UW-Madison: UW planners have top certification rate

CONTACT: Brian Ohm, 608-262-2098, bwohm@wisc.edu

MADISON – Master’s graduates of UW-Madison’s urban and regional planning program have the highest pass rate on planning’s national certification exam, according to data from the American Planning Association.

Of the 60 accredited master’s programs in planning in the United States which had at least 20 graduates take the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) exam from 2004-11, UW-Madison’s pass rate of 98 percent was the highest.

There are currently 71 U.S. master’s programs in urban and regional planning accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board, a joint venture of the American Planning Association and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning.

The Department of Urban and Regional Planning at UW-Madison has offered an accredited master’s in planning since 1962. More than 1,000 alumni of the department are serving communities around the world in leadership positions in the public, private and non-profit sectors.

AICP certification is a national certification for professional planners and requires both educational and professional practice requirements. The AICP exam is a comprehensive examination of planning knowledge including history, law, methods, ethics, and practice.

Data on pass rates in the AICP exam for all schools can be found online at: http://www.planning.org/certification/passrates/index.htm