Throughout the world there are over 160,000 protected areas that are managed with the aim of ensuring the long term conservation of nature with associated ecosystem services and cultural values. Good planning is essential if protected areas are to achieve this aim. This course equips students with the knowledge and skills required by contemporary protected area planners. This course covers planning practice in government, private and community-based protected areas. The course has been developed as part of an initiative to establish a protected area learning and research centre. This initiative is being led by a Steering Committee comprising representatives from The University of Tasmania, Tasmania Parks & Wildlife Service, Tasmanian Land Conservancy, Parks Victoria, Parks Australia, IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, James Cook University, Murdoch University and Charles Darwin University. At completion of the course, graduates will be equipped to: analyse and contribute to planning processes for reserve selection; design planning processes that support adaptive management; prepare protected area management plans; plan community engagement processes; and engage in planning practice that is informed by planning theory.