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Land planner education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a land planner. Land planners usually study urban planning, landscape architecture, or geography. 71% of land planners hold a bachelor's degree, and 21% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 367 real land planner resumes to see exactly what land planner education sections show.
The most common colleges for land planners are the Arizona State University and the Arizona State University.
There are also many online land planner courses to help get the education required to be a land planner.
There are certain land planner certifications that you should consider. These land planner certifications include Geographic Information Systems Professional (GISP) and Certified Planner (AICP).
What education do you need to become a land planner?
What degree do you need to be a land planner?
- Bachelor's, 71%
- Master's, 21%
- Associate, 5%
- Doctorate, 2%
- Other Degrees, 1%
What should I major in to become a land planner?
- Urban Planning, 20%
- Geography, 13%
- Other Majors, 40%
Most common colleges for land planners
| Land planner common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Arizona State University | 9.21% |
| University of Georgia | 7.89% |
| University of Oregon | 6.58% |
| California State University - San Bernardino | 6.58% |
| University of Washington | 5.26% |
Best majors for land planners
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Urban Planning | 19.7% |
| 2 | Landscape Architecture | 18.9% |
| 3 | Geography | 12.9% |
| 4 | Environmental Science | 8.0% |
| 5 | Business | 5.6% |
Best colleges for land planners
The best colleges for land planners are Columbia University in the City of New York, University of Pennsylvania, and Carnegie Mellon University.
A land 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 land 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 land 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. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
5. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
6. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
7. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
8. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
9. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
10. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
20 best online courses for land planners
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Top 10 most affordable universities for land planners
The most affordable schools for land planners are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and university of south florida.
If the best universities for land 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 land planners.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
3. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
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. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
6. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
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 International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
9. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Cost of attendance
19,559
10. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for land planners
The hardest universities for land planners to get into are Columbia University in the City of New York, University of Pennsylvania, and Carnegie Mellon University.
Some great schools for land 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 land 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. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
3. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
4. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
5. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
6. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
7. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
8. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
9. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
10. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,448
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for land planners
The easiest schools for land planners to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, kean university, and rutgers, the state university of new jersey - camden.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a land 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 land planners.
1. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
2. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
3. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - Camden
Camden, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,086
4. Portland State University
Portland, OR • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,111
5. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
992
6. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
7. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
8. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
9. Old Dominion University
Norfolk, VA • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,093
10. Jacksonville University
Jacksonville, FL • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,185
Average land planner salary by education level
| Land planner education level | Land planner salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $65,925 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $62,592 |
Land planner education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025