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Grad school ยท Architecture and planning

Architecture graduate programs: earnings and debt by school

49 colleges award master's degrees in architecture. Graduates of the typical program earned $63,583 a year after finishing, and those who borrowed left with a median of $30,730 in federal loans taken at the school.

Master's programs49
Graduates in 2023-24668
Typical median debt$30,730
Typical earnings 1 yr after$63,583
Typical earnings 4 yrs after$70,937
Earnings to debt2.1x

Official field: Architecture. Admission figures such as LSAT, MCAT or GRE scores are not part of this federal data, so check each school.

Degree levelProgramsTypical earnings 1 yr afterTypical median debt
Master's49$63,583$30,730
Doctoral16n/an/a

Is it worth it? Debt vs first-year pay

Each dot is one master's program. Dots above the dashed line have graduates earning more in their first year than the program's median debt.

$0k$0k$18k$11k$36k$22k$54k$32k$72k$43kdebt = 1 year of payUniversity of Florida: earnings $68,269, debt $34,741Texas A&M University-College Station: earnings $65,178, debt $41,000Southern Illinois University-Carbondale: earnings $68,053, debt $23,396Texas Tech University: earnings $59,805, debt $33,042Kent State University at Kent: earnings $61,017, debt $20,500University of South Florida: earnings $56,033, debt $40,746North Dakota State University-Main Campus: earnings $60,577, debt $20,500Prairie View A & M University: earnings $65,703, debt $26,029University of Louisiana at Lafayette: earnings $53,004, debt $28,419University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras: earnings $13,871, debt $20,000Louisiana Tech University: earnings $58,959, debt $20,500Median federal debtMedian earnings 1 year after
Earnings above median debt Debt above first-year earnings

Master's programs in architecture

Highest first-year earnings

University of Florida$68,269
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale$68,053
Prairie View A & M University$65,703
Texas A&M University-College Station$65,178
Hampton University$64,891
University of Illinois Chicago$63,583
Kent State University at Kent$61,017
North Dakota State University-Main Campus$60,577

CollegeGraduates (2023-24)Earnings 1 yr afterEarnings 4 yrs afterMedian debt
University of FloridaGainesville, FL41$68,269$88,820$34,741
University of Notre DameNotre Dame, IN16n/a$82,270$74,500
The University of Texas at AustinAustin, TX0$70,127$79,350n/a
Texas A&M University-College StationCollege Station, TX24$65,178$78,997$41,000
University of California-Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA1n/a$78,757n/a
Southern Illinois University-CarbondaleCarbondale, IL32$68,053$78,062$23,396
University of Washington-Seattle CampusSeattle, WA2n/a$77,526n/a
Texas Tech UniversityLubbock, TX38$59,805$74,979$33,042
Kent State University at KentKent, OH50$61,017$71,894$20,500
Norwich UniversityNorthfield, VT6$59,924$71,564n/a
Portland State UniversityPortland, OR15n/a$71,002$41,000
University of Wisconsin-MilwaukeeMilwaukee, WI1n/a$70,937n/a
University of South FloridaTampa, FL48$56,033$70,924$40,746
University of KentuckyLexington, KY0$64,503$69,700n/a
Judson UniversityElgin, IL16n/a$68,365n/a
University of Illinois ChicagoChicago, IL15$63,583$67,711n/a
University at BuffaloBuffalo, NY2n/a$66,761n/a
North Dakota State University-Main CampusFargo, ND58$60,577$66,004$20,500
Prairie View A & M UniversityPrairie View, TX27$65,703$65,641$26,029
Hampton UniversityHampton, VA15$64,891$64,180n/a
University of IdahoMoscow, ID3n/a$63,941n/a
University of Louisiana at LafayetteLafayette, LA26$53,004$62,384$28,419
University of Puerto Rico-Rio PiedrasSan Juan, PR28$13,871$44,338$20,000
The University of Tennessee-KnoxvilleKnoxville, TN2$63,747n/an/a
Louisiana Tech UniversityRuston, LA24$58,959n/a$20,500
Bowling Green State University-Main CampusBowling Green, OH11n/an/an/a
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis ObispoSan Luis Obispo, CA6n/an/an/a
California State Polytechnic University-PomonaPomona, CA23n/an/an/a
Ferris State UniversityBig Rapids, MI9n/an/an/a
Harvard UniversityCambridge, MA2n/an/an/a
Howard UniversityWashington, DC18n/an/a$35,602
Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA9n/an/an/a
Pennsylvania State University-Main CampusUniversity Park, PA6n/an/an/a
Princeton UniversityPrinceton, NJ16n/an/an/a
Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteTroy, NY4n/an/an/a
Rice UniversityHouston, TX3n/an/an/a
The Catholic University of AmericaWashington, DC28n/an/an/a
Universidad Ana G. Mendez-Gurabo CampusGurabo, PR4n/an/an/a
Universidad Politecnica de Puerto RicoHato Rey, PR2n/an/an/a
University of California-BerkeleyBerkeley, CA2n/an/an/a
University of Massachusetts-AmherstAmherst, MA3n/an/an/a
University of Michigan-Ann ArborAnn Arbor, MI1n/an/an/a
University of Nebraska-LincolnLincoln, NE3n/an/an/a
University of Oklahoma-Norman CampusNorman, OK1n/an/an/a
University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA5n/an/an/a
University of the District of ColumbiaWashington, DC11n/an/an/a
Washington University in St LouisSt. Louis, MO2n/an/an/a
Woodbury UniversityBurbank, CA1n/an/an/a
Yale UniversityNew Haven, CT8n/an/an/a

Doctoral programs in architecture

CollegeGraduates (2023-24)Earnings 1 yr afterEarnings 4 yrs afterMedian debt
Arizona State University Campus ImmersionTempe, AZ6n/an/an/a
Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York, NY3n/an/an/a
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main CampusAtlanta, GA6n/an/an/a
Harvard UniversityCambridge, MA13n/an/an/a
Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridge, MA1n/an/an/a
Pennsylvania State University-Main CampusUniversity Park, PA5n/an/an/a
Princeton UniversityPrinceton, NJ3n/an/an/a
Texas A&M University-College StationCollege Station, TX8n/an/an/a
University of California-BerkeleyBerkeley, CA6n/an/an/a
University of California-Los AngelesLos Angeles, CA0n/an/an/a
University of Cincinnati-Main CampusCincinnati, OH2n/an/an/a
University of Michigan-Ann ArborAnn Arbor, MI2n/an/an/a
University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia, PA7n/an/an/a
University of Wisconsin-MilwaukeeMilwaukee, WI4n/an/an/a
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityBlacksburg, VA7n/an/an/a
Yale UniversityNew Haven, CT4n/an/an/a

Frequently asked questions

How much do architecture graduates earn?

Graduates of the typical master's program earned a median of $63,583 one year after finishing, in 2024 dollars.

How much debt do architecture graduate students take on?

The typical program's graduates who borrowed left with a median of $30,730 in federal loans taken at that school. Undergraduate loans are not included.

Undergraduate: Architecture major

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field of study file, data release of October 15, 2026. Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal aid and were working, not enrolled. One-year figures: graduates of 2020-21 and 2021-22, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars. Four-year figures: graduates of 2017-18 and 2018-19, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars. More on the data.