AICP Certification
Welcome to OAPA's AICP Certification Page OAPA Supports AICP Certification and Maintenance
The American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) is the American Planning Association’s professional institute, providing recognized leadership nationwide in the certification of professional planners, ethics, professional development, planning education, and the standards of planning practice.
The Oregon Chapter of the American Planning Association provides resources and assistance to members considering taking the AICP Exam, including scholarships to partially cover fees and webinars designed to provide study tips for test takers. In recent years, the Emerging Planners Group has also hosted trivia nights for test takers to test their knowledge in a relaxed setting before the big day.
The Chapter is also active in providing Certification Maintenance (CM) opportunities for AICP members by presenting numerous events throughout the year and around the state. Visit the OAPA Events page or check out the Chapter Newsletter to see upcoming opportunities to earn CM credits.
Know Your AICP
To become a certified planner, entitled to use the AICP designation, American Planning Association (APA) members must meet certain education and experience requirements and pass a written examination. The AICP Certification Exam is given twice each year, in May and November.
All AICP members must participate in mandatory continuing education to maintain their certification. AICP members must earn a total of 32 CM credit-hours (including specific credit requirements for both Planning Law and Planning Ethics training) within their two-year reporting period.
New Mandatory Credits – Beginning January 1, 2022, AICP members will be able
to start logging two new mandatory credits in addition to Law and
Ethics. One of the new mandatory credits is Equity,
which will help planners build their skillsets in an area that is of
pressing and lasting concern to communities across the country.
The other new credit is a targeted topic, which allows the AICP Commission to rotate the topic as they deem appropriate to reflect the professional development needs of planners in a rapidly changing world. The topic for this targeted credit beginning January 1, 2022, will be Sustainability and Resilience, recognizing the growing need for planners to help their communities prepare for issues like climate change, sustainable development, and hazard resilience.
One Path to AICP
In late 2021 and into 2022 APA is developing the One Path to AICP. Below is information on this:
December 2021:
- Live now:
- New One Path to AICP certification web-pages
- Eligibility Pre-check resources
- AICP Certification Guide
- Flyer for prospective members
- A one-page document with more details
- Week of December 13, One Path will be featured:
- On the APA website homepage
- In Interact
- Now through January 2022: Personalized emails to members who have already started the certification process, detailing their specific next steps.
Spring 2022: For the first certification cycle, we will focus promotion of One Path to APA members anticipating beginning their journey or those already in the process of achieving certification. This will allow us to use the new platform and supporting materials, and make adjustments if needed to best serve the needs of a wider audience.
Fall 2022: We will shape a thoughtful outreach plan, which will include specific opportunities for each of the components to get involved. This plan will target the following four new populations:
- Early career planners
- Non-traditional planners
- Planners with allied degrees
- Allied professionals who practice planning
Students and New Graduates
Students and graduates of PAB accredited programs can now enroll in the AICP Candidate Pilot Program and take the AICP exam prior to earning the full number of years of professional planning experience. Click here to learn more! Note: A simplified certification process is coming Spring 2022. During the transition, some steps of the AICP Candidate Pilot Program process may be unavailable. Check back for more information late this fall.
For More Information
Contact Li Alligood, AICP LEED AP ND, Chapter Professional Development Officer, for more information on AICP certification and maintenance questions.