Architecture Schools
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North America

Architecture Schools in United States

167 researched institutions with a campus here, offering 445 architecture programs. This is the research done to date, not a complete list of every program.

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All 50 states and Washington, DC (a federal district, not a state). 49 currently have at least one researched institution with a campus; the others are research gaps, not empty states.

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Major cities

Cities with at least two researched institutions.

455 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 United States

How architecture education is organised

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

Qualification structures

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

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

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.

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.

Route to registration

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

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.

Languages and admissions

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

Official study information

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