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The curriculum for the community and economic development graduate certificate consists of five 3-credit courses. The certificate program can deliver the knowledge and skills you need to address important issues in community and economic development. If you want to go on to complete a master's degree, you can roll these credits into Penn State's online Master of Professional Studies in Community and Economic Development.

The five core courses introduce the field and cover the following topics:

  • principles of community and economic development
  • community organization and decision making
  • economic development and planning
  • population, land use, and municipal finance
  • techniques and methods of community and economic development

The delivery method for the core courses in this program is online group, which means that students progress together through each course. The courses are offered in a time frame comparable to a traditional semester schedule, with fixed start and end dates. The course content and activities are available in electronic format, and access to the Web is required in order to complete this program.

Course List - Graduate Certificate in Community and Economic Development 

Required Courses (15 credits)
Title Abbreviation Description Credits
Principles of Local Economic Development CEDEV 430 Concepts, strategies, and techniques of local economic analysis, planning, and development; and decision-making exercises.

Prerequisite: an introductory course in economics		 3 credits
Community Structure, Processes and Capacity CEDEV 452 Social organization and change in communities; use of sociological principles in analysis of community problems and development.

Prerequisite: 6 credits in rural sociology, sociology, or psychology		 3 credits
Community and Economic Development: Theory and Practice CEDEV 500 Understanding theories, concepts, and frameworks of community and economic development and community decision-making models in application to community development practice and issues. 3 credits
Population, Land Use, and Municipal Finance CEDEV 509 Understanding the interaction of population characteristics, land use, municipal funds, and taxation in a locality and how they impact the operation and management of government jurisdictions. 3 credits
Methods and Techniques for Community and Economic Development CEDEV 575 Understanding and applying methods and hands-on experience with techniques used in community and economic development. 3 credits

If you are interested in entering the graduate degree program, visit the Master's in Community and Economic Development program website.

Course Availability

If you're ready to see when your courses will be offered, visit our public LionPATH course search (opens in new window) to start planning ahead.