Certification Maintenance

How do I maintain my SPēD certification?

To maintain an active and up-to-date SPēD certification, earn 100 Professional Development Units (PDUs) within your two-year maintenance cycle, at least 50 of which must be related to security. Follow these steps to record the PDUs you earn:

  1. Log in to your DAU account.
  2. Hover over the Learning Tab and Select View Your Transcript.
  3. Select Manage next to your Certification to view all details and requirements.
  4. Select Request next to the SPēD and APC Certification Renewal Package Curriculum.
  5. Select Request again at the bottom of the window and wait for the page to reload.
  6. Select Open Curriculum.
  7. Open the first section titled Certification Maintenance Renewal Process by selecting View Details.
  8. Select Launch next to the Professional Development Unit Category Fact Sheet.
  9. Select Mark Complete to move to the next section.
  10. Open the PDU Uploads section by clicking on the title.
  11. Select Launch to access the form.
  12. Once you have uploaded proof of either 100 or 75 required PDUs, complete this requirement by selecting Mark Complete from the dropdown menu.

Please take time to review the Certification and Credential Maintenance Guidelines .

If you need additional assistance, refer to our Certification Maintenance FAQs.

How do I earn PDUs?

Effective March 15, 2025, The DCSA Security Training Directorate is initiating a comprehensive review of the SPēD Certification Program. As part of this review, we are pausing the requirement to track and report professional development units (PDUs) indefinitely. This pause allows the SPēD Program Management Office (PMO) to evaluate and improve the certification maintenance process.

What this means for program participants:

  • The SPēD program remains active. You should continue to register, apply for, and attempt certification tests using the candidate management system (CMS).
  • The maintenance and renewal requirement is paused. You are not required to track or submit PDUs in the CMS for certification renewal until further notice.
  • Certification maintenance periods will reset. All certificants will receive a new expiration date when the pause concludes. No certifications will expire or be lost during this pause.

We will provide updates and information as they become available. If you have any questions, please contact the SPēD PMO at dcsa.spedcert@mail.mil.

Conferred SPeD Certification/Credential Timeline