Scrum master certification: Top 13 certs for agile pros

The agile methodology, which facilitates collaboration between stakeholders, teams, and customers during software development, is fast gaining prominence in today’s enterprises. The methodology, which is also used beyond software development at some businesses, is at the center of several frameworks such as Scrum, Lean, Kanban, and Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe).

What is Scrum?

Scrum is a key variant of agile, typified by short iterations of work, called sprints, and daily meetings, called scrums, to tackle portions of a project in succession until the project is complete. The Scrum master leads this process, providing guidance to the team and product owner and ensuring agile practices are followed by team members. Getting certified in agile or a related framework, such as Scrum, can help demonstrate you have the skills and knowledge to lead a Scrum team in the organization as a Scrum master.

What is a Scrum master?

While Scrum can be a specific IT or tech skill, some organizations will hire a Scrum master, someone who is responsible for overseeing Scrum principles in the workplace, establishing Scrum practices, and helping others learn and understand the Scrum framework. These professionals will guide software development teams through daily Scrum operations, holding daily Scrum sessions, and tracking overall progress of projects using Scrum principles. They also oversee Scrum teams, which consist of the product owner, the developers, and the sum master.

According to data from PayScale, the average salary for a ScrumMaster is $97,517 per year, with a reported salary range between $67,000 and $133,000 annually.

What can Scrum master certification do for your career?

Scrum certifications can help you advance your career as a developer, Scrum master, or product owner. There are several to choose from, each focusing on a specific role in the organization, or a specific area of Scrum and agile, with options from various vendors offering courses and exams to validate your knowledge around the best practices and principles of Scrum.

For software developers and those working in that area of tech, Scrum is often used to track the progress of projects and tech initiatives, using time-boxes and sprints, which usually last up to two weeks. Through daily “stand-up” meetings, developers announce their daily progress throughout the sprint, and at the end they hold a “sprint review” to get feedback and an internal “sprint retrospective” to review the overall development process. Certifications help validate that you have the right knowledge, expertise, and skill to work on a Scrum development team in a tech organization.

Several Scrum master certs listed below can be found among the highest-ranking IT certs for cash pay premiums, according to the April 2024 Foote Report, including the Advanced Certified Scrum Professional Product Owner, which received an average pay premium equivalent to 10% of base salary, a 11% market increase over the past six months.

Top 13 Scrum master certifications

Agile and Scrum certified professionals are in demand, but which certification is right for you? Here are 13 certifications designed for Scrum masters and agile pros that can help set you apart from the competition.

• Advanced Certified ScrumMaster (A-CSM)
• Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)
• Certified Scrum Professional Product Owner (CSP-PO)
• Certified Scrum Professional ScrumMaster (CSP-SM)
• Certified Scrum Developer (CSD)
• Disciplined Agile Scrum Master (DASM)
• PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)
• Professional Scrum Developer (PSD)
• Professional Scrum Master (PSM)
• Professional Scrum Product Owner Level 1 (PSPO-1)
• SAFe Scrum Master (SSM)
• SAFe Advanced Scrum Master
• Scrum@Scale Practitioner

Advanced Certified ScrumMaster (A-CSM)

The Scrum Alliance’s Advanced Certified ScrumMaster (A-CSM) is an advanced course for those who currently hold a CSM certification (see below) and have one or more years of experience working in a Scrum master role. A-CSMs attend educational offerings to gain techniques and skills that go beyond the basics and introductory mechanics of Scrum, expanding into interaction, facilitation, coaching, and team dynamics, according to Scrum Alliance. 

Once all educational offerings are complete and approved by a Scrum Alliance-approved educator, candidates must accept the A-CSM license agreement and complete their Scrum Alliance membership profile. They also must validate at least 12 months of work experience as a Scrum master within the past five years.

Cost: Course fees vary from $600 to $1,500, depending on your location and whether you choose an online, in-person, hybrid, or self-paced course.

Renewal: A-CSM certification must be renewed every two years at a cost of $175; candidates must also earn 30 SEUs during that time. (To renew more than one Scrum Alliance cert, use the “Combined Certified ScrumMaster and Certified Scrum Product Owner and/or Certified Scrum Developer” option.) 

Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)

The Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) certification is an entry-level certification offered by the Scrum Alliance for those who want to work as a Scrum master or on a Scrum team. As a Scrum master, you’ll be responsible for leading an effective Scrum team while following the best practices, values, and principles of Scrum. The CSM certification demonstrates your understanding of Scrum and your ability to apply it to a team and throughout the organization.

The CSM course covers the fundamentals of the Scrum framework, including concepts such as team accountability, events, and artifacts. Through hands-on training, you will gain skills and knowledge to help you pass the CSM exam and be successful in a Scrum master role or on a Scrum team. The certification is also well-suited for software engineers, business analysts, and project managers.

Cost: Course fees vary from $300 to $1,000, depending on your location and whether you choose an online, in-person, or hybrid course.  

Renewal: The CSM must be renewed every two years at a cost of $100; candidates must also earn 20 Scrum education units (SEUs) during that time.

