The curricula of planning programs in the U.S. are guided by the Planning Accreditation Board’s 18 skills and knowledge areas. These are informed by the needs and ethics of the practice of planning, which is a broad and diverse field integrating people, place—both built and natural, practice, and policy. The curricula of planning programs in Canada are guided by the Professional Standards Board’s six functional competencies and four enabling competencies. Like in the U.S., these are guided by the needs and ethics of planning practice, but with pertinence to Canadian contexts.

Planning courses account for history, theory, the future, and principles of equity and justice. Courses incorporate a range of skills from across the social and physical sciences, including history, land use law, human behavior, sustainability, urban economics, sociology, and design, and—in keeping with its professional practice orientation—”how to” courses on topics such as land use, environmental planning, neighborhood revitalization, community development, economic development, etc.

These skills allow planners to uphold the American Institute of Certified Planners’ Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct and the Canadian Institute of Planners’ Code of Professional Conduct. Both codes require planners to make ethical judgements in the public interest while balancing many agendas, respecting the diversity of needs, promoting equity, and allowing for public participation in continuous, open debate. 

Thus, planning coursework teaches students how to gather and analyze appropriate facts through numerous data sources and methods; ways to study, understand, and communicate the full and rich existing context of a site, neighborhood, city, region, or state; and how to foster discussions around important community issues in various public  engagement settings. 

The professional needs require students to take classes that incorporate a variety of methods and hands-on learning experiences—often with real clients in real places—that allow students to practice the skills required to be an effective analyst, designer, communicator, facilitator, advocate, and visionary.

In the U.S., all accredited planning programs are required to show how their set of core courses meet the following required knowledge, skills, and values: