Exterior designer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an exterior designer. Exterior designers usually study business, mechanical engineering, or fine arts. 61% of exterior designers hold a bachelor's degree, and 14% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 165 real exterior designer resumes to see exactly what exterior designer education sections show.

The most common colleges for exterior designers are the Michigan State University and the Michigan State University.

There are also many online exterior designer courses to help get the education required to be an exterior designer.

What education do you need to become an exterior designer?

What degree do you need to be an exterior designer?

The most common degree for exterior designers is bachelor's degree, with 61% of exterior designers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 14% and associate degree degree at 13%.

Bachelor's, 61%

Associate, 14%

High School Diploma, 13%

Master's, 6%

Other Degrees, 6%

What should I major in to become an exterior designer?

You should major in business to become an exterior designer. 16% of exterior designers major in business. Other common majors for an exterior designer include mechanical engineering and fine arts.

Business, 16%

Mechanical Engineering, 14%

Fine Arts, 10%

Interior Design, 8%

Other Majors, 52%

Most common colleges for exterior designers

Exterior designers often get their degrees at Michigan State University, San Diego Mesa College, and Henry Ford College. Here are the most common colleges for exterior designers in the US based on their resumes.

Exterior designer common college	Percentages
Michigan State University	11.54%
San Diego Mesa College	7.69%
Henry Ford College	7.69%
George Mason University	7.69%
Art Center College of Design	7.69%

Show more common exterior designer colleges

Best majors for exterior designers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Business	16.4%
2	Mechanical Engineering	13.7%
3	Fine Arts	9.6%
4	Interior Design	8.2%
5	Architecture	6.8%

Show more common exterior designer majors

Best colleges for exterior designers

The best colleges for exterior designers are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Carnegie Mellon University.

An exterior designer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for exterior designers. 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 exterior designers.

1. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

4. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

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 Maryland - College Park

College Park, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$10,595

Enrollment

30,184

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

9. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

10. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

In-state tuition

$53,430

Enrollment

5,963

20 best online courses for exterior designers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for exterior designers

The most affordable schools for exterior designers are University of Florida, california state university - long beach, and florida international university.

If the best universities for exterior designers 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 exterior designers.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

4. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

5. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. Fashion Institute of Technology

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$5,740

Cost of attendance

17,864

8. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

9. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

10. 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

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for exterior designers

The hardest universities for exterior designers to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Northwestern University, and Carnegie Mellon University.

Some great schools for exterior designers 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 exterior designers 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

3. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

4. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,517

5. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

6. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

7. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,520

8. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

10. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for exterior designers

The easiest schools for exterior designers to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, wayland baptist university, and mount saint mary's university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an exterior designer 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 exterior designers.

1. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

2. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

3. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

4. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

5. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

6. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

7. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

8. La Roche College

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

99%

SAT average

1,008

9. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

10. LIM College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,061

Average exterior designer salary by education level

Exterior designers with a Master's degree earn more than those without, at $98,605 annually. With a Bachelor's degree, exterior designers earn a median annual income of $96,665 compared to $95,828 for exterior designers with an Doctorate degree.

Exterior designer education level	Exterior designer salary
Master's Degree	$98,605
Bachelor's Degree	$96,665
Doctorate Degree	$95,828

Exterior designer education FAQs

What is the best college for Exterior Designers?

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

Search for exterior designer jobs

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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