OU EDI Core Requirements
OU EDI has aligned its curriculum to meet the education standards and requirements set by the IEDC Education and Certification Committees. These committees and OU EDI have identified three core areas considered to be the building blocks of economic development: Business Retention and Expansion (BRE), Real Estate, and Credit Analysis.
Each OU EDI Participant Must Study these Three Core Areas by Completing the Following Courses:
- Business Retention and Expansion (16 hours)
- Real Estate Development and Reuse (16 hours)
- Economic Development Credit Analysis (24 hours)
OU EDI Elective Requirements
In addition to the core areas, OU EDI has developed a curriculum intended to give the participants a broad-based education and to develop the skills necessary to be successful economic developers, while simultaneously covering four of the topic areas necessary to prepare for IEDC’s CEcD certification exam.
- Economic Development Marketing and Attraction
- Economic Development Strategic Planning
- Entrepreneurial and Small Business Development Strategies
- Managing Economic Development Organizations
- Community and Neighborhood Development
- Workforce Development
OU EDI and IEDC have worked closely to ensure that OU EDI graduates will have fulfilled the necessary classroom contact hours in the three core areas and the elective areas of concentration to satisfy the education requirements necessary to sit for the CEcD exam.
For additional information on the CEcD Requirements and the Examination Process, please visit IEDC’s website at www.iedconline.org.
Some Things to Remember:
- OU EDI Course Materials are accredited by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC)
- 117 credit hours are required to graduate from OU EDI
- OU EDI does not accept transfer credit (courses taken elsewhere) towards completion of the OU EDI certificate
- All participants must attend at least one in-person Institute to achieve OU EDI certificate
- OU EDI coursework must be completed within a six-year time frame
- All participants are required to take the three Core Courses and three Elective Courses
- An elective is a category such as Marketing or Strategic Planning with 16 hours earned in that area (or 18 hours if taken online)
- All OU EDI graduates will have the necessary course curriculum to sit for the Certified Economic Developer (CEcD Exam)
- OU EDI offers the Primer to the CEcD Exam, which is required by the IEDC to sit for the exam
View OU EDI Course Descriptions