Best Architecture Teacher, Postsecondary programs in California, ranked by enrollment
Teach courses in architecture and architectural design, such as architectural environmental design, interior architecture/design, and landscape architecture.
46 schools in California run programs that feed this job, graduating 2,729 people a year. The job pays a median of $103,520 in California across about 530 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in California that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
8 programs in California that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in California (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own California page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 04.0902In California → | 906 | 33.2% | 11 | $48,514 | $27,000 |
| 2 | CIP 50.0408In California → | 735 | 26.9% | 30 | $31,611 | $26,000 |
| 3 | CIP 04.0201In California → | 330 | 12.1% | 7 | $47,542 | $27,000 |
| 4 | CIP 04.0301In California → | 310 | 11.4% | 10 | $42,824 | $25,237 |
| 5 | CIP 04.0601In California → | 265 | 9.7% | 7 | $53,098 | $27,000 |
| 6 | CIP 14.0401In California → | 89 | 3.3% | 1 | $73,510 | $25,790 |
| 7 | CIP 04.0501In California → | 62 | 2.3% | 3 | $44,811 | $23,250 |
| 8 | CIP 04.0401In California → | 32 | 1.2% | 3 | $40,176 | $22,844 |
Top 25 schools in California
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 11 of the 46 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA Public · 5 feeder programs | 341 | Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology | $58,653 | 86% | — | 31% |
| 2 | California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Pomona, CA Public · 4 feeder programs | 289 | Architecture | $57,514 | 68% | — | 75% |
| 3 | University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA Public · 5 feeder programs | 272 | Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology | — | 93% | — | 11% |
| 4 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 218 | Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology | $47,874 | 92% | $26,873 | 10% |
| 5 | University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 3 feeder programs | 155 | Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology | — | 93% | — | 9% |
| 6 | Southern California Institute of Architecture Los Angeles, CA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 131 | Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology | — | 71% | $36,643 | 77% |
| 7 | California Baptist University Riverside, CA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 93 | Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology | — | 62% | $26,940 | 85% |
| 8 | Woodbury University Burbank, CA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 88 | Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology | $40,484 | 60% | $28,493 | 82% |
| 9 | California State University - Fresno Fresno, CA Public · 3 feeder programs | 69 | Architecture | — | 57% | — | 95% |
| 10 | Santa Monica College Santa Monica, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 66 | Interior Design | — | 36% | — | — |
| 11 | San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 60 | Interior Design | $34,845 | 50% | — | 96% |
| 12 | Newschool of Architecture and Design San Diego, CA Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 56 | Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology | — | 62% | $47,298 | 100% |
| 13 | Saddleback College Mission Viejo, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 55 | Interior Design | — | 48% | — | — |
| 14 | California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 54 | Interior Architecture | $50,108 | 56% | — | 94% |
| 15 | Orange Coast College Costa Mesa, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 52 | Interior Design | — | 48% | — | — |
| 16 | Canada College Redwood City, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 50 | Interior Design | — | 47% | — | — |
| 17 | Interior Designers Institute Newport Beach, CA Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 50 | Interior Design | $52,768 | — | — | — |
| 18 | University of California - Davis Davis, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 48 | Landscape Architecture | — | 86% | — | 42% |
| 19 | California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 47 | Interior Design | $36,736 | 57% | — | 93% |
| 20 | California College of the Arts San Francisco, CA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 41 | Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology | — | 61% | $40,041 | 91% |
| 21 | University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 37 | Architecture | $37,556 | 70% | $37,121 | 62% |
| 22 | California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 36 | Interior Design | $37,395 | 69% | — | 46% |
| 23 | West Valley College Saratoga, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 31 | Interior Design | — | 51% | — | — |
| 24 | Art Center College of Design Pasadena, CA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 29 | Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology | — | 79% | $48,578 | 75% |
| 25 | Palomar College San Marcos, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 29 | Interior Design | — | 38% | — | — |
All 46 schools in California
Every school in California with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo | San Luis Obispo | Public | 341 | 5 |
| California State Polytechnic University - Pomona | Pomona | Public | 289 | 4 |
| University of California - Berkeley | Berkeley | Public | 272 | 5 |
| University of Southern California | Los Angeles | Private not-for-profit | 218 | 5 |
| University of California - Los Angeles | Los Angeles | Public | 155 | 3 |
| Southern California Institute of Architecture | Los Angeles | Private not-for-profit | 131 | 1 |
| California Baptist University | Riverside | Private not-for-profit | 93 | 2 |
| Woodbury University | Burbank | Private not-for-profit | 88 | 1 |
| California State University - Fresno | Fresno | Public | 69 | 3 |
| Santa Monica College | Santa Monica | Public | 66 | 1 |
| San Francisco State University | San Francisco | Public | 60 | 1 |
| Newschool of Architecture and Design | San Diego | Private for-profit | 56 | 2 |
| Saddleback College | Mission Viejo | Public | 55 | 1 |
| California State University - Sacramento | Sacramento | Public | 54 | 2 |
| Orange Coast College | Costa Mesa | Public | 52 | 1 |
What architecture teachers, postsecondary earn in California
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $96,870. California pays above the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in California
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary page.
How to become a Architecture Teacher, Postsecondary
Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above- Typical entry education
- Doctoral or professional degree
Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in California
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 18 majors mapped to Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary17 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 04.0201Architecture
- 04.0202Architectural Design
- 04.0299Architecture, Other
- 04.0301City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning
- 04.0401Environmental Design/Architecture
- 04.0402Healthcare Environment Design/Architecture
- 04.0403Sustainable Design/Architecture
- 04.0499Environmental Design, Other
- 04.0501Interior Architecture
- 04.0601Landscape Architecture
- 04.0802Architectural Conservation
- 04.0803Architectural Studies
- 04.0899Architectural History, Criticism, and Conservation, Other(no graduates reported)
- 04.0902Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology
- 04.0999Architectural Sciences and Technology, Other
- 14.0401Architectural Engineering
- 30.3701Design for Human Health
- 50.0408Interior Design
Common questions
Answers for people weighing architecture teachers, postsecondary programs in California.
What degree do you need to become an Architecture Teacher, Postsecondary?+
Doctoral or professional degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology, which awarded 906 degrees in California in 2024-25, 33.2% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming an Architecture Teacher, Postsecondary?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 8 programs to this occupation. The largest are Architectural Sciences and Technology, Design and Applied Arts, Architecture, City/Urban, plus 4 more. Together they graduate about 2,729 people a year in California.
How much do architecture teachers, postsecondary earn in California?+
The median is $103,520 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 6.9% above the U.S. median of $96,870. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for architecture teachers, postsecondary growing?+
BLS projects a +2.0% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 900 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in California?+
46 institutions in California reported graduates from at least one of the 8 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do architecture teachers, postsecondary work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Professor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Architecture Professor among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 25-1031.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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