Become a Planner – APA Certified University Programs

Pennsylvania has two graduate planning programs and one undergraduate program accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board, a joint effort of the American Planning Association and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning.


Temple University
The Tyler School of Art and Architecture educates and inspires students to be active participants in society with the highest aspirations for creative and social achievement, individual expression, scholarly discovery and innovation.

Learning at Tyler is a profoundly transformative process in which students exceed their own expectations as creators, scholars, educators and active citizens. Tyler prepares students to make valuable contributions in a range of fields through the strength of their creative and technical skills, their ability to visualize solutions to problems and their personal vision informed by social and civic responsibility…

Visit Temple University’s website for more information: https://tyler.temple.edu/


University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design prepares students to address complex sociocultural and environmental issues through thoughtful inquiry, creative expression, and innovation. As a diverse community of scholars and practitioners, we are committed to advancing the public good–both locally and globally–through art, design, planning, and preservation… 

Visit University of Pennsylvania’s website for more information: https://www.design.upenn.edu/


Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Geography focuses on the investigation of the distribution of natural and human-created phenomena over the Earth’s surface. Geographers are interested in documenting where things are and in trying to explain and analyze geographic distributions. Planning involves working to further the welfare of people and the communities that they live in by creating sustainable, equitable, efficient, and aesthetically pleasing living environments in the present and future. Planners work in various settings and at many different scales—from rural areas to very large cities, as well as suburbs and resort areas. In a nutshell, planning involves integrating the desires of a community’s citizens with professional methods of analyzing population trends, economic patterns, and infrastructure availability to develop a sustainable plan for future development…

Visit Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s website for more information: https://www.iup.edu/georegionalplan/