USask Regional and Urban Planning Program earns reaccreditation

The national accreditation of the University of Saskatchewan’s Regional and Urban Planning (RUP) Program has been renewed, ensuring students are on the path to careers as professional planners.

The renewal is based on an intensive review and site visit by the Professional Standards Board for the Planning Profession in Canada (PSB) that took place in fall 2025.

“Reaccreditation means that we can keep serving our province by providing Saskatchewan communities with professionally trained planners,” said Dr. Ryan Walker (PhD), chair of the Regional and Urban Planning Program and a professor in the Department of Geography and Planning.

USask’s RUP Program teaches students to lead the development of sustainable cities, towns and rural areas while balancing environmental, social, cultural and economic priorities. 

In Canada, students earn a degree from an accredited program such as USask’s as the first step to becoming a registered professional planner. They must then gain two years of professional experience, be mentored and sponsored by professional planners, and pass an exam to be professionally certified.

“We have alumni practicing all over Canada and the world, but we are very proud of the fact that most of our alumni stay right here in Saskatchewan and serve our communities here,” said Walker. “Planners are important leaders in the growth, development and preservation of quality of life that we all want in our cities, towns, and rural and reserve communities.”

The RUP Program is based in the Department of Geography and Planning in USask’s College of Arts and Science. Founded in 1968, it is one of Canada’s oldest planning degree programs.

In its report, the PSB’s site visit team praised the role of the USask program in the local planning system; its commitment to faculty certification and focus on practitioner experience; the strength of its experiential learning opportunities; and the strong sense of belonging and community among faculty, students, alumni and professionals.

Canadian university planning degree programs must be reassessed every five years to maintain accreditation. The USask program’s reaccreditation is valid until 2031.

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