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Architecture Schools and Programs in The United States

56 schools in The United States teach Architecture.

Architecture Studies in The United States

Architecture in the United States is a licensed profession, and the usual route into it is a professional degree accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB). NAAB lists 180 accredited programmes and 10 candidate programmes at 152 institutions (checked October 2026). There is no single national degree: students choose between a five-year Bachelor of Architecture and a Master of Architecture taken after a first degree. SpainExchange lists 58 colleges and universities in the United States under architecture, from universities with schools of architecture to community colleges with drafting and pre-architecture courses.

How architecture degrees are organised

NAAB accredits three professional degrees, and each of them meets the education requirement for a licence.

  • Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch): a five-year professional undergraduate degree. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), most architects earn their degree this way
  • Four-year pre-professional bachelor's degree, such as a Bachelor of Science in Architecture: not a professional degree on its own, but the usual basis for a two-year Master of Architecture
  • Master of Architecture (M.Arch): most programmes take two years after a pre-professional architecture degree and three years after a degree in another subject
  • Doctor of Architecture (D.Arch): the third accredited professional degree. Research degrees such as the PhD are separate from these three
  • Associate degrees and certificates in drafting at community colleges and technical schools, which prepare drafters rather than architects

Boston Architectural College offers a Bachelor of Architecture, a Bachelor of Science in Architecture on campus and online, and a Master of Architecture. The University of Michigan combines a Bachelor of Science in Architecture with an accredited Master of Architecture, and its PhD in Architecture dates from 1969. The University of Florida offers a Bachelor of Design, a Master of Architecture and a PhD. At Columbia University, the Master of Architecture is a three-year accredited professional degree.

Admission and language

Each institution sets its own requirements. Undergraduate applicants need to have completed high school; M.Arch applicants need a bachelor's degree, and schools may set prerequisite courses. At Columbia, for example, all Master of Architecture students must complete prerequisites before the programme starts. Teaching is in English, and universities require an English proficiency test before admission. EducationUSA, the U.S. Department of State's advising network, recommends starting the search 12 to 18 months before the academic year.

International students need a student visa for a full degree. The F visa is for study at an accredited college or university. Applicants must first be accepted by an institution certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP); its international student office then issues the Form I-20 used in the visa application.

Costs

Tuition is set by each institution. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, average tuition and fees at four-year institutions in 2022-23 were $9,800 at public institutions and $40,700 at private non-profit institutions. The public figure is the in-state rate, so international students should check the non-resident rate of each university. Community colleges are a cheaper start: public two-year colleges charged $4,000 on average in 2022-23, and credits can count towards a bachelor's degree after transfer.

Where to study architecture

New York, Cambridge (Massachusetts) and Miami have the most schools in this directory (three each), followed by Pittsburgh, Denver, Boston and Philadelphia (two each). Examples include Columbia University in New York, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, the University of Miami and Florida International University in Miami, Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Cornell University in Ithaca, Yale University in New Haven and The University of Texas at Austin. Community colleges such as Lansing Community College and Hudson Valley Community College are also listed. There is no official ranking of U.S. universities; whether the programme is NAAB-accredited is the first thing to check.

Licensure and recognition

All states and the District of Columbia require architects to be licensed. NAAB counts 55 licensing jurisdictions, each with three core requirements:

  • Education: a NAAB-accredited professional degree is accepted by all 55 jurisdictions and required by 37
  • Experience: documented practice through the Architectural Experience Program; BLS describes it as a paid internship that generally lasts three years
  • Examination: the six-division Architect Registration Examination

Architects who trained outside the United States and do not hold a NAAB-accredited degree can have their studies assessed by Education Evaluation Services for Architects (EESA), which compares the academic transcript with the education standard of the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB). Students who plan to practise in their home country should ask the professional body there how a U.S. degree is recognised.

Careers

Architects held about 124,600 jobs in the United States in 2025, according to BLS. Most (74%) work in architectural, engineering and related services, and 14% are self-employed. Employment is projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 6,900 openings a year.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to become an architect in the United States?

A Bachelor of Architecture takes five years. After the degree, graduates complete a period of paid experience that generally lasts three years and pass the Architect Registration Examination before they can be licensed.

What is the difference between a B.Arch and a Bachelor of Science in Architecture?

The B.Arch is a five-year professional degree accredited by NAAB. A four-year Bachelor of Science in Architecture is a pre-professional degree; graduates who want a licence usually continue with a two-year Master of Architecture.

Is a foreign architecture degree valid for a licence in the United States?

Not automatically. Applicants without a NAAB-accredited degree can request an EESA evaluation of their studies, and each state licensing board sets its own rules.