Architectureat University of California-Berkeley
Graduates earn $50,917/yr in their first year — about 11.0% above the national Architecture average. Base-case 10-year earnings $757K; scenarios range from $670K to $787K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at UC Berkeley
While the earnings figures look solid, they don't fully capture the Berkeley advantage. You aren't just earning a degree; you're entering the hyper-competitive San Francisco Bay Area ecosystem. Your classmates and professors are connected to world-class firms like Gensler, SOM, and IDEO, and the school's reputation for design theory and sustainable innovation opens doors globally. Many graduates pursue a master's degree to become licensed architects, which is where the career earnings potential truly accelerates. The high AI risk score reflects the automation of drafting, but Berkeley's emphasis on conceptual design and project management trains you for the creative leadership roles that technology can't replace. To maximize your investment, aggressively use the school's career services to land internships in the Bay Area, as that local experience is your most valuable asset upon graduation.
Three scenarios, ten years out
Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.
10 year projection
Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to UC Berkeley's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.
Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.
Peer schools offering Architecture
How UC Berkeley stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at UC Berkeley
Other highest-scoring programs offered at UC Berkeley, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Architecture at UC Berkeley
How does University of California-Berkeley's Architecture program score?
This program scores 59/100, reflecting respectable but not exceptional financial outcomes for Architecture graduates.
How vulnerable is Architecture to AI automation?
AI won't 'replace' Architecture careers outright, but it is likely to reduce the number of job openings. We model 46% task exposure, which compresses field employment probability in our scenarios.
Why does University of California-Berkeley rank so high for Architecture?
The #13 ranking out of 66 programs is driven by strong financial outcomes — graduates earn well, debt is manageable relative to income, and the job market supports the field.