Defense Acquisition Credential Program

The Under Secretaries of Defense (USD) for Acquisition and Sustainment (A&S) and for Research and Engineering (R&E) are jointly sponsoring the Defense Acquisition Credential Program through DAU to evolve today’s functional area and knowledge area framework to meet your needs.

Defense Acquisition Credentials provide the knowledge and associated skills to perform job-centric, niche, and/or emerging functions in the Department of Defense (DoD) acquisition environment. They are intended to enhance specific skills and improve performance in your workplace. Whether you manage capability requirements, acquire services/systems, or sustain capabilities, earning credentials can build your competence, confidence, and value to your organization and the DoD.

1. Workforce members have one year from the time of enrollment to complete the component parts of a credential. The student will be dis-enrolled if the credential is not completed after one year.
2. The Certified period starts once all the component parts of the credential have been completed. The duration (n) of this period is dependent on the Certified period for the individual credential, typically three to five years. At the end of the Certified period, the workforce member will get a notification that their credential status has changed to “Renewal in Progress”.
3. The Renewal in Progress period is six months, during which time the student must complete the credential’s renewal requirement(s). This is also referred to as the Renewal Period.
4. The credential will Expire if the renewal requirements are not met within the six-month renewal period, meaning that the student no longer has credit for being current with the credential. In this case, the expiration date will be noted as the last day of the six-month renewal period. For example, a three-year credential that was initially awarded on 1 February 2021, will be reflected as Expired on the student’s transcript as of 1 August 2024, i.e., the three-year period plus the six-month renewal opportunity.
5. Once the renewal requirements have been met, the expiration date of the credential will be extended for an additional period of validity starting on the first day of the Renewal Period. For example, a three-year credential that was initially awarded on 1 February 2021, will be extended to 1 February 2027, assuming the renewal requirements are met within the six-month period following 1 February 2024.

Available credentials are published in the DAU iCatalog, on the DAU website, and within the DAU Virtual Campus. To access the DAU Virtual Campus, you must first log in. Once logged in, type “Credential” in the search window and hit “Enter”. Then, on the left side of the screen, click “Certifications,” which will display all of the available credentials (in DAU’s Virtual Campus, credentials are called “Certifications”). Additional credentials are added frequently, so check back often.

Credentials normally will be made available for enrollment to all DoD, Federal, and Industry employees. Some credentials require the completion of instructor-led (ILT) training either in the classroom or in a virtual (VILT) environment. In these cases, non-acquisition workforce personnel and/or non-DoD employees might find it difficult to secure a reservation and thus might be unable to complete the credential requirements unless the student previously completed the ILT/VILT requirement. Additionally, a credential that includes paid licenses, such as Coursera offerings, will be restricted to Defense Acquisition Workforce personnel.

Earning a Credential

• To earn a credential, you must complete all of the listed requirements. These will include a combination of one or more training courses along with other DAU learning assets such as videos, games, simulations, and/or a capstone assessment. Some credentials include learning assets from non-DAU sources that will still be accessed through the DAU Virtual Campus.
• Credit will be granted for any completed requirement that displays on your DAU transcript.
• For training course requirements, predecessor courses will not be accepted in lieu of the current course.
• Grading criteria for credential capstone assessments follows the same standards set forth in Part VII of the DAU Student Academic and Administrative Policies and Procedures Handbook.
  • You must achieve at least an 80% or better to pass.
  • Should you fail the capstone assessment more than once or are having difficulty with a capstone assessment, it is recommended that you contact the DAU Help Desk for a referral to a faculty member.
• Students will have 12 months to complete the credential requirements. Failure to do so will result in disenrollment. You will have to re-enroll if you still want to earn the credential.
• The certified period will begin after earning a credential, at which time credit for earning it will display on your DAU transcript.

Renewing a Credential

• Maintaining currency is the key with credentials. Accordingly, new credentials will not identify the renewal requirements.
• Renewal requirements are normally published at least 2 months prior to the end of the credentials Certified period.
  • The Certified period is based on the original deployment date of the credential, e.g. if the credential was deployed 1 February 2020 and is a 5 year credential, the Certified period ends 31 January 2025.
  • Your renewal requirements are typically published at least two (2) months prior to the expiration of your credential.
  • Changes in renewal requirements will impact you if you have entered your renewal period and have not completed the renewal requirement.
• Typically a renewal requirements may consist of one of the following:
  • A video or short course outlining significant updates in the content of the credential since deployment or the credentials last Certified period with or without an exam addressing the updates.
  • Reexamination of the credential in its entirety.
  • Completion of a requirement that has been added or replaced in the credential.
  • In some cases, there may not have been any changes and the requirement would simply be to access the renewal learning object in order to be renewed.

For acquisition-coded workforce members, Continuous Learning Points (CLPs) for a credential are broken out into three parts:

• DAU Course Requirements. CLPs for completed DAU courses are automatically awarded in the students’ CLP tracking systems.
• Other Credential Requirements. For these credential requirements, e.g., videos or capstone assessments, CLPs are not automatically awarded; therefore, students will have to request them manually in their component’s CLP tracking system and have the points approved by their supervisor. The appropriate number of CLPs to request will be listed in the DAU iCatalog on the Credential’s concept card.
• Completing the Credential Itself. When you complete all the requirements of the credential, you also earn CLPs. The CLP value of the credential is 10% of the estimated time required to earn a credential.
  • Currently, these CLPs do not automatically flow to the students’ CLP tracking systems; therefore, students will have to request them manually and have the points approved by their supervisor.
  • As of 1 October 2021, these CLPs will be listed on your official DAU Transcript but not in your Component’s CLP tracking system. Effective 1 October 2022 these points will automatically flow to your Component’s tracking system.

Sample Breakdown Credential Value:

Click here to see the current listing of CLP values for deployed Defense Acquisition Credentials.

As always, if you have questions regarding the DoD Acquisition Credential Program, a specific credential or have a technical issue, contact the DAU Help Desk at:

Local: 703-805-3459 (DSN: 655-3459 Option 1)

Toll-free: 866-568-6924 (DSN: 655-3459 Option 1)

You may also submit a support request on the DAU Service Portal.