Welcome to the final requirement for certification! We appreciate and respect your commitment to continuing your professional education and contribution to the field.

We also want to note our appreciation of the Tennessee Certified Economic Developer (TCED) Program, administered by the UT Center for Industrial Services (UT CIS), which significantly inspired and informed the design of our courses and this capstone process.

Capstone Project Overview
Most professional certifications require documentation of applied learning as a major component of achieving certification. In general, the North Carolina Certified Economic Developer program capstone project:

• will be structured as a proposal document;
• should address a substantial challenge or opportunity related to economic development impacting your community or organization and outline a plan to resolve it;
• will not require implementation but should propose a real action and outline concrete, measurable benefits; and 
• should take two to three months to complete and submit.

Purpose of the Capstone Project
The capstone project has a three-fold purpose:

1. Give participants the opportunity to apply information gained from program course work.
2. Provide participants with an occasion to demonstrate professional knowledge, gained from both experience and formal study, and direct to address an economic development opportunity or challenge in their community or within their organization.
3. Bring attention to the needs of the community, state, or region.

Given such purposes, the final product is the culmination of a certification process that is intended to be more than an academic exercise.

NCCED Capstone Project Guidelines Timeline & Important Dates

Capstone Project Registration and Topic Proposal 

• Please register no later than January 4th at 5:00 PM
• Please complete the Capstone Project Topic Application, by January 4th at 5:00 PM
• https://eastcarolinauniversity.formstack.com/forms/ncced_capstone_project_application
• Membership and participation with NCEDA is required for certification, https://www.nceda.org/membership/

Capstone Project Introduction & Expectations, Webinar with NCEDA & ECU

• January 25th,from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM

Submit Capstone Outline

• February 8th, by close of business at 5:00 PM
• Submit Outlines via email to: Karikoa21@ecu.eduand copy cpe@ecu.edu.

Check-In Webinar with NCEDA & ECU

• March 2nd, from2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

Submit Capstone Project Papers to ECU

• April 20th, Submit Final Capstone Project Paper by close of business at 5:00 PM
• Please send your completed paper to karikoa21@ecu.eduand copy cpe@ecu.edu.

NCCED Capstone Review Panel contacts participants with Pass/Fail Information

• By May 31st, 2023

NCEDA Certification Ceremony, Mark Your Calendars & Make Your Plans

• June 27-29, 2023- Conference @ Hotel Ballast - Wilmington, NC
• Membership and participation with NCEDA is required for certification https://www.nceda.org/membership/

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