Program Management and Contracting Professional Certification


NPS graduate-level education courses in program management and contracting are now aligned to Defense Acquisition University (DAU) training courses and requirements, making it easier for NPS students to complete required acquisition professional certifications.   


Students at Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) can receive Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) and DAU training in one of two ways: 

  • Complete DDM coursework (fulfillment): NPS students (specifically, Naval officers/DoN civilians and Army officers/DA civilians) currently enrolled in select degree or certificate programs in the Department of Defense Management (DDM) will receive fulfillment for DAU training courses required for  DAWIA certifications.

  • Enroll in DAU courses (integration): NPS students not pursuing DDM curricula can enroll in DAU training courses (reserved for NPS students) after completing NPS courses (MN3331 or MN3301) that integrate DAU prerequisite courses.

NPS students will receive a DAU transcript and have their training documented in official Service training records. Both opportunities to meet these professional requirements are offered at no cost to NPS or NPS students.

The big picture

Recently, under the Acquisition Back-to-Basics (BtB) initiative, the DOD transitioned the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) 14 career fields into six functional areas of program management, contracting, engineering and technical and management, test and evaluation, lifecycle logistics, and financial management/cost estimating.

As result of the BtB initiative, and in an effort to synchronize graduate education and training, NPS President VADM (R) Rondeau and DAU President Dr. James Woolsey signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) in 2022 that outlines the integration of DAU training courses into NPS graduate-level education courses and curricula.

This alignment supports the NPS vision of offering 21st century education through stackable certificates, hybrid delivery (resident and distance learning), and interdepartmental programs (DDM and Systems Engineering).

How it works

For DDM students enrolled in curricula that include the Advanced Acquisition Studies (217/218) certificate or the Basic Contract Management (237/238) Certificate 


Step 1: Complete the Advanced Acquisition Studies (AAS) certificate for Program Management training credit or the Basic Contract Management (BCM) Certificate for Contracting training credit.

  • To officially add AAS or BCM certificates to their record, students must complete this form with the Registrar. 


Students enrolled in the following curricula may receive fulfillment of DAWIA certification DAU training courses for Program Management Practitioner level:

  • Curriculum 522, Master of Science in Systems Engineering Management
  • Curriculum 722, Systems Engineering Management / Systems and Program Management (DL)
  • Curriculum 816, Master of Science in Systems Acquisition Management
  • Curriculum 836, Master of Science in Program Management (DL)

Students enrolled in the following curricula may receive fulfillment of DAWIA certification DAU training courses for Contracting Professional level:

  • Curriculum 522, Master of Science in Systems Engineering Management
  • Curriculum 815, Master of Science in Defense Contract Management
  • Curriculum 816, Master of Science in Systems Acquisition Management
  • Curriculum 835, Master of Science in Contract Management (DL)


Step 2: Submit transcript and apply for certification.

Graduates submit a NPS transcript to the command DAWIA Program Director using DD Form 2518 (Fulfillment of DOD Mandatory Training Requirement).

Once the fulfilled courses are reflected in the Individual Development Plan (IDP) history record in the Career Acquisition Personnel and Position Management Information System (CAPPMIS), officers and DON civilians may be eligible to apply for the appropriate Functional Area certification, as long as they have met all the certification requirements that are in place at the time of certification request.

  • Acquisition experience and certification exams are not covered under the fulfillment process.

In some cases, officers and DON civilians cannot immediately apply for certification after graduation from NPS because they lack the requisite years of acquisition experience. 

  • During this time when they are still accruing experience, the certification standards may change. 
  • If a new DAU course is added to the PM Practitioner or Contracting Professional level certification standards in FY23 or later, NPS graduates should take the new course through DAU to receive completion credit.

Naval officers/DON civilians and Army officers/DA civilians will not receive Continuous Learning Points (CLPs) for DAU courses obtained through fulfillment. 

For NPS students not enrolled in the AAS certificate

 

Step 1: Complete NPS courses to earn prerequisites for DAU training courses.

Students can complete either MN3331 (Principles of Acquisition and Program Management) or MN3301 (Acquisition of Defense Systems), which integrates the following DAU prerequisite training courses:

  • ACQ 1010—Fundamentals of Systems Acquisition Management (virtual, 13 hours, asynchronous, open enrollment to CAC card holders, no prerequisite)
  • ACQ 2020—Intermediate Systems Acquisition, Part A (virtual, 13 hours, asynchronous, open enrollment to CAC card holders, ACQ1010 prerequisite)

Step 2: Apply for DAU courses, which have 10 seats reserved for NPS students.

After students take MN3331 or MN3301, they have DAU prerequisite training needed to consider taking the following DAU courses:

ACQ 2030V—Intermediate Systems Acquisition, Part B (five days, virtual, synchronously led by DAU Instructor, ACQ2020 prerequisite)

  • Offering schedule:
    • 16-20 December 2024
    • 24-28 March 2025
    • 23-27 June 2025
    • 22-26 September 2025

PMT 2570V—Program Management Tools Course (four days, virtual, synchronously led by DAU Instructor, ACQ2030 prerequisite)

  • Offering schedule:
    • 17-20 December 2024
    • 25-28 March 2025
    • 24-27 June 2025
    • 23-26 September 2025

What will the course look like?

Review the NOTIONAL schedule for ACQ 2030V and PMT 2570V to understand the time expectations and ensure you have no conflicts.

How do I enroll?

If you have the DAU course prerequisites, complete the following form for a seat in an upcoming planned DAU course offering.

Supporting documentation

Memorandum of Agreement between the Naval Postgraduate School and the Defense Acquisition University: Integration of Defense Acquisition University Training Courses into the Naval Postgraduate School Graduate-level Education Courses and Curricula (August 1, 2022)

Department of Navy Guidance: Fulfillment of Mandatory Certification Courses through Naval Postgraduate School Master of Science in Systems Acquisition Management, Master of Science in Program Management, and Advanced Acquisition Studies Certificate Program (January 11, 2023)

Army Memorandum for Record: Fulfillment of Defense Acquisition University Courses through Completion of the Naval Postgraduate School Academic Programs (January 23, 2023)

Questions?