Finding Planning Schools

Confused about where to study planning? Of course there’s the Planetizen guide but in the United States two free sources of information provide extensive lists of potential schools.

1 minute read

October 27, 2009, 1:13 PM PDT

By Ann Forsyth

Confused about where to study planning? Of course there's
the Planetizen guide but in the United
States two free sources of information
provide extensive lists of potential schools.

The
Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning publishes The Guide to Graduate
and Undergraduate Education in Urban and Regional Planning. The fifteenth issue
came out on October 26 and is available for free download at http://www.acsp.org/education_guide/overview.
This 368 page tome provides detailed, standardized information on each CASP
member school: "FULL members are those giving planning degrees in the US. AFFILIATE
members are generally those schools in the U.S. that give degrees related to
planning but not planning degrees (urban studies or urban geography). Schools
outside the U.S.
are eligible for CORRESPONDING membership if they give planning or related
degrees" (p viii).

The Planning Accreditation Board lists all credited planning
programs including addresses and web sites: http://www.planningaccreditationboard.org/index.php?id=30.
Most are in the United
States.

Of course there are other ways to find out about the
profession
and to find others with similar interests
but these are great resources for locating schools.

Earlier blogs have dealt with getting into graduate school
in planning: how to decide if planning is for you, find the right program,
write a statement of purpose, apply, visit, and decide
which offer to take up.

guides

Ann Forsyth

Trained in planning and architecture, Ann Forsyth is a professor of urban planning at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. From 2007-2012 she was a professor of city and regional planning at Cornell. She taught previously at at the University of Minnesota, directing the Metropolitan Design Center (2002-2007), Harvard (1999-2002), and the University of Massachusetts (1993-1999) where she was co-director of a small community design center, the Urban Places Project. She has held short-term positions at Columbia, Macquarie, and Sydney Universities.

As someone new to the planning field, Planetizen has been the perfect host guiding me into planning and our complex modern challenges. Corey D, Transportation Planner

As someone new to the planning field, Planetizen has been the perfect host guiding me into planning and our complex modern challenges.

Corey D, Transportation Planner

Ready to give your planning career a boost?

Learn More

Advertise with us

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.