Architect

5 stops · self-paced · a common path, not the only one

1. 📍

   You are here

   Today — wherever you're starting from

2. 📚
   LearnNext stop →

   Take drafting, art, and math courses in high school — all directly relevant

   Drafting, art, and math all feed directly into this — a rare career where high-school electives genuinely carry forward.

   ⏱ do it now · 💵 free

3. 🎓
   Education

   Earn a Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch, 5 years) or a pre-professional degree + M.Arch

   Two routes: a 5-year B.Arch, or a regular degree plus an M.Arch. Both lead to licensure — pick based on how sure you are now.

   ⏱ ~4 years · 💵 varies — community college first is cheapest

4. 🤝
   Get experience

   Complete an internship with a licensed architect during or after school

   An internship with a licensed architect is where you learn how buildings actually get built (and permitted), not just designed.

   ⏱ weeks–months of prep · 💵 exam & license fees

5. 📜
   Get certified

   Log 3,740 hours of experience under a licensed architect (the AXP program)

   The AXP logs ~3,740 supervised hours before you can be licensed — it's a real multi-year stretch, so track it carefully as you work.

   ⏱ weeks–months of prep · 💵 exam & license fees

6. 📜
   Get certified

   Pass the Architect Registration Examination (ARE) to become licensed

   The ARE is a multi-division exam and the final gate to calling yourself an architect. Most people take it in pieces over a year or two.

   ⏱ weeks–months of prep · 💵 exam & license fees

7. 🏁

   Architect

   Your destination