Architecture Schools
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Asia

Architecture Schools in Japan

35 researched institutions with a campus here, offering 65 architecture programs. This is the research done to date, not a complete list of every program.

By prefecture

Cities with several researched institutions

65 programs

How results are ordered: alphabetically by institution, or by most recently checked when you choose that sort. There is no price ranking, because tuition in different currencies, fee categories and bases (per year, per credit, whole program) is not comparable. Adjacent subjects such as landscape architecture appear only when you choose a subject. A value we could not verify is shown as “not published”, never as “no”. Items marked Sponsored are paid placements; they never change accreditation information, verification or order. Online programs are not counted as physically located in a state or city, and an institution’s location does not tell you whether it enrols students from your country.

About architecture education in Japan

How architecture education is organised

In Japan, architecture is typically studied as a four-year undergraduate course followed by a two-year master's course. JABEE accredits integrated four-year bachelor plus two-year master's architecture programmes, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) designates the subjects that count towards eligibility for the first-class architect examination. Many programmes are taught in Japanese; English-taught master's and doctoral routes exist at some universities and must be checked per programme.

Source: jabee.org/doc/AE_250313.pdf

Qualification structures

Names and levels are local to Japan. Similar names in other countries are not interchangeable.

Bachelor plus master's (4 + 2 years)
JABEE lists integrated undergraduate (4 years) and postgraduate (2 years) architecture education programmes; the accreditation list names the program title, the school, and the graduate school together. Source
English-taught graduate routes
Some universities run English-language master's or doctoral routes alongside their Japanese-taught programmes, for example Meiji's I-AUD, Waseda's English-based master's, the University of Tokyo's Global 30 course and Institute of Science Tokyo's International Graduate Program (C). Each must be verified per programme. Source

Bodies that matter, and what each one does

Accreditation, validation, education authority and registration are different roles. Do not read a listing by one body as evidence from another.

JABEE (Japan Accreditation Board for Engineering Education)
Accredits architecture and architectural engineering education programmes at bachelor and master level; states it is a full signatory to the Canberra Accord since June 2019. Accreditation of an education programme is not itself a licence to practise.
Japan Architectural Education and Information Center (JAEIC, 建築技術教育普及センター)
Publishes the first-class architect examination information, including who is eligible to sit it.
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT, 国土交通省)
Under the Architect Law, the Minister recognises educational courses other than those listed in the Act as qualifying for first-class architect examination eligibility (historic page for recognitions up to 27 November 2008).

Route to registration

Current rules as described by the official source; always check the authority directly.

Per JAEIC, eligibility for the first-class architect examination is set by Article 14 of the Architect Law: for those who entered school from FY2009 it requires graduating after completing MLIT-designated architecture subjects, and graduates of foreign universities must have their education reviewed by JAEIC and confirmed by the Minister. For those passing from 2020, practical experience is reviewed at licence registration rather than as an exam entry condition. Whether a given programme's curriculum satisfies the designated subjects is programme-specific and is not asserted in this directory unless the school page says so. Source

No degree on this site automatically permits anyone to practise as an architect, and nothing here is visa, work-permit or credit-transfer advice.

Languages and admissions

Teaching languages. Most architecture programmes are taught in Japanese. English-taught options exist mainly at graduate level and are listed per programme.

Official study information

Country information last reviewed 19 October 2026. 4 sources consulted.