ACE CREDITS HELP PROFESIONALS GROW

The Center for Development of Security Excellence’s (CDSE) products and services support the professional development of security personnel in the Department of Defense (DOD), cleared industry, and throughout the Federal Government. We offer security training, education, and certification programs that improve the workforce’s skills and knowledge. In addition to enhancing the security community’s knowledge and skills, some of our courses may be applied as credits toward a degree at select colleges and universities. 

Our affiliation with the American Council on Education’s College Credit Recommendation Service (ACE CREDIT) allows CDSE students to transfer these credits for successful completions of certain courses to participating institutions where they may be pursuing a degree. Acceptance of ACE recommended credits depends on the school and the program. If accepted, students can reduce their overall tuition costs and time required to complete their degree.

CDSE hosts 37 tuition-free courses that students can take to earn credits toward a degree. These courses cover a wide range of subjects, and some offer students different ways to attend them. For instance, the DOD Security Specialist Course has virtual and in-person options. The 7-day course provides students a baseline of fundamental knowledge to perform common DOD security tasks and practices. Another course is Effective Communication in DOD Security, a 35-hour, fully online course spread over 16 weeks. The course introduces students to the fundamentals of writing and presentation in the context of the DOD. 

Students can earn between two and six credits by completing a CDSE course with ACE credit recommendations, depending on the instructional time of the course. Some courses require more instructional time or attendance hours than others do. These courses simulate the rigors of college classes while still being useful to the careers of security practitioners. In addition to earning credits toward degrees, students also receive a digital badge upon completing an ACE-credit recommended course. 

Digital badges are electronic representations of certifications and credentials, which have been traditionally acknowledged with a paper certificate, and can be used in email signatures, digital resumes, and/or social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Digital badges also help students gain recognition by allowing them to easily display and share their achievements. 

The digital badges serve to verify a student’s skills and knowledge learned from completing a certificate program or course. Since the badges are available online, they are portable and transparent, and the course details behind each badge means others can see what it took to earn the award. Through the student’s Credly account where the digital badges are issued, the student can send an official ACE digital academic transcript to the institution to which they are applying. More information about digital badges can be found here.

Completing a college degree is a challenging, yet rewarding endeavor that can improve a person’s job prospects and earning power. CDSE aims to help security practitioners achieve their full potential through ACE credit recommendations by offering courses relevant to their career and which can help them graduate.