undergradly.
Major · Architecture & Related Services

A licensed profession with a five-year undergraduate path

Architecture is a regulated, licensed profession — the undergraduate credential that matters is the five-year Bachelor of Architecture (BArch), the NAAB-accredited path to licensure. Around 3,649 degrees are awarded each year across 109 colleges, with bachelor's completers reporting a five-year earnings median of $67,453 and career destinations ranging from $96,690 for licensed architects to $167,740 for architectural and engineering managers. The data exposes a sharp split: associate's completers earn just $36,438, because associate's is not a recognized credential on the path to architectural licensure.

Schools offering
109
Annual completions
3,649
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$67k

About this major

Architecture is a regulated professional discipline — the study of designing buildings and the built environment combined with the technical, legal, and ethical frameworks that govern architectural practice. The CIP definition covers architectural design, history, theory, building structures, environmental systems, project and site planning, construction, and professional responsibilities. Coursework typically moves from foundational design studios and drawing through structural and environmental systems into advanced studios, professional practice, and a capstone thesis project. The examples in the CIP data — Architecture (BArch, BA/BS), Architecture (MArch/MA/MS), Architecture (PhD) — flag the single most important structural fact about this major: the credential label determines whether the degree satisfies state architectural-licensure requirements on its own or requires additional graduate work.

Program scale is substantial and geographically concentrated. About 3,649 degrees are awarded each year across 109 colleges, with the top-ten programs showing an unusually strong Texas footprint: Texas Tech University (161), University of Texas at San Antonio (115), University of Houston (106), Texas A&M University-College Station (101), and University of Texas at Arlington (97) — five of the top ten. Arizona State leads overall with 162 completions, followed by the University of Maryland-College Park (138), UC Berkeley (109), University of Florida (103), and University of Minnesota-Twin Cities (97). The Texas concentration tracks sustained regional population and construction growth; the remaining schools are land-grant and flagship universities with established NAAB-accredited programs.

The earnings data exposes a sharp credential gradient. Bachelor's completers earn a five-year median of $67,453 while associate's completers earn $36,438 — a $31,015 annual gap reflecting the fact that associate's degrees in architecture lead to drafter and technician roles rather than licensed-architect roles. The career list names three destinations aligned with the bachelor's path: architects, except landscape and naval ($96,690 median, 3.9% projected growth) is the licensed-professional role the major is designed around; architectural and engineering managers ($167,740) is the mid-career management ceiling; architecture teachers, postsecondary ($101,480) is the doctoral-track academic path. Entry-level pre-licensure roles — architectural designer, BIM coordinator, drafter at licensed firms — typically fall in the $50K–$65K range and explain why the five-year bachelor's median sits below the licensed-architect wage.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Architectural and engineering managers $168k +3.8% Bachelor's degree
Architects, except landscape and naval $97k +3.9% Bachelor's degree
Architecture teachers, postsecondary $101k +2.0% Doctoral or professional degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$67k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$36k

Bachelor's

$67k

Who this major is for

Students committed to the licensed architecture profession — designing buildings, running a practice, pursuing state licensure — are the core audience. Comfort with design studios (long hours, iterative critique, physical and digital model-making), enough mathematics and physics to handle structural and environmental systems coursework, and patience for the long licensure pipeline (accredited degree plus Architectural Experience Program plus the Architect Registration Examination) all indicate strong fit. Students choosing between a five-year BArch and a four-year BA/BS should weigh the timeline explicitly: BArch programs front-load the professional accreditation and get graduates to licensure-eligible sooner; BA/BS plus MArch is a more flexible undergraduate experience but adds two-to-three graduate-school years. In both cases, targeting the licensed-architect role ($96,690 median, 3.9% growth) gives the curriculum an obvious anchor.

Reconsider this major if the draw is technical building performance, construction management, or structural engineering rather than design-led practice. Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology (CIP 04.0902) is actually the larger program in this concentration at 3,888 completions per year and is the better fit for construction management, building systems, and sustainability consulting careers. Architectural Engineering in the Engineering concentration is the right path for students drawn to the structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering of buildings. Interior Architecture and Environmental Design/Architecture are the design-focused but non-licensed cousins. Also weigh the associate's credential honestly: a two-year architecture degree earns just $36,438 five years out because it does not lead to licensed-architect roles; if the target is drafting and technical support, the Architectural Drafting program (CIP 14.0401, in Engineering Technologies) is a more direct and more economically coherent path.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Architecture

