AICP Certification Maintenance FAQ

1. Why did AICP decide to require a certification maintenance program?
Communities and the planning profession are constantly changing. Planners must possess up-to-date skills and knowledge of new theories, laws, tools, and techniques in order to be credible professionals and to guide community change effectively. Many other professional organizations-including planning organizations in other countries-have adopted professional certification standards that include continuing professional development. The AICP Commission believes that planners should demonstrate professional credibility through continuing education. The Commission further believes that certification maintenance standards are essential to ensure the integrity of the AICP credential and to advance the standards of planning practice.

2. How was this program developed and adopted?
The Commission has been working on this program since July 2006. Members were encouraged to read and comment on two drafts of the proposed program that were posted on the APA website. More than 2,000 comments were reviewed and considered. The final version of the CM program was approved by the Commission at its meeting on April 13, 2007.

3. What will CM mean to me?
Certification maintenance means that in addition to maintaining your AICP membership by paying dues and abiding by the AICP Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, you also are required to maintain a minimum level of professional development.

4. What are the basic elements of the FAQICP certification maintenance program?

• Within a two-year reporting period, every AICP member is required to obtain at least 32 credits for eligible professional development activities. One CM credit is equivalent to one contact hour of training.

• Each two-year period begins on January 1. The first two-year period will begin January 1, 2008. Eligible credits earned on or after April 14, 2007, will be applied to the 2008-09 reporting period.

• AICP members have a four-month grace period following a two-year reporting period to complete the period's credit requirements. Any credits used in a grace period cannot be double-counted.

• Up to 16 excess credit hours may be carried over from one reporting period to the next. (Check the website for certain exceptions.)

5. What happens if I don't fulfill the CM requirements?
An AICP member who does not fulfill CM requirements within four years of the beginning of the reporting period will lose AICP certification and be obliged to seek recertification.

6. Are there any exceptions to the CM requirements?
There are some exceptions for retired and unemployed members, members who work outside the United States, and members who request CM inactive status for personal or hardship reasons. Refer to the APA website for detailed information.

 7. How can I earn the required credits?

• You may earn professional development credits from approved courses that are provided by APA, APA-sponsored or APA-registered providers, or by PAB graduate degree programs.

• You may earn credit for volunteer, unpaid planning instruction such as teaching a course or seminar, participating in an APA conference session, or presenting a professional paper. You may earn credit only once for a particularcourse, session, or seminar.
• Credits that satisfy the continuing education requirements of another professional association also may be counted toward AICP CM requirements as long as they are approved as eligible by AICP .

• Tenured or tenure-track faculty at accredited universities may earn CM credit for publishing articles in certain journals.

8. Can I earn credits through self-study?
Only online and correspondence offerings that are approved as eligible by AICP may be taken for CM credit. Other self.-directed study will not be eligible.

9. Are there other activities that won't qualify for credit?
Yes, for example: time spent attending APA national, chapter, or division leadership business meetings; time spent mentoring; time spent volunteering (except volunteer instruction as described in question 7 above); or teaching for a salary, fee, or honorarium.

10. Are there any required toplcs?
Yes. During each two-year period, you must earn 1.5 credits on the topic of ethics and 1.5 credits on the topic of current planning law. These credits cannot be carried over to the next two-year reporting period.

11. Where can I get a list of approved programs?
AICP will maintain an online directory of registered educational providers and their AICP-approved offerings. The directory will be available to all members on the APA website. Specific course dates, times, and locations also will appear in the APA/AICP educational calendar at http://www.planning.org/calendar/.

12. How much will fulfilling CM requirements cost?
It depends. Some courses are free or charge a small fee. The cost of others, such as APA audio/web conferences or CD-ROM training programs, could be shared among individuals or agencies.

13. What if I can't afford the registered course offerings, or they aren't available nearby? How can I fulfill these requirements?
APA and AICP expect to approve courses from a variety of providers that are offered in many locations across the United States. Audio/web conferences, audiotape and CD.ROM training courses, and online courses also will be available. APA and AICP plan to develop additional low-cost and remote-access courses that will expand existing offerings. APA chapters and divisions are encouraged to do the same.

14. When and how will I log CM credits?
AICP will launch a new online CM logging system by January 2008. There will be a period of transition from the CPD logging system to CM logging. Courses currently approved for CPD credit on taken or after Apri1 14, 2007, will be carried over into the CM logging system. Once CM provider registration, course approval, and logging take effect, CPD will no longer be used.

15. How long will I be able to record credits for a reporting period?
The logging system for a two-year reporting period will be available through the subsequent four-month grace period. If you haven't logged 32 hours by the end of the grace period, you may no longer use the AICP designation. In order to be reinstated, you will have to maintain and submit your own detailed log that proves that you fulfilled your CM requirements, and pay a reinstatement fee. If you do not do this within two years after the reporting period ends, you must seek recertification.

16. What if I want to take a course for CM credit but it isn't registered as eligible by AICP?
AICP will develop procedures for becoming a registered provider and approving course offerings. AICP will post details on the APA website when they become available.

17. Where can I learn more about AICP certification maintenance?
Complete details of the approved certification maintenance program are posted online at http://www.planning.org/certification/maintenance.htm. AICP will continue to inform members of additional pertinent information in the months to come.