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Community Development

Program and Application Information
Program Coordinator:Dr. Gary Goreham
Email:gary.goreham@ndsu.edu
Department Location:Minard Hall Rm. 428
Department Phone:(701) 231-7637
Department Web Site:www.ndsu.edu/ced/
Application Deadline:International application materials must be received before May 1 for the fall semester and prior to August 1 for spring and summer semesters. Domestic applications must be received at least one month prior to the start of the semester.
Degrees Offered:M.A., M.S.
English Proficiency Requirements:TOEFL ibT 71; IELTS 6

Program Description

The Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Emergency Management in cooperation with the Department of Agribusiness and Applied Economics offers a master's degree in Community Development. The degree is a multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary, online program in conjunction with the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance (IDEA). Other institutions participating in this program include Iowa State University, Kansas State University, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and South Dakota State University.

The primary audience for this program is community economic development officials and specialists already employed in the field.

The program requires a total of 36 credit hours, including 16 credits (six courses) of core courses, 15 credits in two of the four track areas, and up to six credits of thesis. The four track areas include Building Economic Capacity, Natural Resource Management, Working with Native Communities, and Non-profit Leadership.

Program Objectives

The objectives of the Community Development graduate degree program are to:

  • Increase the skills, knowledge, and competencies of community economic development officials who are currently employed and have limited opportunity to participate in an on-campus degree program.
  • Provide graduate training for individuals entering the community economic development career field who require training/degrees for career advancement.
  • Enhance the community economic development skills, knowledge, and competencies of individuals working with Native American communities, natural resource-based communities, non-profit organizations, and/or state and local government.

Program Requirements

A total of 36 credits are required for the master's degree program. Students will write a thesis or complete a creative component (Plan B) to capstone the degree program, which will be worth six credit hours. The student's schedule of courses must be approved by the faculty adviser and the campus coordinator. Students may select either a Master of Science (M.S.) or Master of Arts (M.A.) option. The M.A. option requirement normally includes two (2) years of a foreign language. This requirement can be satisfied with undergraduate courses and/or a proficiency examination.

Students will be required to take all of the six core courses and an additional 15 credits selected from at least two tracks.

The core courses are:

CED 709Community Development Orientation1
CED 711Principles and Strategies of Community Change3
CED 713Community Development II: Organizing for Community Change3
CED 715Community Analysis: Introduction to Methods3
CED 717Community and Regional Economic Policy and Analysis3
CED 719Community Natural Resource Management3

There are presently four tracks that have been developed from which students may choose. These include:

  • Building Economic Capacity
  • Natural Resource Management
  • Working with Native Communities
  • Non-profit Leadership

A sample schedule for a student in the Building Economic Capacity track may look as follows:

First Year
FallCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
Community Development Orientation1Community Development II3Community and Natural Resources Management3
Community Development I3Community and Regional Economics and Analysis3 
Community Analysis: Introduction to Methods3  
 7 6 3
Second Year
FallCreditsSpringCreditsSummerCredits
Economic Development and Strategies and Programs3Cluster and Regional Economic Development Workshop3Real Estate3
Impact Analysis3Thesis2Thesis3
Cost Benefit Analysis3  
 9 5 6
Total Credits: 36

For additional information:  http://www.ndsu.edu/ced/on_line_masters/