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ 0 162 162
Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX 0 161 161
University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD 0 138 138
The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX 0 115 115
University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA 0 109 109
University of Houston Houston, TX 0 106 106
University of Florida Gainesville, FL 0 103 103
Texas A&M University-College Station College Station, TX 0 101 101
The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX 0 97 97
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN 0 97 97
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology

3,888 completions/yr

Architectural Engineering

901 completions/yr

Landscape Architecture

679 completions/yr

City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning

654 completions/yr

Interior Architecture

653 completions/yr

Environmental Design/Architecture

552 completions/yr

Pre-Architecture Studies

76 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What is the difference between a BArch, a BA/BS in architecture, and an MArch — and why does it matter?
This is the single most important structural fact about studying architecture at the undergraduate level, and the CIP data signals it: the examples list includes Architecture (BArch, BA/BS), Architecture (MArch/MA/MS), and Architecture (PhD) as distinct credentials. A Bachelor of Architecture (BArch) is a professionally accredited five-year degree that satisfies the education requirement for architectural licensure on its own. A BA or BS in architecture is a four-year pre-professional degree that does not satisfy licensure and almost always requires a Master of Architecture (MArch) on top of it to sit for the Architect Registration Examination. Licensure is regulated state-by-state through NCARB and typically requires an accredited degree, completion of the Architectural Experience Program, and passing the ARE. The practical consequence for prospective students: a five-year BArch is the faster path to licensure; a four-year BA/BS plus MArch is six-to-seven years total. Both exist in the top programs — check each school's exact credential before committing.
Why do associate's completers earn so much less than bachelor's completers?
The data shows associate's completers earning $36,438 versus $67,453 for bachelor's — a $31,015 annual gap, among the largest in any major on this site. The explanation is that associate's degrees in architecture do not lead to the licensed-architect role; they lead to architectural drafter and technician positions, which are separate, lower-paying SOC codes. The data packet's cross-references explicitly flag Architectural Drafting and Architectural CAD/CADD (14.0401) as the drafter path, and it sits in the Engineering Technologies concentration rather than here. If the target role is licensed architect, the associate's degree is a credentialing dead end; if the target is CAD drafter or architectural technician, the associate's degree is the right credential but the Architectural Drafting program is a more direct fit.
Why is Texas so dominant among the largest architecture programs?
Five of the top ten programs are in Texas: Texas Tech University (161 completions), University of Texas at San Antonio (115), University of Houston (106), Texas A&M University-College Station (101), and University of Texas at Arlington (97). Arizona State leads overall with 162 completions, and Maryland, Berkeley, Florida, and Minnesota round out the top ten. The Texas concentration reflects two factors: sustained population growth driving building demand, and a deep network of NAAB-accredited public programs positioned to feed that demand. For students, the concentration has practical value — proximity to active metro-area construction markets means better internship access during the Architectural Experience Program phase that follows graduation.
How does Architecture compare with Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology?
The related-majors data shows Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology (CIP 04.0902) is actually a larger program at 3,888 completions per year, and it sits in the same concentration. The two are genuinely different tracks. Architecture (04.0201) is the design-and-practice track aimed at licensure and the architect role. Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology is the technical track — building systems, construction management, environmental performance, technology — that often points toward non-licensed roles in construction management, sustainability consulting, and facilities engineering. Architectural Engineering (14.0401), also cross-referenced, lives in the Engineering concentration and is specifically the engineering of building systems. The three are adjacent but not interchangeable: pick Architecture for the design-and-licensure path, Architectural and Building Sciences for the technical-management path, and Architectural Engineering for the structural and MEP engineering path.
What are the realistic bachelor's-level career destinations?
The career list shows three named destinations. Architects, except landscape and naval, at $96,690 median with 3.9% projected growth, is the licensed-professional role and requires the accredited-degree-plus-exam path described above — this is the career the major is designed around. Architectural and engineering managers at $167,740 is the top-earning role on the list, but it typically requires years of licensed practice before moving into management, so treat it as a mid-career ceiling rather than a first job. Architecture teachers, postsecondary, at $101,480 requires a doctoral or professional degree. Not on the career list but realistic for BA/BS graduates pre-licensure: architectural designer roles, BIM coordinator positions, and drafting work, typically in the $50K–$65K range in the first few years. The $67,453 bachelor's median reflects this mix of pre-licensure and licensed work across the first five post-graduation years.