What Is the TOGAF Certification?

The Open Group Architecture Framework (TOGAF) certifications allow enterprise architects to demonstrate their skills and experience using the TOGAF Standards. The TOGAF Standard encompasses industry standards for organizing business architecture on an enterprise level. The Open Group, an international group with over 900 members, created these standards [1].

Learn more about The Open Group and the TOGAF certifications available, how to prepare for the certification exam, and what careers benefit from it. 

What is The Open Group Architecture Framework? 

The Open Group Architecture Framework is a standardized way of designing, creating, and discussing business architecture at scale. The Open Group, a global organization responsible for setting and maintaining these standards, operates under a mission of coming to a consensus about business architecture best practices and helping increase operational efficiency for its members. 

Beyond setting industry standards for enterprise architecture, The Open Group offers certifications for enterprise architects to demonstrate their skills with those same industry standards. 

What is the purpose of TOGAF certification?

A TOGAF certification aims to demonstrate your proficiency with the TOGAF Standards for business architecture at an enterprise scale. TOGAF is a respected certification because The Open Group is an esteemed organization with over 900 member organizations, such as Shell, IBM, Huawei, and Intel. As a vendor-free certificate backed by the organization that sets the standards in the enterprise architecture industry, the TOGAF certification is an internationally respected certification for enterprise architects. 

What are TOGAF certifications?

TOGAF certifications allow professionals to demonstrate their competency with its standards. This certification is vital because many large companies around the world use TOGAF, which remains a vendor-neutral credential respected across industries. 

The certification you pursue will depend on your role and your career path. For example, you can choose a TOGAF Certification Credential for smaller or more specialized learning sessions. You can also select one of the three TOGAF Certifications: TOGAF 9, TOGAF Business Architecture, and TOGAF Enterprise Architecture. 

TOGAF certification learning paths

Depending on your role in an enterprise architect team, you can choose from three main TOGAF certification learning paths:

• TOGAF 9 Foundation/Certified

• TOGAF Enterprise Architecture Foundation/Practitioner

• TOGAF Business Architecture

TOGAF also offers five certification credentials for individuals who want to gain new skills or further specialize in their careers. Let’s look at these credentials, including who should take this exam.

1. TOGAF 9 Foundation/Certified

The TOGAF 9 Foundation/Certified credentials are parts one and two of the TOGAF 9 certification, which are current with the 10th Edition TOGAF Standard. This certification is appropriate for any member of an enterprise architecture team who would benefit from a broad understanding of the topics within the TOGAF body of knowledge.

• Requirements: You don’t have any prerequisites to complete before sitting for this certification exam. However, you must complete Part 1 (Foundation) before or at the same time as Part 2 (Certified). 

• Cost (US): $550 when you purchase Foundation and Certified together; otherwise, each part is $360 [2].

2. TOGAF Enterprise Architecture Foundation/Practitioner

TOGAF also offers an Enterprise Architecture certification at two levels: Foundation and Practitioner. This certification is appropriate for any individual applying systems architecture at an enterprise scale using the Architecture Development Method. It demonstrates that you can use the TOGAF methodology to manage change and transformation.

Unlike TOGAF 9 Foundation/Certified, you have multiple paths to a TOGAF Enterprise Architecture Certification. First, you can take the exam without any prior certification. But if you already achieved your TOGAF 9 certification, you can bypass this process and gain your Enterprise Architecture certification by passing the TOGAF Enterprise Architecture Bridge exam.

• Requirements: You do not need to complete any prerequisites before taking the exam, but you must pass Part 1 before or concurrently with Part 2. 

• Cost (US): $595 when you purchase Foundation and Practitioner simultaneously; otherwise, they are $395 each [2].

3. TOGAF Business Architecture Foundation

The TOGAF Business Architecture Foundation is appropriate for individuals who conduct business planning and would benefit from the business architecture principles of the TOGAF Standards. This certification covers topics using TOGAF techniques and tools to drive change and develop business architecture. 

• Requirements: You do not need to hold any previous credentials to take this exam. 

