Activities
- Seminars and colloquia
- Professional accreditation
- Canadian Association of Planning Students
- Field trips
- International field courses
Seminars and colloquia
Seminars are held on a regular basis when members of the department and visitors present papers under the auspices of the Geography Department Intersections Series and the new Planning Colloquium. Similar activities take place at the Centre for Urban and Community Studies, the Centre for Environment, the Centre for International Studies and numerous other places within the University. Students in the Program in Planning also organize seminar sessions to share their experiences in various planning environments.
Professional
accreditation
Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) and Ontario Professional Planners’ Institute (OPPI). The MSc in Planning Program is accredited by CIP and OPPI, so graduates who are student members enjoy facilitated access to Institute services, Examination B and provisional membership in OPPI/CIP. Full membership may then be obtained after a prescribed period of professional experience and successful completion of an oral exam (Examination A). Students are advised to become student members of CIP and OPPI for the duration of their residence in the Program.
Canadian Association of Planning Students
The students in the Program are members of the Canadian Association of Planning Students. Representatives attend national and provincial conferences, and the organization also provides a link with the Canadian Institute of Planners. Lectures and conferences are available to students during the year.
Field trip course
Every year, Master’s-level planning students starting their second year of studies have the opportunity to participate in a field trip course for credit. This involves selecting a city, conducting preliminary research on planning issues and institutions, travel to the selected city to meet with planners there and learn about planning in other jurisdictions, and completion of assigned coursework. Cities visited in past trips include Mexico City, Portland (Oregon), St. Louis, and Boston. Students help plan the trips, which usually take place in August or early September.
International field
courses
Graduate students in planning and geography have the option to take an international field course for credit during the summer term. These courses are jointly taught by faculty from the University of Toronto and from universities in the host country. Students in past field courses have travelled to Japan and Indonesia. A field course is being planned in May 2009 for Berlin, Germany.
