Career comparison
Architect vs. Architecture Professor
Side-by-side pay, training, growth and day-to-day duties to help you choose between two related careers.
Architects earn more at the median ($99,280 vs. $96,870), while architecture professors usually get to work faster (6–8 years of training). Architects design buildings that are safe, useful and beautiful. Architecture professors teach design studios and building science to future architects.
Pay data: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Outlook: BLS 2025–35 · Checked October 15, 2026
| Architect | Architecture Professor | |
|---|---|---|
| Median pay | $99,280 ($47.73/hr) | $96,870 |
| Pay range (10th–90th) | $62,300 – $161,420 | $58,430 – $159,030 |
| Job growth, 2025–35 | +4.3% (about as fast as average) | +2.6% (about as fast as average) |
| Openings per year | 6,900 | 700 |
| Typical entry education | Bachelor's degree | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Training time | 5–7 years of school plus internship | 6–8 years |
| Key credential | State architect license | Architect license |
| Work setting | Architects work in studios, at client meetings and on job sites.. | Faculty work in design studios, classrooms, workshops and sometimes their own practices.. |
What each job does
Architect
- Meet clients
- Develop designs
- Create drawings and models
- Coordinate engineers
- Ensure code compliance
Architecture Professor
- Lead design studios
- Give critiques and reviews
- Teach history, theory and technology
- Advise students
- Conduct design research
How they’re similar
Both careers involve creative work and high-pay. They sit in different fields, science, engineering & lab and education & childcare, but share transferable skills such as creativity and mentoring.
Which should you choose?
Choose architect if…
- I love buildings
- I’m creative and technical
- I like drawing and modeling
Choose architecture professor if…
- I love architecture
- I enjoy critiquing design
- I want to teach and practice
Still torn? Take the Architect fit quiz and the Architecture Professor fit quiz, or the full Career Match Quiz.
Quick comparisons
Which pays more, architect or architecture professor?
Architects earn more at the median: $99,280 versus $96,870 for architecture professors, based on BLS May 2025 data.
Which takes less time to train for?
Architecture Professors typically train faster (6–8 years) than architects (5–7 years of school plus internship).
Which career has better job growth?
BLS projects architects to grow +4.3% from 2025–35, compared with +2.6% for architecture professors.