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Basic Requirements
Degree: community planning; or related field such as urban affairs, architecture, landscape architecture, engineering, sociology, geography, economics, political science, or public administration in an accredited college or university that included at least 12 semester hours in the planning process, socioeconomic and physical elements of planning, urban and regional economic analysis, and development finance.
Note: Applicants with degrees in related fields, such as those listed above, who do not have the 12 semester hours of specified course work must have had at least 1 year of work experience in community planning acquired under the supervision and guidance of a community planner.
OR
Combination of education and experience: courses equivalent to a major in one of the above disciplines, or a combination of related courses totaling at least 24 semester hours in any combination of the above disciplines in an accredited college or university, of which at least 12 semester hours were in the planning process, and socioeconomic and physical elements of planning, plus appropriate experience or additional education.
Additional Experience and Education Requirements For GS-7 and Above
In addition to meeting the basic entry qualification requirements described above, applicants must have specialized experience and/or directly related education in the amounts shown in the table below:
|
Grade |
Education |
Specialized Experience |
|
GS-7 |
1 year of graduate-level education or superior academic achievement |
1 year equivalent to at least GS-5 |
|
GS-9 |
2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree |
1 year equivalent to at least GS-7 |
|
GS-11 |
3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree |
1 year equivalent to at least GS-9 |
|
GS-12 and above |
|
1 year equivalent to at least next lower grade level |
|
NOTE: Education and experience may be combined for all grade levels for which both education and experience are acceptable. |
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Graduate Education: Completion of graduate level education in an accredited
college or university in the amounts shown in the table, in addition to meeting
the basic requirements, is qualifying for positions at grades GS-7 through GS-11
if it provided the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work.
One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit
hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time
study. If that number cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours
should be considered an academic year of graduate study. Part-time graduate
education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time
study at the school attended.
Individuals can be converted noncompetitively to a GS-9 position if they complete all the requirements of a Federal graduate-level student-trainee program, including completion of a master's degree in community planningand completion of 640 hours of work experience, 320 hours of which was at GS-7.
Regardless of the field of undergraduate study, completion of the requirements for a master's or higher degree in commuity planning is fully qualifying for the grade indicated, provided the applicant's total background, i.e., education and any experience, demonstrates evidence of knowledge, skills, and abilities that are substantially equivalent to those acquired through the successful completion of the courses specified above.
Specialized Experience: Experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Typically, specialized experience must have been doing community planning work, or work that is very closely related.
Additional Experience and Training Provisions for Graduates of Professional Degree Curricula: