Transportation Planners: How to Become One
If you were to ask a group of transportation planners about how they arrived at their current job, there's a good chance you would get several different answers about the paths and steps that each person took.
That said, there are still ways that you can develop a baseline understanding of the preparation that is necessary to become one.
The Best Adult Colleges and Careers Guide has gathered data to provide you with insight into the type of education that's commonly required for transportation planners to land a job. This page contains information, sourced from real job postings, that describes the experience levels and specific skills that employers of transportation planners expect candidates to have. In the end, this information will help you create an education or professional development plan that aligns with your career aspirations.
Keep reading to learn more about career steps for transportation planners.
What Education & Experience is Needed for Transportation Planners?
Do transportation planners need a degree? What kind of experience do transportation planners typically need? Thanks to data sourced from Lightcast™ from real job postings, we can get some clarity on those questions, as well as the level of education that is commonly required for transportation planners to secure jobs.
Education Level Required in Job Postings for Transportation Planners
Jobs Postings for Transportation Planners By Education
- Bachelor's degree: 9,825 (44%)
- Master's degree: 5,485 (25%)
- No Education Listed: 3,076 (14%)
- High School or GED: 2,181 (10%)
- Ph.D. or professional degree: 1,655 (7%)
A bachelor's degree is the level of education sought the most by employers of transportation planners. According to job data, a bachelor's degree was required for 44% of positions. In 25% of job listings a master's degree was required and in 14% of postings no education level was listed.
Experience Level Required in Job Postings for Transportation Planners
Jobs Postings for Transportation Planners By Experience
- 0-1 Years: 2,143 (20%)
- 2-3 Years: 3,823 (36%)
- 4-6 Years: 3,166 (30%)
- 7-9 Years: 680 (6%)
- 10+ Years: 784 (7%)
While the amount of required experience will vary based on the responsibility and seniority of the position, an aggregate view of job posting data can help paint a picture of the experience level sought for most job openings for transportation planners. In 36% of job postings for Transportation Planners, employers were looking for candidates with 2-3 years of experience. In 30% of listings employers were looking for candidates with 4-6 years of experience, while 0-1 years of experience was sought in 20% of job postings for transportation planners.
What Kind of Degree Do Transportation Planners Need?
So far this page has provided detail into the level of education and the amount of experience required in job openings for transportation planners, but what type of education or degree will help prepare you for a career in the field?
According to occupational data obtained through Lightcast,™ there are 21 key academic programs that can help prepare prospective transportation planners, and in 2021 a total of 52,188 of those programs were completed at institutions in the United States.
Check out the information below to learn more about the specific programs that should be considered by prospective transportation planners.
Top Degree Programs for Transportation Planners
Top 5 Degree Programs for Transportation Planners (2021)
| Program | Completions |
|---|---|
| Humanities/Humanistic Studies. | 22,283 |
| Social Sciences, General. | 18,699 |
| Behavioral Sciences. | 4,169 |
| Social Sciences, Other. | 2,381 |
| Learning Sciences. | 1,541 |
| Program | Completions |
|---|---|
| Humanities/Humanistic Studies. | 22,283 |
| Social Sciences, General. | 18,699 |
| Behavioral Sciences. | 4,169 |
| Social Sciences, Other. | 2,381 |
| Learning Sciences. | 1,541 |
| Gerontology. | 1,176 |
| Health Policy Analysis. | 318 |
| Adult Development and Aging. | 299 |
| Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services, Other. | 286 |
| Medical/Health Humanities. | 281 |
| Research Methodology and Quantitative Methods. | 235 |
| Public Policy Analysis, Other. | 114 |
| Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. | 97 |
| Education Policy Analysis. | 86 |
| Demography and Population Studies. | 77 |
| History and Political Science. | 66 |
| Geography and Environmental Studies. | 40 |
| Energy and Environmental Policy. | 17 |
| Anthrozoology. | 13 |
| Applied Demography. | 6 |
| Linguistics and Anthropology. | 4 |
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What Skills Do Transportation Planners Need?
Education and experience have been covered, so what are the specific skills and traits needed by transportation planners to secure a job?
A good way to understand this is to examine actual job postings for skills commonly sought by employers. Continue reading for a breakdown of specialized skills found in job postings for transportation planners, as well as common skills that can help you thrive in the workplace.
In-Demand Skills for Today's Transportation Planners
Based on 16,545 job postings
Top 5 Specialized Skills for Transportation Planners
| Skills | Postings | % of Total Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Economics | 5,204 | 31% |
| Data Analysis | 3,447 | 21% |
| Project Management | 3,144 | 19% |
| Transportation Planning | 2,687 | 16% |
| Statistics | 2,631 | 16% |
Top 5 Common Skills for Transportation Planners
| Skills | Postings | % of Total Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Research | 8,943 | 54% |
| Communications | 6,706 | 41% |
| Writing | 5,526 | 33% |
| Planning | 4,858 | 29% |
| Management | 4,695 | 28% |
Based on 16,545 job postings related to transportation planners, economics was the top specialized skill sought by employers, with 31% of all postings looking for that skillset. Skills for data analysis, project management, transportation planning, statistics and data collection were also highly sought.
As for common skills, research was the most desired skill found in job postings for transportation planners, followed by communications, writing, planning, management and presentations.
| Skill | Postings | % of Total Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Economics | 5,204 | 31% |
| Data Analysis | 3,447 | 21% |
| Project Management | 3,144 | 19% |
| Transportation Planning | 2,687 | 16% |
| Statistics | 2,631 | 16% |
| Data Collection | 2,267 | 14% |
| Finance | 1,986 | 12% |
| R (Programming Language) | 1,952 | 12% |
| Python (Programming Language) | 1,668 | 10% |
| Marketing | 1,663 | 10% |
| Traffic Control | 1,606 | 10% |
| Geographic Information Systems | 1,500 | 9% |
| SAS (Software) | 1,337 | 8% |
| Computer Science | 1,269 | 8% |
| SQL (Programming Language) | 1,268 | 8% |
| Statistical Analysis | 1,253 | 8% |
| Business Development | 1,231 | 7% |
| Public Policies | 1,228 | 7% |
| Stata | 1,157 | 7% |
| Urban Planning | 1,130 | 7% |
| Skill | Postings | % of Total Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Research | 8,943 | 54% |
| Communications | 6,706 | 41% |
| Writing | 5,526 | 33% |
| Planning | 4,858 | 29% |
| Management | 4,695 | 28% |
| Presentations | 4,219 | 26% |
| Operations | 3,824 | 23% |
| Microsoft Excel | 3,067 | 19% |
| Detail Oriented | 2,612 | 16% |
| Leadership | 2,577 | 16% |
| Coordinating | 2,552 | 15% |
| Problem Solving | 2,369 | 14% |
| Customer Service | 2,256 | 14% |
| Microsoft Office | 2,134 | 13% |
| Mathematics | 2,036 | 12% |
| Verbal Communication Skills | 1,888 | 11% |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | 1,859 | 11% |
| Forecasting | 1,828 | 11% |
| Innovation | 1,671 | 10% |
| Interpersonal Communications | 1,565 | 9% |
Additional Links
Ready to dig deeper into career information about transportation planners? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for transportation planners.
What do transportation planners do?
How much do transportation planners make?
All Occupations
The Best Adult Colleges and Careers Guide has compiled data for dozens of in-demand jobs. Explore our full catalog of occupation data by visiting the link below.