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
Master’s Degree	6,350
Graduate Certificate	339
Doctor’s Degree	255

What Architecture/Urban Planning Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, architecture and related services majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

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

A major in architecture and related services will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

• 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 Master’s Degree in Architecture/Urban Planning?

According to recent stats this major attracts about equal numbers of men and women. Roughly 52% of the graduates are women, and 48% 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	324
Black or African American	314
Hispanic or Latino	785
White	2,847
International Students	1,734
Other Races/Ethnicities	346

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Architecture & Related Services, too. About 27.3% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Architecture/Urban Planning Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

The median early-career salary of architecture and related services students with a master’s degree is $53,664 a year according to 2019-2020 data from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $50,253 (25th percentile) and $58,470 (75th percentile).

We don’t know for sure if all of these people took jobs related to architecture and related services so take that into consideration.

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 you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

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 degrees associated with architecture and related services may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. 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 2020-2021, 375 schools offered a architecture and related services program of some type. 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
Engineering	61,791
Computer & Information Sciences	60,971
Biological & Biomedical Sciences	28,851
Mathematics & Statistics	15,127
Physical Sciences	12,705
Engineering Technologies	7,672
Agriculture & Agriculture Operations	7,531
Natural Resources & Conservation	5,744
Communications Technologies & Support	585
Science Technologies / Technicians	79

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.