Site planner education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a site planner. Site planners usually study business, landscape architecture, or drafting and design. 63% of site planners hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 239 real site planner resumes to see exactly what site planner education sections show.

The most common colleges for site planners are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online site planner courses to help get the education required to be a site planner.

What education do you need to become a site planner?

What degree do you need to be a site planner?

The most common degree for site planners is bachelor's degree, with 63% of site planners earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 19% and associate degree degree at 11%.

Bachelor's, 63%

Associate, 19%

Master's, 11%

High School Diploma, 6%

Other Degrees, 1%

What should I major in to become a site planner?

You should major in business to become a site planner. 23% of site planners major in business. Other common majors for a site planner include landscape architecture and drafting and design.

Business, 23%

Landscape Architecture, 17%

Drafting And Design, 8%

Urban Planning, 6%

Other Majors, 46%

Most common colleges for site planners

Site planners often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Northern Kentucky University, and Harvard University. Here are the most common colleges for site planners in the US based on their resumes.

Site planner common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	14.00%
Northern Kentucky University	12.00%
Harvard University	6.00%
Mississippi State University	6.00%
University of Iowa	6.00%

Show more common site planner colleges

Best majors for site planners

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	23.1%
2	Landscape Architecture	17.1%
3	Drafting And Design	7.7%
4	Urban Planning	6.0%
5	Architecture	5.1%

Show more common site planner majors

Best colleges for site planners

The best colleges for site planners are University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Northwestern University.

A site 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 site 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 site 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. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

6. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

7. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

20 best online courses for site planners

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Top 10 most affordable universities for site planners

The most affordable schools for site planners are University of Florida, baruch college of the city university of new york, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for site 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 site 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 - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

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. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

7. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

8. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

9. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

10. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for site planners

The hardest universities for site planners to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for site 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 site 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

SAT average

1,492

2. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

4. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

5. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

6. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

9. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

10. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for site planners

The easiest schools for site planners to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, wayland baptist university, and barry university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a site 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 site planners.

1. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

2. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

3. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

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. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

7. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

8. Ottawa University

Ottawa, KS • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,024

9. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

10. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey - Camden

Camden, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,086

Average site planner salary by education level

Site planners with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $67,947 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, site planners earn a median annual income of $67,858 compared to $61,830 for site planners with an Associate degree.

Site planner education level	Site planner salary
Master's Degree	$67,947
High School Diploma or Less	$57,419
Bachelor's Degree	$67,858
Some College/ Associate Degree	$61,830

Site planner education FAQs

What is the best college for Site Planners?

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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