or more
- Experience
- More than 18 monthsRecommended: software development in a team
- Validity
- For lifeNo renewal needed
- Costs
- from €1,827.50Foundation course+ €250 CPSA-F exam, optional
Prove in-depth architecture skills
- Course
- Module by module, 2–3 days eachBookable one at a time, with or without CPSA-F. Every module earns credit points.Explore the modules
- Exam
- Written assignment and oral examA practical architecture task, followed by an oral exam about it
- Prerequisites
- CPSA-F and 70 credit pointsAt least 10 each in the technical, methodical and communicative areas. The rest is up to you.Plan your credit points
- Passing
- Based on the assessmentof the assignment and the oral exam
- Experience
- At least three yearsFull-time in IT, including work on the design and development of at least two IT systems (exceptions on application)
- Validity
- For lifeNo renewal needed
- Costs
- from €1,305per Advanced module+ CPSA-A exam fee as set in the iSAQB exam rules
Prices per person, plus VAT. The iSAQB sets the binding admission rules.
CPSA Advanced Level at iSAQB(opens in a new tab)What people say after the training
There was no shying away from discussing even complex matters in proper depth. Some trainers tend to move on to the next topic as quickly as possible at that point. That was not the case here.
Benjamin Montazer
Participant, WEBAdvanced, February 2021
4.9 out of 5
Average trainer rating
12,000+architects certified
Your Albion certificate of attendance can be verified publicly
Public verification pageSee the showroom
98.4%pass on the first attempt
If not: one free retake
Once within twelve months of a public Albion date, if you attended at least two thirds of it. Not for inhouse courses or partner seminars.
Terms, part III § 5Read the conditions
20+years of architecture training
Accredited trainers who work as architects
iSAQB accreditation
Who teaches at Albion.
Accredited iSAQB trainers who work as architects themselves.
The International Software Architecture Qualification Board (iSAQB) is an association that develops the CPSA curricula for software architecture and defines which skills are taught and examined at Foundation Level and Advanced Level. The iSAQB does not run courses or exams itself: accredited providers such as Albion run the courses, and licensed certification bodies run the exams.
CPSA stands for Certified Professional for Software Architecture, the iSAQB’s certification programme. CPSA-F is the Foundation Level, CPSA-A the Advanced Level.
For software developers, architects, tech leads and technical consultants who make, justify or review architecture decisions. The certification gives your practical experience a shared methodical foundation, and proof that you have it.
At Foundation Level, you learn the core methods of software architecture and take a multiple-choice exam. At Advanced Level, you collect credit points in modules you book one by one, and finish with a practical written assignment and an oral exam.
The cost has two parts: the course and the exam. At Albion, the CPSA-F exam is optional: you add it to your course booking for €250 plus VAT. Advanced modules are booked one by one; the iSAQB sets the fee for the final CPSA-A exam in its exam rules.
The CPSA-F course at Albion takes three days. An Advanced module takes two or three days, depending on its curriculum; the exact length is on each course’s page.
Yes. Every course runs live with a trainer, online or on site depending on the date. Each date shows its format and language.
Yes. Each date shows its language.
Yes, from four people. Foundation and every Advanced module are available inhouse, at your site or live online. You get a quote with dates, group price and trainer.
Yes. The iSAQB does not require a course. An accredited course does prepare you for every topic in the curriculum in a structured way, with exercises and a practice exam in the iSAQB format.
About 40 multiple-choice questions in 75 minutes, with 15 minutes more for non-native speakers. You pass with at least 60% of the points. You take it after the course at a certification body recognised by the iSAQB.
If you do not pass the exam after a public Albion date, you can retake it once free of charge within twelve months of the original course start, provided you attended at least two thirds of the course. This does not apply to inhouse training or partner seminars. The conditions are in the Terms, part III § 5.
For life. It never needs to be renewed.
At least 70 credit points from accredited Advanced modules, with at least 10 each in the technical, methodical and communicative areas.
Yes. You can attend modules and collect credit points before you pass CPSA-F. To register for the CPSA-A exam, you need the Foundation certificate.
No. You complete a module by attending it, and your credit points are confirmed. You are examined once, in the final CPSA-A exam.
The CPSA-F certificate, at least 70 credit points in the required split across the three areas and at least three years of full-time professional experience in IT, including work on the design and development of at least two IT systems. Exceptions are possible on application. The binding rules are in the iSAQB exam rules.
Start from the work you do and the credit points each module carries. If you are aiming for CPSA-A, make sure your choice covers all three competence areas. The credit planner above shows what is still missing.
Further information and official documents
- isaqb.orgCPSA Foundation Level at iSAQBThe level, its exam and how to prepare.(opens in a new tab)
- isaqb.orgCPSA Advanced Level at iSAQBPrerequisites, credit points and the final exam.(opens in a new tab)
- isaqb.orgOfficial curricula and downloadsCurrent curricula and exam rules from iSAQB.(opens in a new tab)
- albion.euAlbion CPSA-Foundation courseContent, exam and every available date.
No date that fits?
Inhouse training, on your own schedule.
The same course, your team alone, online or at your site.