Architectural History

Types of Degrees Architectural History Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many architectural history graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	32
Graduate Certificate	12
Doctor’s Degree	1

What Architectural History Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to architectural history and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Architectural History Majors

Architectural History majors often go into careers in which the following 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.
• Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Skills for Architectural History Majors

When studying architectural history, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• 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.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Architectural History Majors

As you progress with your architectural history degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• 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.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

What Can You Do With a Architectural History Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with architectural history:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Architects, Except Landscape and Naval	4.2%	$79,380
Historians	6.1%	$61,140

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Architectural History?

This major is dominated by women with about 59% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of architectural history majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	1
Black or African American	0
Hispanic or Latino	0
White	18
International Students	11
Other Races/Ethnicities	2

Geographic Diversity

Architectural History appeals to people across the globe. About 34.4% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• Canada
• Turkey
• India
• Spain

How Much Do Architectural History Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Architectural History majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $66,380 to $88,860 (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 Architectural History

Some careers associated with architectural history 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.

Find out what the typical degree level is for architectural history careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	3.5%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	3.6%
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)	5.9%
Some College Courses	6.9%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	0.2%
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.	4.5%
Master’s Degree	20.6%
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.	3.7%
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.	9.1%

Online Architectural History Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 31 schools offered some type of architectural history 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)	0	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	1	0
Bachelor’s Degree	2	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	11	0
Post-Master’s	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Architectural History Worth It?

The median salary for a architectural history grad is $66,380 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 66% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $529,600 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Architectural History

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to architectural history.

Major	Number of Grads
Architectural Sciences & Technology	3,366
Urban & Regional Planning	1,613
General Architecture	1,096
Landscape Architecture	285
Real Estate Development	223
Interior Architecture	169
Environmental Design	114
Architecture (Other)	33

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 Adam Jones, Ph.D. under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.