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Architecture · Architecture Rank #25 of 66

Architectureat University of Virginia-Main Campus

Graduates earn $51,740/yr in their first year — about 13.0% above the national Architecture average. Base-case 10-year earnings $689K; scenarios range from $618K to $711K depending on AI disruption.

Charlottesville, VA Public Bachelor's Degree
DegreeOutlook Score
54 AVERAGE
55
Optimistic
53
Pessimistic
Earnings
$51,740
1-year post-graduation
ROI
7.7x
Earnings : in-state tuition
10-yr Base
$689K
Cumulative base-case earnings
AI Risk
High
52% task exposure
Program Analysis

What this degree looks like at University of Virginia

UVA's School of Architecture benefits enormously from its "Public Ivy" reputation and its strategic location. While Charlottesville itself is a smaller city, you're positioned squarely within the orbit of Washington D.C., a major hub for large, influential firms like Gensler, Perkins&Will, and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. These firms handle massive federal, institutional, and commercial projects, and they actively recruit from top-tier programs like Virginia's. Your strong earnings potential reflects this pipeline into a premium job market, not just a standard local one. The path often involves a long apprenticeship post-graduation to become a licensed architect, but a UVA degree opens doors to the most prestigious of those opportunities. To make the most of this, focus your internships on the D.C. area to build a regional professional network before you even graduate.

AI Outlook Integration

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.

Pessimistic
Mass Automation
$618K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score53/100
Earnings Multiple7.4x
Base Case
Moderate Integration
$689K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score54/100
Earnings Multiple8.2x
Optimistic
AI Augmentation
$711K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score55/100
Earnings Multiple8.5x
Earnings Trajectory

10 year projection

Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to University of Virginia's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.

Career Paths

Where Architecture graduates typically work

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.

1
Architectural and engineering managers
+3.8% 10-yr growth · 14,500 openings/yr
$167,740/yr
Moderate
2
Architecture teachers, postsecondary
+2.0% 10-yr growth · 900 openings/yr
$101,480/yr
Moderate
3
Architects, except landscape and naval
+3.9% 10-yr growth · 7,800 openings/yr
$96,690/yr
Moderate
Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. AI exposure from OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs and Felten AIOE research.
Compare & Explore

Peer schools offering Architecture

How University of Virginia stacks up against other schools offering this major.

Highest earnings
University of Notre Dame
IN · Private nonprofit
48
DW Score
$63K
1-yr earn
2.1x
ROI
University of Miami
FL · Private nonprofit
43
DW Score
$61K
1-yr earn
1.8x
ROI
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
CA · Public
65
DW Score
$61K
1-yr earn
16.5x
ROI
Top score
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
CA · Public
67
DW Score
$58K
1-yr earn
24.9x
ROI
Kennesaw State University
GA · Public
66
DW Score
$56K
1-yr earn
30.0x
ROI
Also at University of Virginia

Other top programs at University of Virginia

Other highest-scoring programs offered at University of Virginia, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.

FAQ

Frequently asked about Architecture at University of Virginia

What does a 54/100 DegreeOutlook Score mean for Architecture at University of Virginia-Main Campus?

At 54/100, University of Virginia-Main Campus's Architecture program delivers middling returns. School cost and personal fit become important decision factors.

Should I worry about AI if I study Architecture at University of Virginia-Main Campus?

The 46% AI task exposure score is above average. Our model shows this affecting job availability more than salaries — graduates may face stiffer competition for fewer positions.