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School of Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM)

Regional and Community Planning

Online Undergraduate Certificate in Regional and Community Planning

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$0 Application Fee
$0 Transfer Credit Evaluation
$0 Textbooks & eBooks

About This Program

Regional and community resources must be carefully planned and managed to ensure protection and sustainability of complex systems. The undergraduate certificate in regional and community planning from American Public University (APU) provides a useful foundation in land use planning theory and practical skills, including hazard mitigation and preparedness, sustainable design principles, and energy and resource sustainability.

Through your online community and regional planning courses, you’ll deepen your expertise in geographic information systems, environmental/community impact assessment, and resource needs assessment. You’ll study regulatory compliance and urban/regional planning, and learn research skills, critical thinking, and best practices in project management.

This certificate is useful for expanding your knowledge of regional and community planning without committing to a degree program.

What You Will Do

  1. Become familiar with critical issues in landscape-level planning and development that affect regional and local environmental planners, and assess their implications on local citizens’ environment and quality of life
  2. Understand a population’s resource needs (such as energy, water resources, sustainability, and greenspace) and develop strategies to meet those needs
  3. Learn innovative approaches, alternative actions, and strategic planning efforts used to resolve complex, landscape-level land use planning problems and meet the needs of various stakeholders
  4. Study leading trends and challenges in local and regional planning, landscape-level planning, and environmental assessment and impact
  5. Deepen your familiarity with current and emerging technologies in sustainable land-use planning and energy development and discuss appropriate uses

Program at a Glance

Number of Credits
18
Transfer up to 9 credits
Cost Per Credit
$285 | $250*
*with military grant
Courses Start Monthly
Online
and vary from 8 to 16 weeks

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Program Requirements Printable Catalog Version

Must take all courses for this section.

Course ID: 3851

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This course will provide the student with an overview of society's need for planning for hazardous situations. Every community faces the potential of hazards, both natural and manmade. Only when people are injured and property is damaged by a hazard does a disaster occur. Due to patterns of population growth and development in the United States, disasters now occur more frequently than ever before. Mitigation and preparedness strategies are critical ways of making a community more resilient against the impacts of hazards.
Registration Dates Course Dates Session Weeks
10/31/22 - 03/31/23 04/03/23 - 05/28/23 Spring 2023 Session B 8 Week session
11/28/22 - 04/28/23 05/01/23 - 06/25/23 Spring 2023 Session I 8 Week session
12/26/22 - 06/02/23 06/05/23 - 07/30/23 Spring 2023 Session D 8 Week session
01/30/23 - 06/30/23 07/03/23 - 08/27/23 Summer 2023 Session B 8 Week session
02/27/23 - 08/04/23 08/07/23 - 10/01/23 Summer 2023 Session I 8 Week session
03/27/23 - 09/01/23 09/04/23 - 10/29/23 Summer 2023 Session D 8 Week session

Course ID: 4261

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This course will introduce students to the principles of environmental sustainability. Students will explore various aspects of sustainability, including energy use, industrial processes, waste generation and disposal, and the built environment. As part of the focus on solutions, the course will introduce students to tools society can use to attain and implement sustainable practices, such as policy, law, education and communication, marketing, research advocacy, and international agreements and collaboration.
Registration Dates Course Dates Session Weeks
11/28/22 - 04/28/23 05/01/23 - 06/25/23 Spring 2023 Session I 8 Week session
01/30/23 - 06/30/23 07/03/23 - 08/27/23 Summer 2023 Session B 8 Week session
03/27/23 - 09/01/23 09/04/23 - 10/29/23 Summer 2023 Session D 8 Week session

Course ID: 3294

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This course will introduce students to current and future trends in energy technology, policy, and sustainability. It will address topics such as resource sustainability, relevant aspects of economics, sociology of innovation diffusion, product design principles, and the environmental impacts of existing and emerging energy technologies. Analysis of the range of current and future energy choices will be stressed, as well as the role of energy in determining local environmental conditions and the global climate.
Registration Dates Course Dates Session Weeks
10/31/22 - 03/31/23 04/03/23 - 05/28/23 Spring 2023 Session B 8 Week session
12/26/22 - 06/02/23 06/05/23 - 07/30/23 Spring 2023 Session D 8 Week session
02/27/23 - 08/04/23 08/07/23 - 10/01/23 Summer 2023 Session I 8 Week session

Course ID: 3295

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This course will introduce students to the basic methods of land use planning, including: goal development and formalization, planning intelligence and information systems, population forecasting, land use forecasting, land suitability analysis, land use location requirements, land classification planning, natural/sustainable land use design, and the analysis of regional or local land use plans. Through lecture, discussion, case studies, and assignments, the class will examine fundamental land use controls (i.e., General Plans and Zoning), land use policy, and contemporary land use management techniques.
Registration Dates Course Dates Session Weeks
11/28/22 - 04/28/23 05/01/23 - 06/25/23 Spring 2023 Session I 8 Week session
12/26/22 - 06/02/23 06/05/23 - 07/30/23 Spring 2023 Session D 8 Week session
01/30/23 - 06/30/23 07/03/23 - 08/27/23 Summer 2023 Session B 8 Week session
03/27/23 - 09/01/23 09/04/23 - 10/29/23 Summer 2023 Session D 8 Week session

Course ID: 3298

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This course illustrates the fundamental concepts of GIS and remote sensing technologies in the context of land use planning and management. Topics include the physical basis for remote sensing, remote sensing systems, digital image processing, data structures, database design, and spatial data analysis. The course is not intended to provide students with extensive training in particular image processing or GIS packages; however course exercises and the final project will require GIS data analysis and presentation skills.
Registration Dates Course Dates Session Weeks
11/28/22 - 04/28/23 05/01/23 - 06/25/23 Spring 2023 Session I 8 Week session
02/27/23 - 08/04/23 08/07/23 - 10/01/23 Summer 2023 Session I 8 Week session

Course ID: 2984

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This course focuses on the processes, tools, and techniques used to analyze environmental problems, establish state and federal standards, develop environmental impact statements, and make decisions regarding the environment. Students will analyze actual problems, study real environmental impact cases, and learn to use various environmental impact methodologies.
Registration Dates Course Dates Session Weeks
11/28/22 - 04/28/23 05/01/23 - 06/25/23 Spring 2023 Session I 8 Week session
02/27/23 - 08/04/23 08/07/23 - 10/01/23 Summer 2023 Session I 8 Week session

Courses Start Monthly

Next Courses Start Apr 3
Register by Mar 31
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Admission Requirements

  • All APU undergraduate programs require a minimum of a high school diploma or equivalent (i.e., GED).
  • Please read all undergraduate admission requirements before applying to this program and be prepared to submit the required documentation.
  • There is no fee to complete the APU admission application. View steps to apply.

Materials Cost

Technology fee: $65 per course | $0 for active-duty military, National Guard members, and Reservists.

Need Help?

Selecting the right program to meet your educational goals is a key step in ensuring a successful outcome. If you are unsure of which program to choose, or need more information, please contact an APU admissions representative at 877-755-2787 or info@apus.edu.

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*Cost Per Credit Hour

To minimize out-of-pocket costs, U.S. active-duty servicemembers, their spouse/dependents, National Guard members, and Reservists receive a tuition grant that caps undergraduate, master's degree, and graduate certificate tuition at $250/credit hour. In addition, a university book grant provides no-cost textbooks and ebooks for all undergraduates and military-tuition-grant-eligible master’s-level students.
See all military student benefits.