Accreditation is the process by which the RTPI approves courses in initial planning education as meeting the requirements for Chartered Membership of the RTPI. Through the Accreditation process, the RTPI assesses both the learning outcomes of a particular course, and the ability of the University Planning School to deliver the course – the effectiveness of the Planning School. This will take into account factors such as the prominence of the Planning School within the University, the availability of physical resources, and the quality of the teaching and research base.

All accredited courses must demonstrate how a student of the course, on exiting with the qualification, is able to demonstrate a set of learning outcomes.  These learning outcomes are applicable to all courses, though each Planning School and course will address the learning outcomes in different ways.

N.B. it is expected that the expenses of RTPI staff and members directly involved in the accreditation process will normally be paid by the institution seeking accreditation.

Provisional Accreditation

The concept of Provisional Accreditation was approved by the RTPI’s Executive Board in 2006.

Under previous accreditation procedures, initial planning education qualifications would not gain any form of accreditation until they had operated for at least one year. Students on the course would therefore not hold any form of accreditation. Provisional accreditation is a means of minimising the effect that this process will have on these students.

A course which is provisionally accredited has demonstrated that it will meet the learning outcomes, and that the Planning School can operate effectively, as fully as it is possible to do so without actually having run the course. Provisional accreditation is therefore awarded conditional on the course being able to meet the learning outcomes, and the school to operate effectively, over this first year. A meeting at the end of the first year of operation will therefore review the course and, assuming all is satisfactory, full accreditation will be awarded.

It is important to note that progress from provisional to full accreditation is not automatic. While it is to be hoped that the first year of operation of a provisionally accredited course will proceed satisfactorily, this is not guaranteed.

If a provisionally accredited course proceeds to full accreditation after the first year, then the students who pursued the course in its first year of operation will hold an accredited qualification for the purposes of gaining Corporate Membership of the RTPI. Should the course fail to gain full accreditation at the end of the first year of operation, this first cohort of students may not hold an accredited qualification if the full accreditation is not backdated. This risk must always be conveyed to students who enrol on courses with provisional accreditation.

Author:

Katherine Parkes

Publisher:

The Royal Town Planning Institute

Date:

04-Jan-11

Categories:

Education 

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