North Carolina Certified Economic Developer (NCCED) Program

Course Description

Offered in partnership with the North Carolina Economic Development Association (NCEDA), the certification program provides practical knowledge concerning the practice of economic development in North Carolina to economic development personnel, elected officials, business leaders and others interested in the field.

Certification Requirements

Participants who wish to earn the certification must complete seven (7) courses and a capstone project for a total of 84 contact hours. Participants must successfully complete the course of study and pass the capstone project review to earn the North Carolina Certified Economic Developer designation from NCEDA. Program courses may be taken as desired without formal matriculation in the certification program.

All are welcome to take NCCED courses, while only economic development practitioners are eligible to complete the Capstone and become certified. Economic development practitioners are defined as those working in a local, regional, or state economic development organization, a utility provider who works in the company’s economic development division or resource providers whose jobs have at least a 75% focus on economic development. 
Please contact NCEDA directly liz@nceda.org with any questions regarding certification eligibility.

Criteria for Certification

• Complete all coursework and the Capstone project
• You must be a NCEDA Member

Additional Criteria for all participants starting on or after January 2024.

• Must be a practicing Economic Developer
• If you plan to seek certification, you must have two consecutive years of practicing experience; years of experience as a practitioner can be served while completing the NCCED coursework.
• Participants have 5 years to complete the program from the first course to completion of the Capstone and certification.

NCCED Core Courses

Course Dates	Core Courses (10 Hours)
January 17 & 18, 2024	Retention and Expansion in North Carolina
April 17 & 18, 2024	Innovation and Entrepreneurship in North Carolina
May 15 & 16, 2024	Attraction in North Carolina
Offered Annually	IEDC Basic Course - offered by UNC School of Government (24 hours)
September 18 & 19, 2024	Data & Analytics for Economic Developers in North Carolina
November 13 & 14, 2024	Organization, Operation, and Strategy for Economic Developers in North Carolina
December 11 & 12, 2024	Legal Framework for Economic Developers in North Carolina
Starts in December, annually	Capstone Project (January-May)

Format

Most courses will be hosted on ECU’s campus in the Willis Building Auditorium located at 300 E. 1st Street in Greenville, NC.

FAQs

• Estimated Program Costs
  • $395 per Core Corse ($2,765 total)
  • IEDC Basic Course at UNC, Estimated at $750
  • Membership with NCEDA
  • Travel Expenses
  • NCEDA Annual Conference (Certification Ceremony)
• Most of the courses are offered on ECU Campus.
• The Basic Course is offered by and held at UNC School of Government
• You may start the course work at any time:
  • Each course is offered once per year.
  • All courses must be completed before you may take the Capstone Project, which is offered annually.
  • Capstone Project applications are accepted in December and the course begins in January.

For more information on the North Carolina Certified Economic Developer program, contact Annette Kariko at karikoa21@ecu.edu

IEDC Basic Course- offered by UNC School of Government (24 hours)

Estimate $750

UNC has not published the price for the 2023 class.
Contact for UNC course cost information:

Dale R. Zuckert
Assitant Registrar
UNC School of Government
Knapp Building CB#3330
Chapel Hill, NC 27599
919.966.4414

Membership with NCEDA

Membership dues are $295 annually with an additional $25 application fee the first year.

Annual Conference– The certification is awarded at the NCEDA annual conference.

Recertification Guidelines

Click HERE for the NCCED Recertification Guidelines document.