• Cost (US): $395 [2]

TOGAF Certification Credentials

For learning in smaller pieces, TOGAF offers certification credentials, which are short, three-hour learning sessions that can lead to an Open Badge and a certificate for completion. These credentials can help you learn skills in specialized areas, including:

• TOGAF Business Architecture Level 1: This credential proves you understand business modeling, business scenarios, information mapping, and more. It can also be a pathway to the TOGAF Business Architecture Foundation certification.

• Integrating Risk and Security: This credential demonstrates your understanding of security and risk management within the TOGAF Architecture Development Method and broader enterprise security concepts. 

• TOGAF Framework: Agile Specialist: The Agile Specialist credential shows your ability to navigate the TOGAF Framework within Agile methodology. 

• TOGAF Framework: Digital Specialist: The Digital Specialist credential demonstrates that you can use TOGAF Standards to support digital enterprise architecture. 

• TOGAF Enterprise Architecture Leader: The TOGAF Enterprise Architecture credential shows you understand the best practices for enterprise architecture using the TOGAF Standards. 

Who should earn TOGAF certification? 

TOGAF offers several certifications appropriate for individuals in different job titles, but they tend to revolve around enterprise architecture or belong to an enterprise architecture team. Below, explore three potential careers that may benefit from TOGAF certification: enterprise architects, systems architects, and business intelligence analysts. 

1. Enterprise architect

Average annual salary (US): $155,420 [3]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2022 to 2032): 4 percent [4]

Education requirements: You will likely need to earn a bachelor’s degree. Although it is not always required, some enterprise architects earn a master’s degree. 

As an enterprise architect, you will be responsible for planning and directing the architecture for your organization, including determining how to structure the organization, how business processes and strategies align with the organization’s mission, and ensuring the company has technology that supports these processes and strategies. In this role, you might also communicate the enterprise architecture plans to all relevant stakeholders.

2. Systems architect

Average annual salary (US): $139,703 [5]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2022 to 2032): 4 percent [4]

Education requirements: To begin a career as a systems architect, you will likely need to earn a bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field. 

As a systems architect, you will develop, create, and maintain your company's computer network architecture. Typical tasks can include varied functions like ensuring the company’s website can handle the traffic it attracts, managing databases, managing system upgrades and maintenance, recommending software solutions to help the company meet its goals, and monitoring the technical performance of company assets.  

3. Business intelligence architect 

Average annual salary (US): $126,039 [6]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2022 to 2032): 10 percent [7]

Education requirements: You will likely need a bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field. 

As a business intelligence architect, you will design, implement, and manage the system of business intelligence tools your company uses to gain valuable company data. In this role, you might select or recommend tools to help your company capture business intelligence data, which the business intelligence tools will pass to data analysts for interpretation. You will likely work with a team of analysts and other stakeholders to understand what data your company needs to capture and how best to approach this process. 

Read more: What Is a Business Intelligence Analyst? Making Data-Driven Business Decisions

How to prepare for the TOGAF certification

To prepare for your TOGAF certification, you’ll need to choose your learning path and choose between a self-study or guided training course. The following offers a closer look at your options.

1. Select your certification. Within The Open Group’s TOGAF certification portfolio, you can pursue the credential that best fits your career needs. For example, if you’d like to prove your experience with TOGAF Standards in your career as an enterprise architect, you should consider earning your TOGAF Enterprise Architecture Foundation/Practitioner certification. 

2. Complete a training course. The Open Group offers accreditation to programs teaching approved TOGAF training courses. However, the low number of providers for each TOGAF certification limits your options depending on which certification you’re pursuing. 

3. Prepare with a self-study program. Additionally, The Open Group offers self-study programs for individuals who want to prepare for the TOGAF exam at their own pace without following a class format. 

Learn more with Coursera.

TOGAF offers many options to get career-enhancing credentials. Choosing the proper TOGAF certification can help build your career by demonstrating your expertise in business architecture. To learn more about enterprise architecture, consider learning about cloud architecture solutions on Amazon Web Services with Architecting Solutions on AWS. 

You might also consider gaining career-focused knowledge and skills with programs like the Google Business Intelligence Professional Certificate, which can help you prepare for a job in business intelligence, or work toward your degree with options available on Coursera.