Post job

Architectural consultant education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an architectural consultant. Architectural consultants usually study architecture, computer science, or business. 67% of architectural consultants hold a bachelor's degree, and 22% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 799 real architectural consultant resumes to see exactly what architectural consultant education sections show.

The most common colleges for architectural consultants are the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Illinois at Chicago.

There are also many online architectural consultant courses to help get the education required to be an architectural consultant.

What education do you need to become an architectural consultant?

What degree do you need to be an architectural consultant?

The most common degree for architectural consultants is bachelor's degree, with 67% of architectural consultants earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 22% and master's degree degree at 9%.
  • Bachelor's, 67%
  • Master's, 22%
  • Associate, 9%
  • Diploma, 1%
  • Other Degrees, 1%

What should I major in to become an architectural consultant?

You should major in architecture to become an architectural consultant. 38% of architectural consultants major in architecture. Other common majors for an architectural consultant include computer science and business.

Most common colleges for architectural consultants

Architectural consultants often get their degrees at University of Illinois at Chicago, New York University, and Pratt Institute. Here are the most common colleges for architectural consultants in the US based on their resumes.
Architectural consultant common collegePercentages
University of Illinois at Chicago13.33%
New York University6.67%
Pratt Institute6.67%
Wentworth Institute of Technology6.67%
National University5.71%

Best majors for architectural consultants

Best colleges for architectural consultants

The best colleges for architectural consultants are Harvard University, Yale University, and Cornell University.

An architectural consultant with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for architectural consultants. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become architectural consultants.

1. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

2. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

5. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

6. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

7. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

8. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

9. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

In-state tuition

$53,430

Enrollment

5,963

10. Lehigh University

Bethlehem, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$52,930

Enrollment

5,030

20 best online courses for architectural consultants

Advertising disclosure

1. The Complete Cloud Computing Software Architecture Patterns

udemy
4.7
(1,025)

Architect Large Scale Systems using Cloud Computing, Software Architecture Patterns & Modern System Design Principles...

2. Complete Course in AutoCAD: Architectural Working Drawings

udemy
4.3
(402)

Impress your Boss by making Professional & good-looking Architectural Working Drawings...

3. Enterprise Architecture: How to Design Models & Diagrams

udemy
4.4
(730)

Learn how to design best-practice Enterprise Architecture models & diagrams for any organization. Examples included!...

4. Microsoft Azure: Cloud Architecture Case Studies

udemy
4.6
(661)

Become an even better Cloud Architect by learning from real-world cloud architecture case studies...

5. Android Architecture Masterclass

udemy
4.7
(1,477)

Embrace clean design and architecture in your Android applications...

6. Software Architecture & System Design Practical Case Studies

udemy
4.7
(250)

Design Real-life Large Scale Systems, Practice Modern Software Architecture & Prepare for a System Design Interview...

7. Software architecture

udemy
4
(331)

Architecture is an important engineering step in the design and creation of software...

8. Architecture Digital Collage

udemy
4
(325)

Communicating architecture in a compelling way...

9. Getting Started with.NET Core Clean Architecture

udemy
4.5
(2,046)

.NET Core Clean Architecture...

10. Software Architecture Case Studies

udemy
4.5
(3,180)

Become an even better Software Architect by learning from real-world architecture case studies...

11. Design Microservices Architecture with Patterns & Principles

udemy
4.4
(3,513)

Evolve from Monolithic to Event-driven Microservices Architecture with designing High Scalable and High Available system...

12. Clean Architecture for Beginners: A Practical Guide

udemy
4.2
(822)

Architecting Software Systems with Clean Architecture Principles with Code Examples...

13. Enterprise Architecture by Example

udemy
4.5
(1,721)

Create a comprehensive architecture for your enterprise and execute a migration from a baseline to target architecture...

14. Software Architecture & Design of Modern Large Scale Systems

udemy
4.7
(4,499)

Become a Software Architect or Technical Lead by Mastering Software Architecture, System Design & Big Data Processing...

15. Software Architecture: Dependency Injection for C# Devs

udemy
4.3
(391)

Learn Dependency Injection techniques along with an Io C-framework (DI-Container). Grow Architecture applying DI...

16. Software Architecture for the Enterprise Architect

udemy
4.2
(3,551)

Learn software architecture skills required by an enterprise architect including UML modelling and architecture patterns...

17. Practical Solution Architecture

udemy
4.5
(2,246)

A practical method to create end-to-end solution architectures for your company...

18. Complete Blazor Course - e-Commerce App & Clean Architecture

udemy
4.1
(434)

ASP.NET Blazor In Depth & Build an e-Commerce Web Application with Clean Architecture...

19. Solid Principles (2023) for Software Design & Architecture

udemy
4.5
(338)

Master SOLID Principles of software design and software Architecture and write clean code in C# object oriented design...

20. 3D Architectural Design with Blender: A Practical Approach

udemy
4.6
(300)

From Blueprint to Rendering: A Comprehensive Blender 3 Architectural Guide...

Top 10 most affordable universities for architectural consultants

The most affordable schools for architectural consultants are Florida Atlantic University, university of washington, and university of puerto rico - rio piedras campus.

If the best universities for architectural consultants are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for architectural consultants.

1. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

2. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Cost of attendance

25,275

3. University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras Campus

San Juan, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

11,299

4. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

5. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Cost of attendance

25,228

6. University of Colorado Denver

Denver, CO • Private

In-state tuition

$9,283

Cost of attendance

22,243

7. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Cost of attendance

28,501

8. North Carolina State University

Raleigh, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$9,101

Cost of attendance

23,600

9. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

10. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for architectural consultants

The hardest universities for architectural consultants to get into are Harvard University, Yale University, and Cornell University.

Some great schools for architectural consultants are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for architectural consultants based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

2. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,517

3. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

4. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

5. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

7. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

9. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,465

10. Barnard College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

14%

SAT average

1,422

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for architectural consultants

The easiest schools for architectural consultants to get into are Portland State University, north dakota state university, and university of colorado denver.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an architectural consultant without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for architectural consultants.

1. Portland State University

Portland, OR • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,111

2. North Dakota State University

Fargo, ND • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,170

3. University of Colorado Denver

Denver, CO • Private

Admissions rate

64%

SAT average

1,132

4. Lawrence Technological University

Southfield, MI • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,174

5. Iowa State University of Science and Technology

Ames, IA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,219

6. University of New Mexico

Albuquerque, NM • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

1,120

7. Keene State College

Keene, NH • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

1,053

8. University of Oregon

Eugene, OR • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,199

9. Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green, OH • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,084

10. Ferris State University

Big Rapids, MI • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

1,070

Average architectural consultant salary by education level

Architectural consultants with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $74,927 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, architectural consultants earn a median annual income of $73,518 compared to $73,168 for architectural consultants with an Doctorate degree.
Architectural consultant education levelArchitectural consultant salary
Master's Degree$74,927
Bachelor's Degree$73,518
Doctorate Degree$73,168

Architectural consultant education FAQs

Search for architectural consultant jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse architecture and engineering jobs