Architecture Schools in United States

In the United States the architecture degrees that count toward licensure in most jurisdictions are professional degrees accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB): the Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch), the Master of Architecture (M.Arch) and the Doctor of Architecture (D.Arch). Many schools also offer four-year pre-professional bachelor's degrees (BA, BS, BFA and similar) that are not accredited as professional degrees and are usually followed by an accredited M.Arch, plus post-professional or research master's degrees and doctorates that carry no professional accreditation. Whether a given degree is professional, pre-professional or post-professional is stated by each program; the name of the award alone does not decide it.

Source: umass.edu/architecture/academics/graduate-studies

Accredited professional Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch)

A five-year undergraduate professional degree. Examples among New England programs listed by NAAB as accredited: the Boston Architectural College (150 credits plus 3,000 practice hours), RISD (150 credits for entrants from 2025) and the University of Maine at Augusta (150 credits). Source

Accredited professional Master of Architecture (M.Arch)

Typically offered on several tracks by prior preparation. For example, UMass Amherst lists a 57-credit route for holders of a pre-professional degree (about two years) and an up-to-87-credit route for other applicants (about three years); Hartford lists 48-, 64- and 113-credit tracks. Source

Pre-professional bachelor's degrees (BA, BS, BFA, BSA)

Four-year degrees that schools describe as pre-professional, for example the UMass Amherst BS in Architecture, which the department says is preprofessional and that many students follow with a Master of Architecture. NAAB-related statements published by schools note that a pre-professional degree is not by itself recognized as an accredited degree. Source

Post-professional and research degrees

Some schools run a second master's for architects who already hold a professional degree and say it is not NAAB-accredited and does not meet the licensure education requirement (for example Harvard GSD's M.Arch II and Yale's M.Arch II), as well as research master's degrees and PhD programs. Source

National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB)

Accredits professional degree programs in architecture offered by institutions with U.S. regional accreditation. NAAB recognizes B.Arch, M.Arch and D.Arch degrees; its public program directory lists each program, degree, status and term. Accreditation applies to the specific degree program, not to the whole university.

National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB)

Develops and recommends national standards for licensure, administers the Architect Registration Examination (ARE) and the Architectural Experience Program (AXP), and maintains candidates' NCARB Records. NCARB states that it does not issue architecture licenses.

State and territorial architectural licensing boards (55 U.S. jurisdictions)

Issue the architecture license and set education, experience and examination requirements for their own jurisdiction; there is no national license.

NCARB states that to become an architect you must earn a license from the licensing board of the jurisdiction where you want to practice, and that there is no national license. Each of the 55 U.S. jurisdictions sets its own requirements, which typically combine education, experience and examination. Most jurisdictions require a degree from a NAAB-accredited program for an initial license, but 17 jurisdictions offer additional pathways for people with other degrees or none. All 55 accept the AXP and require passing the ARE. Check the specific jurisdiction's rules; a degree does not by itself permit anyone to practice as an architect. 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.

Teaching languages. Instruction is overwhelmingly in English; programs in this directory state teaching language on their own pages.

Admissions and portfolios. Practice varies by program. Examples from published pages: UMass Amherst M.Arch asks for transcripts, two recommendations, a personal statement and a portfolio of no more than twenty pages and does not require the GRE; Yale requires a portfolio for its M.Arch programs; Harvard GSD's M.Arch I lists prerequisite courses in calculus, physics and architectural history. Check each program's own admissions page for current requirements and deadlines. Source

• NAAB accredited-programs page and program directory
• NCARB: how to earn an architecture license (including pathways for international architects)