Ready to pursue a career in planning? We’ll help you get there.
Completing a recognised tertiary planning course is an important step in becoming a planning professional.
When choosing which planning course to study at university, PIA recognises a range of university planning courses across Australia as delivering the educational requirements planners need.
You can also think about internship opportunities or experience before university to get a taste of planning.
Accreditation policy
PIA runs an ongoing campaign promoting planning as a career choice. Explore the campaign website and get involved!
A career in planning allows you to be part of the solution to many of the challenges facing our world – from tackling climate change, providing safe and affordable places to live, and managing population growth.
The demand for planning professionals is growing, with planners needed in almost every community – across cities and towns as well as regional and remote areas. Working as a planner can offer unique experiences in both Australia and overseas
Choose from a variety of roles working in local, state or federal government, private consultancy, or with other disciplines such as architecture, or engineering. The planning profession also offers opportunities for professional accreditation, training and development, and career progression.
Ready to begin your planning studies? Explore the PIA accredited courses in each State and Territory.
Here’s some common questions we get about getting started with planning as a career.
A. Whilst many planners do work in the local government to help their communities develop in the best ways possible, planners also work in private consultancies, in Federal and State Government and university research and teaching. Planning can lead to a wide range of specialities and varied career paths.
A. Yes, we highly recommend completing an accredited planning course as the easiest means to get the skills you need to enter the planning profession.
A. We have over 23 universities around Australia that offer accredited Bachelor (if it’s your first degree) and Masters (if you have a previous qualification) courses. A number of these universities offer both or a choose in different courses.
A. As long as you pick an accredited course, you will be learning all the core skills planners need. Courses do vary with each university covering core content whilst also playing to a strength of that university. Some courses will be more design based, some focused more on geography or science or technology. It is worthwhile going to the website of each university you are interested in to look at the subjects/units that make up the courses. The more interesting the subjects are to you, the better suited to that course you will be.
A. We accredit the planning courses in the tertiary sector against our Accreditation Policy. This ensures that these courses are teaching the skills we know employers and our communities need in the profession.
A. We run our accreditation process on a five-year rolling schedule. If a course you are looking at, or enrolled in, is showing as accredited only until the end of this year it just means this course is currently undergoing its reaccreditation process.
A. Yes to both! You can join PIA at a special student rate whilst you are studying, and this automatically connects you with our Young Planners network. Find out more about becoming a student member of PIA
Explore the journeys of other planners who have gone before you.