Information on Certification Process for Human Resource Departments

Please find below useful information for human resources personnel related to accredited degrees and the certification process for Registered Professional Planners.

Be sure to click here and carefully review job posting package details including pricing options, services included and limitations before submitting your posting.

Accredited and Non-Accredited Degrees

Please find a summary of the difference between an accredited and non-accredited degree for the Canadian certification process below.

If someone with a non-accredited degree has 5 years of planning experience already, they are able to apply for the Professional Standards Board (PSB) Prior Learning Assessment Route (PLAR) similar to someone with an accredited degree. (It’s may be more time intensive for a PLAR Route application to obtain the 5 year portfolio).

To apply with the PSB, the degree must be officially received at that time (convocation).

For PSB PLAR Route: Hold at least a four-year undergraduate degree

It is always up to the universities themselves to apply for the accreditation process with the PSB to get their programs accredited for the Certification process (https://psb-planningcanada.ca/university-accreditation/). To maintain current accredited standing, it is up to the universities to renew this process as required and approved by the PSB. If this standing is not approved or requirements are not met, the program will become a non-accredited one in the future.

Please use the wording: Either preferred or required - Membership or eligibility of Membership with the Provincial PTIA (PIBC for BC & Yukon).

Other Provincial PTIAs (APPI for Alberta & Northwest Territories): https://www.cip-icu.ca/professional-territorial-institutes-associations-ptias/

PIBC: CIP Membership is mandatory (required) for the Certified & Candidate Membership category. It can be added optional for the Pre-Candidate Membership category.

Detailed Info for all PIBC categories: https://www.pibc.bc.ca/fee-schedule

Designation use: https://www.pibc.bc.ca/rpp-certification

If you mention the designation in your posting: please use RPP, MCIP (provincial RPP first & then MCIP for CIP).

If someone becomes a new Certified Member (date as of it is officially confirmed by the PIBC Board of Directors) or you are an active paid Certified member with PIBC you have the permission to use the designation RPP, MCIP in BC & the Yukon. It was first shown as MCIP, RPP, but the direction to RPP, MCIP was changed in 2019 to reflect the more importance of the PTIA Designation RPP.

PIBC Certified Members in good standing - right of designation use:

RPP (right via the specific PTIA - Provincial and Territorial Institutes and Associations): permitted in BC & Yukon

MCIP (right via CIP):  permitted in Canada

FCIP (right via CIP):  CIP Fellowship Members only / permitted in Canada

RPP use in other provinces (APPI for NWT): Please apply for Out of province membership with the specific PTIAs listed here.

Anyone (current Member/Subscriber or not), who is not a current active Certified Member in good standing, won’t be able to use any Planning related designation. 

We don't allow to use "RPP, MCIP Candidate" for example. You can say you are a current Candidate Member, currently going through the Certification process and will become a Certified Member soon.

Someone could sue you, if you are a current Candidate member using the Certified Member designation. You will be certified, once you have passed the final PSB exam.

Examples for Eligibility:

• Accredited Degree & current Planning Employment: PSB Accredited Degree Route
• Accredited Degree & no Planning Employment: Pre-Candidate Membership
• Non-Accredited Degree & current Planning Employment & at least 5 years of Planning Experience: PSB PLAR Route
• Non-Accredited Degree & current Planning Employment & less than 5 years of Planning Experience: Pre-Candidate Membership
• Non-Accredited Degree & no Planning Employment: Public Subscriber
   

PSB Certification Process

Canada offers currently 3 different routes via the Professional Standards Board to go through the planning certification process.

Canada currently has agreements with the US & Australia to accept their accredited degrees or to apply through the Reciprocal Route when you are a current Certified Member in the AICP or PIA planning organization (more information on this via the Accredited Route or Reciprocal Route links below).

1. Accredited Degree Route: https://psb-planningcanada.ca/certification-process/application-process/accredited-degree/
2. PLAR Route (non-accredited degree): https://psb-planningcanada.ca/certification-process/application-process/prior-learning-assessment-plar/
3. Reciprocal Route (Currently certified via AICP or PIA): https://psb-planningcanada.ca/certification-process/application-process/reciprocal-advanced-standing/
    

Main points for the Canadian Certification process:

• Educational background (accredited or non-accredited degree).
• Currently working in planning or not (see PSC Planning Scope guide). This is especially important to be currently employed in planning when you apply for the first time with the PSB until you are officially confirmed as Candidate Member. (It is okay to have changed jobs or to have been on leave status during this time).
• If non-accredited degree and currently working in planning: relevant years of professional planning experience (at least 5 years needed for the PSB PLAR Route. Experience in Canada or abroad accepted / 5 years not reached yet & employed in Planning: eligible for Pre-Candidate Membership).
• Reciprocal: currently employed in planning and a current AICP or PIA Certified member.
   

Questions?
Please click here to contact Nina Schmidt, Manager of Operations