Architect Career Assessment

2What is a Architect?

An architect meets with the people who want a building. They find out what the building needs to do and what it can cost. Then they design it. They draw plans on a computer showing walls, rooms, doors, stairs, and how the building is put together. They check that the design follows building codes and accessibility laws. While the building goes up, they visit the site and answer the builder's questions. A licensed architect can stamp a set of plans. A stamp is an official mark that says "I am responsible for this design." Only a licensed architect may do that.

The Reality: Be honest with yourself about the whole shape of this road before you start it. It is long. First comes a college degree that a group called NAAB has approved. NAAB stands for the National Architectural Accrediting Board. At North Dakota State University that means four years for a Bachelor of Science in Architecture, then a Master of Architecture on top. NDSU calls the bachelor's a pre-professional degree and says only the master's is the NAAB accredited one. Next comes AXP, the Architectural Experience Program. NCARB, the national group that runs it, requires 3,740 hours of supervised work. NCARB says people take about four to five years to finish it. Then comes the ARE, the Architect Registration Examination. It has six separate parts, and you must pass all six. Add it up: for most people this is roughly ten years from your first college class to a license. The pay is good and the work is creative. But do not start this thinking it is a short path, and know that North Dakota only has about 250 architects and about 20 openings a year. If you love building design but that road is too long, look at the drafter and civil engineering technician pages in this same set. Those are two-year doors into the same industry.

Your Responsibilities:

• Meet with clients to find out what a building needs to do
• Draw building plans using design software
• Check that a design follows building codes and accessibility rules
• Build 3D models so people can see the idea
• Estimate what a building will cost
• Write the specifications a contractor must build to
• Work with engineers on the structure, heating, and electrical parts
• Visit the job site while the building goes up

You decide what a building looks like and how people move through it.

3A Day in the Life

8:00 AM — Email and coffee. A contractor has a question about a stair detail.

8:30 AM — Open the design software. Change a wall layout on a clinic plan.

10:00 AM — Meet with a school board about a classroom addition.

11:30 AM — Check the plan against the building code and the accessibility rules.

12:00 PM — Lunch.

1:00 PM — Drive to a job site downtown. Walk it and take photos.

3:00 PM — Back at the desk. Write up what you saw on the site.

4:30 PM — Log your AXP hours and plan tomorrow.

Mostly computer and meeting work, with real trips out to buildings going up.

4Training in North Dakota

You need a NAAB accredited degree. In North Dakota that means NDSU. NCARB says that in most states you need a degree from a program accredited by NAAB, the National Architectural Accrediting Board. North Dakota has one architecture school. If you are not ready for that yet, a two-year drafting or modeling degree lets you work in the same offices while you decide.

Training Pathways:

• The full architect road (about 9 to 10 years): Four years for the NDSU Bachelor of Science in Architecture, then the Master of Architecture, then 3,740 AXP hours, then six ARE exam parts, then state registration.
• Two-year degree first (2 years): Start with the NDSCS Architectural Modeling and Design Technology AAS. You learn AutoCAD and Revit and can go to work in an architecture or engineering office. Later you can decide about the four-year road.
• Start at a community college, then transfer: Take your general education courses close to home at a cheaper two-year college, then move to NDSU for the architecture studio courses.

Where to Train in North Dakota:

• North Dakota State University (Fargo) — Master of Architecture. NDSU says the M.Arch. is "recognized by all state licensing boards and accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB)" — ndsu.edu/architecture/academics/architecture-program-accreditation
• North Dakota State University (Fargo) — Bachelor of Science in Architecture, four years. NDSU calls this a pre-professional degree and the normal step before the M.Arch. Students need a 3.0 GPA after the third year to apply to the graduate program — ndsu.edu/architecture/academics/bachelor_of_science_in_architecture
• North Dakota State College of Science (Wahpeton) — Architectural Modeling and Design Technology, AAS, 71 credits. Teaches AutoCAD, Autodesk Revit, and Building Information Modeling. NDSCS lists drafting, Revit modeling, estimating, construction management, and project coordination as graduate jobs — catalog.ndscs.edu/architectural-modeling-design-technology
• North Dakota State College of Science (Wahpeton) — UAS Architectural Modeling, AAS. The same modeling work with drone courses added — ndscs.edu/academics/programs/

Before You Start: High school diploma or GED. NDSU picks who moves on to year two based on GPA and how you do in the first-year environmental design courses, so your first year really counts. Take art, drafting, physics, and as much math as you can get in high school. Being able to draw helps, but the computer does most of the drawing now.

Tip: Start with financial aid and scholarships. Fill out the FAFSA, ask the school’s financial aid office what you qualify for, and ask an employer whether they help pay for school. That is where the money starts. After that, ask a career counselor or Job Service North Dakota whether WIOA or other programs can help with what is left over, like tuition, books, a laptop, or exam fees. What can be paid for depends on the program and on your own situation, so ask before you enroll rather than after. Worth asking about specifically: two-year degrees that train you for a job, like civil engineering technology, land surveying, mechatronics, electronics, or instrumentation. North Dakota two-year colleges also cost far less than a university. Ask about paid summer internships too — engineering firms, plants, and survey crews hire students while they are still in school.

5Certification & Licensing

You must be registered by the state to call yourself an architect or stamp plans. The North Dakota State Board of Architecture registers architects here. The board has NCARB, the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards, run the exam for it. So the real rule book for the education, experience, and exam steps is NCARB's.