Certified Scrum Professional Product Owner (CSP-PO)

The Certified Scrum Professional Product Owner (CSP-PO) certification from Scrum Alliance is designed for Scrum professionals who work on the “business side” of projects. As a CSP-PO, you’ll be responsible for creating product visions, maintaining the product backlog, and ensuring projects meet customer requirements. The cert covers the basics of adopting agile and ensure you maximize the team’s value to create quality products.

Once you’ve earned your CSP-PO certification, you’ll qualify to take the exam for the Advanced Certified Scrum Professional Product Owner (ACSP-PO) certification. You’ll also need to validate at least 24 months of work experience specific to the role of product owner within the past five years to qualify.

Cost: CSP-PO course fee: $495; ACSP-PO course fee: $1,495

Renewal: The CSP-PO and ACSP-PO must be renewed every two years at $250; candidates must also earn 40 SEUs during that time.

Certified Scrum Professional ScrumMaster (CSP-SM)

The Certified Scrum Professional – ScrumMaster (CSP-SM) certification from Scrum Alliance is designed to certify your experience, training, and knowledge in Scrum. The cert focuses on Lean, agile, and Scrum, including Scrum master core competencies, as well as service to the development team, product owner, and the organization. To qualify for the exam, you’ll need to attend certified CSP-SM training and validate at least 24 months of work experience specific to the role of Scrum master within the past five years.

Along with your cert, you’ll also be given access to attend exclusive CSP events to network with other leaders in Scrum and agile and you’ll receive a free premium subscription to Comparative Agility, an agile assessment and continuous improvement platform.

Cost: Course fees vary depending on location and instructor but typically range from $1,400 to $2,000.

Renewal: The CSP-SM must be renewed every two years at $250; candidates must also earn 40 SEUs during that time.

Certified Scrum Developer (CSD)

The Certified Scrum Developer (CSD) certification from Scrum Alliance is designed for product developers working in a Scrum environment to demonstrate their understanding of Scrum and agile principles and certify they have learned specialized agile engineering skills. The two-day course required for the exam covers Scrum foundations and how those impact the role of Scrum developers.

Once you’ve earned your CSD certification, you will qualify for the Advanced Certified Scrum Developer (A-CSD) certification. You’ll also be required to validate at least 12 months of work experience specific to the role of Scrum developer or team member within the past five years. The next level of credentials dives deeper into the relationship between Scrum and the development process, focusing on more advanced tools and collaboration techniques for building strong products in a Scrum environment.

Cost: Course fees vary depending on location and instructor but typically range from $900 to $1,500.

Renewal: The CSD certification must be renewed every two years; candidates must also earn 40 SEUs within that two-year period.

Disciplined Agile Scrum Master (DASM)

The Disciplined Agile Scrum (DASM) certification from PMI focuses on the DA mindset and its underlying principles, which include concepts such as “pragmatism, the power of choice, and adapting to context.” The cert covers the fundamentals of agile and Lean, including methods such as Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, and more. You’ll learn how to apply these concepts in real-world situations and how to apply the Disciplined Agile toolkit to discover the most effective methods for your team and business needs.

Once you’ve earned your DASM certification, it also opens you up to take the Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Master (DASSM) Certification or Disciplined Agile Value Stream Consultant (DAVSC) Certification exams.

Cost: Members course fee: $399; nonmembers course fee: $499; exam fee is covered in the course registration fee and retakes cost $150 each.

Renewal: The DASM certification must be renewed every year.

PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)

Although the Project Management Institute (PMI) doesn’t offer specific Scrum certifications, its PMI-ACP certification is popular among Scrum masters because it covers several agile and Scrum practices and principles. The cert recognizes candidates’ knowledge of agile principles and skill with agile techniques. It spans many agile approaches, including Scrum, Lean, Kanban, extreme programming (XP), and test-driven development (TDD).

The PMI-ACP requires a secondary degree, 21 contract hours of training in agile practices, 12 months of general project experience within the past five years, and eight months of agile project experience within the past three years. A current Project Management Professional (PMP) or Program Management Professional (PgMP) cert will satisfy the requirement for 12 months of general project experience within the past five years, but neither are required.

Cost: PMI members: $435; nonmembers: $495

Renewal: PMI-ACP certification holders must earn 30 professional development units (PDUs) involving agile topics every three years to renew the certification.

Professional Scrum Developer (PSD)

The Scrum.org Professional Scrum Developer certification is designed to validate your knowledge of building complex software products using Scrum. The certification will show employers you have the right set of skills to work as a Scrum developer following the best practices outlined in the Scrum Guide.

According to Scrum.org, the assessment is “exhaustive and rigorous,” with questions that will test your knowledge of the Scrum Guide and your ability to interpret its meaning and apply that context in real-world settings. You’ll also be tested on the content in the Software Developer Learning Path and you’ll also be asked questions that require you to apply your own real-world experience as a Scrum developer.

Cost: $200 per attempt

Renewal: The PSD does not expire.

Professional Scrum Master (PSM)

There are three designations that fall under the Professional Scrum Master (PSM) certification offered by Scrum.org. The PSM-I, PSM-II, and PSM-III certifications are designed to validate your skills and knowledge with Scrum at different levels of expertise. The exams cover several focus areas outlined in the Professional Scrum Competencies and you’ll be asked how to interpret meaning from the Scrum Guide and how you would apply Scrum within a Scrum team.

