Architectural History, Criticism, and Conservation: earnings, debt, and careers

CIP 04.08. Official graduate outcomes from the U.S. Department of Education across 45 programs, and the careers this field is linked to.

Graduate earnings by credential level

$0$20K$40K$60KBachelor's degree$46,764Master's degree$60,164
National earnings of Architectural History, Criticism, and Conservation graduates who were working and not enrolled one year after completing, by credential. Bachelor's degree: median $46,764; Master's degree: median $60,164. The bar spans the 25th to 75th percentile, the thin line spans the 10th to 90th percentile, and the red mark is the median.
CredentialProgramsGraduates (recent year)Median earnings, 1 yrMedian earnings, 4 yrsTypical program median debt
Undergraduate certificate22Data unavailableData unavailableData unavailable
Associate's degree16Data unavailableData unavailableData unavailable
Bachelor's degree22103$46,764$65,003$19,500
1 programs
Master's degree1128$60,164$65,042Data unavailable
Doctoral degree31Data unavailableData unavailableData unavailable
Graduate certificate611Data unavailableData unavailableData unavailable

National earnings are published by the Department of Education for each field and credential level Verified data. Typical program median debt is ConnectPrep's calculation: the median across programs of each program's median federal debt Calculated estimate. It covers federal loans only.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most Recent Field of Study Data. Varies by measure; see measure definitions. Published October 15, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.

Careers linked to Architectural History, Criticism, and Conservation

OccupationMedian wage, all workersChange 2025 to 2035Typical entry education
Architects, except landscape and naval$99,280+4.3%Bachelor's degree
Historians$76,750+3.0%Master's degree
Architecture teachers, postsecondary$96,870+2.6%Doctoral or professional degree

Occupations mapped to this field in the NCES and BLS CIP to SOC crosswalk. Occupation wages describe all workers, not recent graduates.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk. CIP 2020 and SOC 2018 taxonomies. Published April 30, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, National. May 2025 reference period. Published April 30, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, Table 1.2: Occupational projections, 2025-35, and worker characteristics, 2025. Base year 2025, projected year 2035. Published August 27, 2026. Retrieved October 18, 2026. Methodology.
Detailed CIP codes in this field (4)
  • 04.0801 Architectural History and Criticism, General
  • 04.0802 Architectural Conservation
  • 04.0803 Architectural Studies
  • 04.0899 Architectural History, Criticism, and Conservation, Other