Architecture/Urban Planning

Types of Degrees Architecture/Urban Planning Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many architecture and related services graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	9,454
Master’s Degree	6,350
Associate Degree	615
Graduate Certificate	339
Doctor’s Degree	255
Basic Certificate	231
Undergraduate Certificate	81

What Architecture/Urban Planning Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to architecture and related services were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Architecture & Related Services Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Building and Construction - Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

Skills for Architecture & Related Services Majors

architecture and related services majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Architecture & Related Services Majors

Architecture and Related Services majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Architecture/Urban Planning Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with architecture and related services:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Appraisers, Real Estate	14.4%	$54,980
Architects, Except Landscape and Naval	4.2%	$79,380
Architectural and Engineering Managers	5.5%	$140,760
Architectural Drafters	8.1%	$54,920
Architecture Professors	10.5%	$86,980
Assessors	14.4%	$54,980
Historians	6.1%	$61,140
Interior Designers	4.5%	$53,370
Landscape Architects	6.5%	$68,230
Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers	10.3%	$58,340
Real Estate Brokers	4.9%	$58,210
Real Estate Sales Agents	5.8%	$48,690
Social Sciences Professors	9.8%	$71,600
Urban and Regional Planners	12.8%	$73,050

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture/Urban Planning?

According to recent stats this major attracts about equal numbers of men and women. Roughly 49% of the graduates are women, and 51% are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of architecture and related services majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	797
Black or African American	520
Hispanic or Latino	1,757
White	4,772
International Students	1,012
Other Races/Ethnicities	596

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Architecture & Related Services. About 10.7% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Architecture/Urban Planning Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

The median early-career salary of architecture and related services students with a bachelor’s degree is $44,291 a year according to 2019-2020 data from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $39,060 (25th percentile) and $50,541 (75th percentile).

It’s important to note that just because the people reporting these salaries have a degree in architecture and related services, it does not mean that they are working in a job related to their degree.

Salaries According to BLS

Architecture and Related Services majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $61,870 to $87,950 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Architecture/Urban Planning

Some careers associated with architecture and related services require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to architecture and related services have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	1.3%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	8.0%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	3.7%
Some College Courses	6.7%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	7.3%
Bachelor’s Degree	42.0%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	3.4%
Master’s Degree	19.3%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	0.5%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	4.4%
Doctoral Degree	3.4%

Online Architecture/Urban Planning Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 375 schools offered some type of architecture and related services program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	38	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	2	0
Associate’s Degree	109	4
Bachelor’s Degree	77	10
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	384	13
Post-Master’s	19	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	71	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	2	1
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	1	0

Is a Degree in Architecture/Urban Planning Worth It?

The median salary for a architecture and related services grad is $73,160 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 83% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $665,200 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Architecture/Urban Planning

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to architecture and related services.

Major	Number of Grads
Computer & Information Sciences	254,454
Engineering	198,468
Biological & Biomedical Sciences	177,778
Engineering Technologies	85,188
Mathematics & Statistics	52,396
Physical Sciences	50,306
Agriculture & Agriculture Operations	49,899
Natural Resources & Conservation	30,503
Communications Technologies & Support	14,826
Science Technologies / Technicians	6,451

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Lorenzo Cafaro under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.