Building architect education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a building architect. Building architects usually study architecture, business, or computer science. 70% of building architects hold a bachelor's degree, and 13% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 121 real building architect resumes to see exactly what building architect education sections show.

The most common colleges for building architects are the Missouri State University and the Missouri State University.

There are also many online building architect courses to help get the education required to be a building architect.

What education do you need to become a building architect?

What degree do you need to be a building architect?

The most common degree for building architects is bachelor's degree, with 70% of building architects earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 13% and associate degree degree at 11%.

Bachelor's, 70%

Associate, 13%

Master's, 11%

Diploma, 1%

Other Degrees, 5%

What should I major in to become a building architect?

You should major in architecture to become a building architect. 41% of building architects major in architecture. Other common majors for a building architect include business and computer science.

Architecture, 41%

Business, 11%

Computer Science, 8%

Graphic Design, 7%

Other Majors, 33%

Most common colleges for building architects

Building architects often get their degrees at Missouri State University, Washington State University, and Pratt Institute. Here are the most common colleges for building architects in the US based on their resumes.

Building architect common college	Percentages
Missouri State University	8.00%
Washington State University	8.00%
Pratt Institute	8.00%
Michigan State University	8.00%
Longwood University	8.00%

Show more common building architect colleges

Best majors for building architects

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Architecture	40.8%
2	Business	11.3%
3	Computer Science	8.5%
4	Graphic Design	7.0%
5	Interior Design	4.2%

Show more common building architect majors

Best colleges for building architects

The best colleges for building architects are Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

A building architect with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for building architects. 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 building architects.

1. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

4. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

5. University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$10,610

Enrollment

40,329

6. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

7. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,184

Enrollment

30,845

8. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

9. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

10. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

20 best online courses for building architects

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Top 10 most affordable universities for building architects

The most affordable schools for building architects are California State University - Bakersfield, suny farmingdale, and university of south florida.

If the best universities for building architects 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 building architects.

1. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

2. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

3. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

5. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,140

Cost of attendance

14,430

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

8. Florida Atlantic University

Boca Raton, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$4,831

Cost of attendance

19,559

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

10. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for building architects

The hardest universities for building architects to get into are Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University in the City of New York.

Some great schools for building architects 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 building architects 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

SAT average

1,520

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

3. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

4. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

5. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

6. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

7. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

8. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,517

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

10. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for building architects

The easiest schools for building architects to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, barry university, and nyack college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a building architect 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 building architects.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

4. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

5. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

8. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

9. Iona College

New Rochelle, NY • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,089

10. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

Average building architect salary by education level

According to our data, building architects with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $92,085 annually. Building architects with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $90,233.

Building architect education level	Building architect salary
Master's Degree	$92,085
Bachelor's Degree	$90,233
Doctorate Degree	$89,774

Building architect education FAQs

What is the best college for Building Architects?

Have more questions? See all answers to common architecture and engineering questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

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.

Updated January 8, 2025

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