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Learning paths and courses

The certification program is backed by free courses on Anthropic Partner Academy. This page maps how the pieces connect: the Claude Partner Network learning path, the per-certification prep courses, and the public course catalog.

How the certifications connect

Which Claude certification is yours: the four exams with who each is for, what it costs, and what it measures

There are three roles and four certifications. Foundations is the entry level for each role; the Architect role adds a Professional level. There are no formal prerequisites anywhere: you can sit any exam directly, and Architect – Foundations does not upgrade into Architect – Professional.

flowchart TD
    LP[Claude Partner Network learning path] --> AP & DP & RP
    AP[Associate prep courses] --> A[Claude Certified Associate - Foundations]
    DP[Developer prep courses] --> D[Claude Certified Developer - Foundations]
    RP[Architect prep courses] --> RF[Claude Certified Architect - Foundations]
    RF -. recommended order, not required .-> RPP[Claude Certified Architect - Professional]

Which role fits:

Role For Certifications
Associate Consultants, sellers, and delivery leads who guide customers toward the right Claude use cases Associate – Foundations
Developer Engineers who build with the Claude API, Claude Code, and MCP, from first integration to production agents Developer – Foundations
Architect Partners who design Claude solutions end to end: deployment platforms, agentic architectures, evaluation, cost, and safety Architect – Foundations, Architect – Professional

Note: the Associate exam does not count toward Claude Partner Network tier eligibility. The Developer and both Architect exams do.

Claude Partner Network learning path

The CPN learning path is the introductory foundation for new partners and the first step toward certification. It contains four courses:

  1. Introduction to agent skills: building, configuring, and sharing Skills in Claude Code
  2. Building with the Claude API: working with Anthropic models through the API
  3. Introduction to Model Context Protocol: building MCP servers and clients in Python, covering tools, resources, and prompts
  4. Claude Code in Action: running long, hands-off Claude Code sessions with steering, configuration, automation, and verification

Certification prep courses

Each certification has a dedicated prep path on the prep courses page:

Certification Prep path Size
Associate – Foundations Associate prep path 8 courses
Developer – Foundations Developer prep path 5 courses
Architect – Foundations Architect Foundations prep courses See page
Architect – Professional Architect Professional prep path 5 courses

Prep coverage varies by certification and Anthropic adds prep content over time, so check the page for your exam close to your test date. In every case the exam guide, not the prep path, defines the exam scope.

Course catalog

Every course with its description, enrollment link, exam relevance, and a verified completion certificate is cataloged in Anthropic courses. The summary by theme:

Courses visible in the public catalog, grouped by theme. Completion of a course earns a certificate; the maintainer's certificates for these courses are in the certificates directory.

Claude platform:

Course Covers
Claude 101 Using Claude for everyday work tasks and core features
Claude Code 101 Claude Code in the daily development workflow
Claude Code in Action Long, hands-off Claude Code sessions: steer, configure, automate, verify
Introduction to Claude Cowork The Cowork task loop, plugins and skills, file and research workflows

Developer and integration:

Course Covers
Building with the Claude API The full span of working with Anthropic models through the API
Introduction to Model Context Protocol MCP servers and clients from scratch in Python
Model Context Protocol: Advanced Topics Sampling, notifications, file system access, transports, production servers
Introduction to agent skills Building, configuring, and distributing Skills
Introduction to subagents Using and creating subagents for context management and delegation

Deployment platforms:

Course Covers
Claude with Amazon Bedrock Running Claude on AWS, from the AWS accreditation program
Claude on Google Cloud Working with Anthropic models on Google Cloud and Vertex AI

AI Fluency:

Course Covers
AI Fluency: Framework & Foundations Collaborating with AI effectively, efficiently, ethically, and safely
AI Fluency for educators, pK-12 educators, students, nonprofits, small businesses, and builders Role-specific adaptations of the framework
Teaching AI Fluency Teaching and assessing AI Fluency in instructor-led settings

Partner-exclusive content, such as the Partner Basecamp program, the CPN Connect broadcast library, and model launch briefings, requires a partner sign-in and is visible from the Academy home page.

Partner badges

Separate from certifications, partners can earn specialty badges. The Claude Code partner badge is a ten-course path covering deployment architecture, extensibility, security and governance, and delivery methodology, with a capstone. Badges are listed on the partner badges page.

Suggested sequencing

This is the repository's recommendation, not an official rule:

  1. New to the program entirely: work the CPN learning path first. Its four courses underpin every technical exam.
  2. Then follow the prep path for your chosen certification, and study its exam guide as the definitive scope.
  3. Developer and Architect candidates benefit from the same core courses (API, MCP, Claude Code); if you plan to take more than one exam, that shared foundation makes back-to-back scheduling efficient.
  4. Architect – Professional adds governance, evaluation, and stakeholder material that the courses cover more thinly; plan additional hands-on time with an end-to-end system. See Study strategy.

Facts last verified against the official sources on 2026-08-01. Repository index