Gain Work Experience
You must obtain at least 4 consecutive years of paid full-time economic development work experience within the past 6 years. To confirm your work experience meets this requirement, please submit your current resume to ccolan@iedconline.org for review.
Complete Coursework
The coursework for the CEcD certification program is divided into 2 categories: Core Competency and Elective Competency.
You must attend all 4 Core Competency training courses listed below.
• Basic Economic Development Course (BEDC)
• Business Retention & Expansion
• Economic Development Credit Analysis
• Real Estate Development & Reuse
You must attend any 2 Elective Competency training courses listed below.
• Economic Development Finance Programs
• Economic Development Marketing & Attraction
• Economic Development Strategic Planning
• Entrepreneurial & Small Business Development Strategies
• Foreign Direct Investment & Exporting
• Managing Economic Development Organizations
• Neighborhood Development Strategies
• Technology-Led Economic Development
• Workforce Development Strategies
• Introduction to Entrepreneurship-Led Economic Development or Accelerating Growth Through Entrepreneurship-Led Economic Development
To register for the Basic Economic Development Course (BEDC), click here. For all other training courses, you can register for them through IEDC here or the University of Oklahoma Economic Development Institute (OU EDI).
Attend CEcD Exam Essentials Workshop
This required, free workshop provides an overview of the CEcD Exam process—from the application through the oral interview. You can register for this workshop through IEDC.
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 ccolan@iedconline.org to confirm if you are eligible for any of these exceptions.
1. Professionals who have been in the field of economic development for at least 5 years will have the option of waiving the required Basic Economic Development Course (BEDC). However, these individuals will still be expected to take a total of 6 training courses, substituting a third Elective Competency training course for the BEDC. These individuals are responsible for material covered in the BEDC training manual. It is recommended these individuals purchase the training manual for this particular area.
2. 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.
3. Professionals who have completed a graduate program in economic development (this does not include planning, public policy, or economics) will have the option of waiving the required Basic Economic Development Course (BEDC) as well as 1 Elective Competency training course. These individuals are responsible for material covered in the BEDC training manual and the training manual of the waived Elective Competency. It is recommended these individuals purchase the training manuals for both of these particular areas.
4. Professionals who have obtained the Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation or have demonstrated mastery through the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR) may waive attending the Real Estate Development & Reuse training course.
5. 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 Real Estate Development & Reuse, 16 hours of instruction in Business Retention & Expansion, and 24 hours of instruction in Economic Development Credit Analysis. These individuals must take 16 hours of instruction at OU EDI in the topic that aligns with the Elective Competency training course as well.
Along with your application or form, you must submit a fee to IEDC based on this chart.
| Application Type | Member Fee | Non-Member Fee |
| Initial Application | $610.00 | $850.00 |
| Retake Form | $385.00 | $490.00 |
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.
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CEcD Exam - Summer |
CEcD Exam - Fall |
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Location: Online Application Deadline: June 20, 2025 |
Location: Online Application Deadline: October 10, 2025 |
The CEcD Exam is made up of 3 sections:
Multiple Choice/Short Answer - The questions come directly from the training manuals for the 4 Core Competency courses and 2 Elective Competency courses, which are chosen by the candidate.
Essay - This section requires the candidate to write responses to prompts related to Business Retention & Expansion, Economic Development Credit Analysis, and Real Estate Development & Reuse. The candidate will also need to select 2 additional prompts and respond to those as they see fit.
Oral Interview - The candidate must pass both the Multiple Choice/Short Answer and Essay sections in order to move on to the Oral Interview. In this section, the candidate will be interviewed by a panel of current CEcDs. If the candidate passes this section, then they will be a newly minted CEcD with IEDC!
If you have any questions about the CEcD program, please reach out to [email protected] for assistance.