Certification Maintenance
All AICP planners must participate in mandatory continuing education to maintain their certification. AICP members must earn a total of 32 CM credit-hours (including CMs for both Planning Law and Planning Ethics training) within their two-year reporting period. If not all credits are logged within that period, members may log their credits during the grace period ending on April 30.
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.
Credits may be earned from a variety of eligible activities, including:
- Attending an activity from a registered CM provider (e.g., workshops, lectures, webinars, online courses, etc.).
- By speaking/instructing at an activity that is registered for CM credit
- By self-reporting attendance or speaking / instructing at an activity that is not registered for CM credit by the provider but meets CM criteria and is approved by APA staff.
- By authoring an article that meets AICP criteria
- By participating in qualifying volunteer activities.
- Click here for further information.
- And don’t forget to claim and log your credits! Click here for tips on how to claim and record log your CM credits.
Click these links to learn more about CM program basics, criteria required for CM training, and how to become a registered provider. For CM requests, contact the Chapter Professional Development Officer.
For information on upcoming CM activities, see the OAPA Events page and Webinars page, including on-demand webinars, and the CM search page on the APA Website.
AICP Certification Diversity Scholarship
The American Planning Association is committed to providing opportunities for all to achieve excellence in planning by fostering equity, diversity, and inclusion in the organization and in the planning profession.
AICP Certification Diversity scholarships help make the planning profession more diverse. Diversity is an inclusive concept which encompasses, but is not limited to race, ethnicity, class, gender, age, sexuality, ability, educational attainment, spiritual beliefs, creed, culture, tribal affiliation, nationality, immigration status, financial status, political beliefs, and veteran status.
How to Apply
If you are interested in applying for a scholarship, self-identify with one or more of the categories above, and have a financial need for the scholarship, please submit an applicaton. Here are additional details:
- Fifty scholarships will be awarded through a lottery system. Applicants can choose to receive the scholarship for the exam or the assessment (not both)
- Scholarship cannot be transferred to a future cycle, but recipients can re-apply
- Members who do not receive a scholarship, or members who passed the exam and would like to receive an additional scholarship for the assessment, can apply again in any future window
- All APA members (both domestic and international) can apply for the scholarship
- Test results will be shared with APA Chapter Professional Development Officers
Apply between July 5–August 31, 2023
Applicants will sent an email in September 2023 as to their application status.