• PSM-I certification covers the fundamental levels of Scrum mastery, demonstrating you have a strong understanding of Scrum and how to apply it in Scrum Teams.
• PSM-II certification demonstrates you have an advanced level of Scrum mastery, that you understand the Scrum Master accountabilities, and your role in a Scrum team and how it functions.
• PSM-III certification is the final level of certification, demonstrating a distinguished level of Scrum mastery, with proven knowledge that you can coach, facilitate, mentor, and teach Scrum Team members while also influencing an organization.

There are no specific prerequisites for the exam, but candidates should be aware that the material covered is high-level and complex, and only those well-versed in Scrum principles are expected to pass the exam. Once you’ve passed the PSM I exam, you will be able to move onto the next two levels of certification, the PSM II and the PSM III.

Cost: PSM I: $200; PSM II: $250; PSM III: $500

Renewal: The PSM does not expire.

Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO)

The Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO) certification series offered by Scrum.org includes three levels of assessment designed for those who want to validate their Scrum skills, as well as their ability to support value creation and delivery.

• PSPO-I certification is the first level of assessment and demonstrates that you have a foundational knowledge of the product owner role and understand how to interpret the Scrum Guide and to apply knowledge from the PSPO subject areas.
• PSPO-II certification is the next level of assessment, which validates you have an advanced level of product ownership knowledge, understanding of the scrum framework and how it can provide value, and topics including business strategy, portfolio planning product backlog management, and working with stakeholders.
• PSPO-III is the final level of certification, demonstrating that you have a “distinguished” level of understanding around the role of a Product Owner in the Scrum framework, and that you understand Scrum values and how to effectively apply Scrum in an organizational setting.

While not required, it’s recommended to take the Professional Scrum Product Owner course before attempting the exam, unless you already have sufficient knowledge to pass the exam. The two-day course covers everything you need to know about the product owner role through hands-on instruction and team-based exercises. The course covers topics such as agile product management, value-driven development, Scrum principles, and release management.

Cost:  PSPO I: $200; PSPO II: $250; PSPO III: $500

Renewal: The PSPO-1 does not expire.

SAFe Advanced Scrum Master

The SAFe Advanced Scrum Master certification offered by Scaled Agile is a two-day course that focuses on preparing current Scrum Masters for leadership roles where they’ll have to operate in a Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) environment. The exam covers topics such as identifying and solving team anti-patterns, improving value flow with Kanban and other engineering practices, supporting program-level execution, and using problem-solving and advance coaching techniques to drive improvement.

It’s an advanced certification but there are no prerequisites for candidates interested in getting certified. Scaled Agile, however, strongly recommends you have at least one of the following certifications: SAFe Scrum Master (SSM), Certified Scrum Master (CSM), or Professional Scrum Master (PSM) certification.

Cost: Course fees vary based on location, but the first exam fee is covered in the course registration fee. Each retake attempt is $50.

Renewal: SAFe Scrum Master certification holders must renew annually, at a cost of $100, and complete at least 10 continuing education hours each year.

SAFe Scrum Master (SSM)

The SAFe Scrum Master (SSM) certification offered by Scaled Agile is designed to demonstrate your skills and abilities with integrating Scrum practices into an organization. You’ll be tested on your knowledge of using Scrum and Kanban to facilitate team events, supporting program execution, and coaching agile teams. To earn the cert, you will need to attend the SAFe Scrum Master course, which covers everything you’ll need to know for the exam.

Along with your certification, you’ll also receive one-year membership access to the SAFe Community Platform, meetup groups and events with other certified SAFe professionals, and various learning resources that will support you during your Scrum journey.

Cost: Course fees vary based on location, but the first exam fee is covered in the course registration fee. Each retake attempt is $50.

Renewal: SAFe Scrum Master certification holders must renew annually, at a cost of $100, and complete at least 10 continuing education hours each year.

Scrum@Scale Practitioner

The Scrum@Scale Practitioner certification from Scrum Inc. focuses on your ability to scale any Scrum implementation so that it aligns with specific business needs and goals “without introducing anti-Scrum patterns or unnecessary waste.” The certification dives into Scrum’s flexibility and adaptability, leaning on the fact that no two organizations will have the same Scrum implementation.

The online courses are interactive and will teach you how to “scale Scrum through a combination of lectures, hands-on exercises, and real-world case studies.” The course will prepare you for the exam by covering topics such as how to facilitate cross-team collaboration, create and prioritize transformation backlogs, measure, and improve metrics, and increase team efficiency.

Cost: $1,995

Renewal: The Scrum@Scale Practitioner certification must be renewed every two years for a fee of $50; candidates must pass the most up-to-date version of the exam.

More on agile project management:

• Agile project management: A comprehensive guide
• Scrum vs. Lean vs. Kanban: Comparing agile project management frameworks
• Agile KPIs: How to measure agile success
• 7 simple ways to fail at agile
• Agile’s dark secret? IT has little need for the usual methodologies
• 7 tell-tale signs of fake agile