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How many years of schooling do you have to go through to be an architect??
I have been looking into being an architect and I think that I am interested in it.
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Luke’s Answer
Short Answer: 5 years if you do a Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch). +/- 6 years if you do a different masters + a Master of Architecture (M.Aarch) depending on what your Bachelor's is.
Longer Answer: Most states require a NAAB accredited degree (B.Arch or M.Arch) to become a licensed architect. But you don't have to be licensed to work in an architecture firm and many don't get licensed. (You just have to be licensed to stamp drawings, call yourself an architect and so forth.)
B.Arch is 5 years, doesn't vary. The length of the Masters program is typically 2-3.5 years and it depends on what type of Bachelors degree you have and the masters program.
If you want to get licensed in a state such as Colorado that allows less than a NAAB degree, you can actually get licensed with as little as a High School Diploma, but it'll take years of internship hours to be logged, up to 10 last I checked of a HS diploma in CO. But less based on the degree, like 5-7 years for various Bachelors.
See NCARB for full info. They aggregate all the state requirements and create a standard system states can choose to follow. They also manage the internship (AXP) hour tracking and the ARE licensing exams
https://www.ncarb.org/become-architect
Longer Answer: Most states require a NAAB accredited degree (B.Arch or M.Arch) to become a licensed architect. But you don't have to be licensed to work in an architecture firm and many don't get licensed. (You just have to be licensed to stamp drawings, call yourself an architect and so forth.)
B.Arch is 5 years, doesn't vary. The length of the Masters program is typically 2-3.5 years and it depends on what type of Bachelors degree you have and the masters program.
If you want to get licensed in a state such as Colorado that allows less than a NAAB degree, you can actually get licensed with as little as a High School Diploma, but it'll take years of internship hours to be logged, up to 10 last I checked of a HS diploma in CO. But less based on the degree, like 5-7 years for various Bachelors.
See NCARB for full info. They aggregate all the state requirements and create a standard system states can choose to follow. They also manage the internship (AXP) hour tracking and the ARE licensing exams
Luke recommends the following next steps:
Updated
Eric’s Answer
Ethan, thanks for the question. I've been in this industry for over 35 years and each school has different guidelines but let me share some correct insght with you. Schools of Architecture typically have two course lines of either 4 year or 5 year curriculum for a Bachelors and additional one year for Master's. However, if you choose like I did, you can go year round and finish your Bachelor's in 3 or 4 years. After you graduate, you will then spend a year doing your internship while preparing for your test where each state has different number of requirements from 4-7 test. So, you see you can become a licensed Architect in as little as 4 -5 years with hard work. Advice, stick with the NCARB only, do not mess with AIA, it's just politics with them.
Hope that helps.
Hope that helps.
Updated
Trever D’s Answer
It would someone an average of at least 11 years, but that’s to become a licensed Architect
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