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Community planner education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a community planner. Community planners usually study communication, urban planning, or business. 71% of community planners hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 821 real community planner resumes to see exactly what community planner education sections show.
The most common colleges for community planners are the New York University and the New York University.
There are also many online community planner courses to help get the education required to be a community planner.
What education do you need to become a community planner?
What degree do you need to be a community planner?
- Bachelor's, 71%
- Master's, 20%
- Associate, 6%
- Doctorate, 1%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a community planner?
- Communication, 13%
- Urban Planning, 13%
- Business, 12%
- Marketing, 10%
- Other Majors, 52%
Most common colleges for community planners
| Community planner common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| New York University | 9.92% |
| Boston University | 6.61% |
| Michigan State University | 6.61% |
| Syracuse University | 5.79% |
| Pace University | 5.79% |
Best majors for community planners
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Communication | 13.2% |
| 2 | Urban Planning | 12.9% |
| 3 | Business | 12.5% |
| 4 | Marketing | 9.9% |
| 5 | Political Science | 6.8% |
Best colleges for community planners
The best colleges for community planners are University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Northwestern University.
A community planner with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for community planners. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become community planners.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
3. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
4. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
5. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
6. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
7. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
8. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
9. San Diego State University
San Diego, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,488
Enrollment
30,018
10. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
20 best online courses for community planners
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Top 10 most affordable universities for community planners
The most affordable schools for community planners are University of Florida, baruch college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for community planners are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for community planners.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,140
Cost of attendance
14,430
5. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
6. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
7. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
8. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
9. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Cost of attendance
19,559
10. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for community planners
The hardest universities for community planners to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Northwestern University.
Some great schools for community planners are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for community planners based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
2. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
4. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
6. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
7. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
8. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
9. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
10. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for community planners
The easiest schools for community planners to get into are Barry University, notre dame de namur university, and oklahoma wesleyan university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a community planner without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for community planners.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
3. Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Bartlesville, OK • Private
Admissions rate
68%
SAT average
964
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
5. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
6. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,046
7. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
8. Ottawa University
Ottawa, KS • Private
Admissions rate
78%
SAT average
1,024
9. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
10. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
Average community planner salary by education level
| Community planner education level | Community planner salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $66,927 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $63,586 |
Community planner education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025