Step #1 - Prepare for the EDP Exam Application

Gain Work Experience

You must obtain at least 2 years of paid full-time economic development and/or entrepreneurial support work experience. To confirm your work experience meets this requirement, please submit your current resume to [email protected] for review.

Complete Coursework

The coursework for the EDP certification program is divided into 2 categories: Core Competency and Elective Competency.

You must have successfully completed all 3 Core Competency training courses listed below.
• Entrepreneurship-Led Economic Development***
• Economic Development Credit Analysis
• Entrepreneurial & Small Business Development Strategies

You must have successfully completed any 1 Elective Competency training course listed below.
• Business Retention & Expansion
• Neighborhood Development Strategies
• Technology-Led Economic Development

***Before 2025, this 3-day course was offered as two standalone courses: "Introduction to Entrepreneurship-Led Economic Development" and "Accelerating Growth Through Entrepreneurship-Led Economic Development." IEDC will continue to accept both formats to meet the EDP certification coursework requirement. However, if you have completed only one of the standalone courses, you must take the 3-day course to fulfill the requirement.

For all training courses, you can register for them through IEDC here or the University of Oklahoma Economic Development Institute (OU EDI). If you have taken any of these courses previously while pursuing the Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) credential, then IEDC will count them towards the EDP requirements.

Attend EDP Exam Essentials Workshop

This required eLearning course will be sent to approved candidates after they submit their applications and are approved. Please proceed with submitting your application.

Exceptions

You may be able to waive or substitute some of the above requirements based on the exceptions offered by IEDC. Please review the specifications below and email [email protected] to confirm if you are eligible for any of these exceptions.

1. Professionals who have attended the ED101 course with Grow America (formerly NDC) or have obtained the Economic Development Financial Professional (EDFP) credential may waive attending the Economic Development Credit Analysis training course.

2. Professionals that attend the University of Oklahoma Economic Development Institute (OU EDI) may substitute their participation at that program for the equivalent Core and/or Elective Competency training courses. These individuals must take 16 hours of instruction at OU EDI in Business Retention & Expansion and 24 hours of instruction in Economic Development Credit Analysis.

Step #2 - Submit the EDP Exam Application & Fee

Candidates must submit a complete Project Assessment with their EDP exam application. Candidates may continue refining the Project Assessment after applying, but the final version must be submitted to [email protected] before the Multiple-Choice Exam. Candidates should carefully review their work before submitting the final version, as this is the document that will be provided to the grading panel and discussed during the Project Assessment Oral Exam Interview.

EDP Application Link

Retake Application Link

After submitting your application, you will be invoiced the application fee based on this chart.

Cancellation - If a candidate no longer plans to sit for the exam, they must send an email to [email protected]. If the email is received at least 15 business days in advance of the scheduled exam, then the candidate will only forfeit their fee to IEDC. If the email is received within 15 business days of the scheduled exam, then the candidate will forfeit their fee to IEDC and be charged an additional $130.00 by IEDC.

Transfer Option - If a candidate wants to sit for the exam at a different time than what they had originally scheduled, they must send an email to [email protected]. If the email is received at least 15 business days in advance of the originally scheduled exam, then the candidate will not incur any additional fee. If the email is received within 15 business days of the originally scheduled exam, then the candidate will be charged $130.00 by IEDC. A candidate is only able to use this transfer option once, and they must sit for the next exam offered by IEDC.

Step #3 - Take the EDP Exam

The EDP Exam is made up of 2 sections:

• Multiple Choice - The questions come directly from the training manuals for the 4 Core Competency courses and 1 Elective Competency course, which is chosen by the candidate.

• Oral Interview - The candidate must pass the Multiple Choice section in order to move on to the Oral Interview. In this section, the candidate will be interviewed by a panel of current EDPs about the project plan they previously submitted with their exam application. If the candidate passes this section, then they will be a newly minted EDP with IEDC!

If you have any questions about the EDP program, please reach out to [email protected] for assistance.