The Road to Registration:

• NAAB accredited degree — NCARB says most states require a degree from a program accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board. In North Dakota that is the NDSU Master of Architecture (ncarb.org, ndsu.edu)
• AXP — the Architectural Experience Program — 3,740 hours of supervised work. NCARB says most people take four to five years to finish it (ncarb.org)
• AXP is split into six areas — Practice Management 160 hours, Project Management 360, Programming and Analysis 260, Project Planning and Design 1,080, Project Development and Documentation 1,520, and Construction and Evaluation 360 (ncarb.org)
• Where the hours come from — NCARB calls work inside an architecture firm under a licensed architect "Setting A" and requires about half your hours, roughly 1,860, to come from there. Other qualifying work is "Setting O" (ncarb.org)
• ARE — the Architect Registration Examination — six separate parts, and you must pass all six. They are Practice Management, Project Management, Programming and Analysis, Project Planning and Design, Project Development and Documentation, and Construction and Evaluation (ncarb.org)
• State registration — send your application to the North Dakota State Board of Architecture. Architects who already hold an NCARB certificate from another state send the NCARB Council Record, a uniform application, and a $150 fee; the board says that takes about three weeks (ndsba.net)

The Exams: The ARE is taken one part at a time, so you can spread it out over months or years while you work. NCARB says passing all six parts is required by every U.S. state. Get the current fee per part, the length of each part, and the retake rules straight from ncarb.org, because those change.

Cost: North Dakota charges $125 to renew, and $150 for the reciprocal application if you are already registered elsewhere (ndsba.net). NCARB charges for the exam parts and for keeping your NCARB Record; ask NCARB for current amounts. School is by far the biggest cost on this road, not the fees.

Keeping It Current: North Dakota registrations expire June 30 of even-numbered years. Renewal is $125. If you let it lapse and fix it within a year it is $225, which is the $125 plus a $100 penalty. The board's FAQ says North Dakota does not currently require continuing education, but adds that this could change (ndsba.net).

6Salary & Job Outlook

North Dakota Architect Pay (May 2025):

• Starting out (bottom 10–25%): $36.06–$38.03/hour ($75,000–$79,110/year)
• Middle (median — half earn more, half earn less): $46.69/hour ($97,110/year)
• Experienced (top 25–10%): $59.23–$65.93/hour ($123,210–$137,140/year)

What that means: North Dakota wage data for architects was published, so these are real ND numbers. The middle ND architect earns about $46.69 an hour, or about $97,110 a year. That is very close to the national middle of $47.73. Read these numbers carefully, though. There are only about 250 architects in the whole state, so the sample is small and a few firms can move the numbers a lot. Also notice the bottom: the ND 10th percentile is $75,000, well above the national $62,300. That is partly because ND has almost no unlicensed entry-level design staff counted here. The national top tenth, $161,420, is much higher than ND's $137,140, because the biggest firms are in big cities. These figures are for licensed architects, not for students or people still working through AXP.

Jobs in North Dakota: About 250 people do this work in ND today. By 2034, that should be about 260 (about 7% growth). Expect about 20 job openings every year in ND from growth and people retiring or changing jobs. Across the U.S., the change is about 4% growth — average.

Outlook: Fair. North Dakota is growing faster than the country, about 7% against 4%, but this is a small field. About 20 openings a year statewide. Most of those jobs are in Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks, and Minot.

Who Hires in ND: Private architecture firms, engineering firms that have an architecture group, large construction companies, hospital and school systems, and state and city building offices.

Work Setting: An office with a large computer screen, plus meetings and job site visits. Site visits mean whatever weather North Dakota is having, including winter, and hard hats and boots. Deadlines can mean long evenings when a project has to go out.

Physical Demands: Low. Most of the day is sitting at a screen. Site visits mean walking rough ground, climbing stairs and ladders, and standing outside. Most architecture jobs can be adjusted so a co-worker handles the site part.

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, North Dakota, May 2025 (SOC 17-1011); North Dakota and U.S. long-term employment projections 2024–2034, via O*NET OnLine. Numbers are rounded.

7Where This Leads

Path 1: Drafter or Modeler — A two-year-degree job drawing plans in an architecture office.

Path 2: Architectural Designer — You have the degree and are working on AXP hours.

Path 3: Registered Architect — Licensed. You can stamp plans.

Path 4: Project Architect — You run one building project from design through construction.

Path 5: Firm Principal or Partner — You own part of the firm and bring in the work.

Path 6: Specialist — Historic buildings, healthcare design, or accessibility consulting.

8The Real Talk

What's Great:

• You can point at a building you designed
• Creative work that is also technical
• Middle ND pay near $97,110
• A license you own for life
• Mix of desk work and site visits
• ND is growing faster than the country

What's Hard:

• About 9 to 10 years to a license
• Master's degree required, not just a bachelor's
• 3,740 supervised hours after school
• Six separate exam parts
• Only about 20 ND openings a year
• Deadline crunches and long evenings

Be Honest: Are you ready for a bachelor's degree plus a master's degree? Can you then spend four to five more years earning 3,740 supervised hours while studying for six exam parts? Are you willing to move to Fargo, Bismarck, Grand Forks, or Minot, where nearly all these jobs are?

9Part 1: What Attracts You?

10Part 2: Are You Ready?

11Part 3: Your Next Move

Your Architect Assessment Results