Certificate Requirements | Faculty

Today’s urban leaders must keep cities economically healthy, often in the face of declining populations, aging real estate, and a host of other challenges. The graduate certificate program in Urban Economic Development provides the skills and knowledge necessary to develop real-world strategies for overcoming these obstacles. The program is designed for working professionals who seek to expand their knowledge of urban economic development issues, as well as graduate students enrolled in urban planning, design, and development degree programs.

The Economic Development faculty and the certificate program work with the following collaborating research centers:

• Center for Economic Development
• Center for Public Management
• Great Lakes Environmental Finance Center
• Northern Ohio Data and Information Services

The certificate program consists of two required courses and two electives. All courses are four (4) credit hours.

Prerequisites
A grade of B or better in UST 300 Economics of Policy Analysis or UST 603 Public Finance and Economics or their equivalent, is a prerequisite for the certificate program. The program coordinator for this certificate will make rulings about whether a course is equivalent to UST 300 or UST 603.

Two required courses:

• PAD/PDD/UST605: Urban Spatial Structures
• UST 629: Economic Development Finance

Students choose two electives:

• UST 524: Distressed people, Distressed places
• UST 622: Economic Development Policy
• UST 626: Workforce Development

Certificate students must maintain a minimum graduate GPA of 3.0.

Urban Economic Development certificate classes are taught by Cleveland State University faculty, researchers, instructors, and professionals working in the region.

• Ziona Austrian, Director, Center for Economic Development
• William Bowen, Professor
• Patrick Gammons, Part-time Faculty
• Edward Hill, Dean, Professor and Distinguished Scholar
• Brian Mikelbank, Associate Professor
• Kevin O’Brien, Director, Great Lakes Environmental Finance Center and Center for Public Management
• Haifeng Qian, Assistant Professor
• Jim Robey, Part-time Faculty
• Robert Simons, Professor

For more information, contact:
Graduate Programs Adviser
Levin College of Urban Affairs
216.523-7522
urbanprograms@csuohio.edu