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Lionel Scharly is the strategic architectural advisor at Real Estate Bees and a licensed, registered architect specializing in architectural design, furniture design, and BIM Technology. His public architecture, commercial, cultural, retail, and residential projects focus heavily on integrating the environment by implementing groundbreaking technologies.
Scharly created his startup in 2007, after several years working as art director and international design manager for big design companies in Europe, such as projects for Dior, Peugeot, Coca-Cola, Michelin, Estee Lauder, Air France, and in the video game industry.
OnlineEngineeringPrograms.com: What is something you wish the public understood about architects?
Scharly: We are first here to provide housing and public spaces of any type. We are creative and innovative people. Our job consists of designing and transforming natural materials, such as wood, steel, glass, or any natural resource, to erect buildings, renovate, and create convenient community spaces.
We are designing through building code, and today…by using LEED certifications on projects to design efficient energy buildings or public spaces. We also have to create or improve communities in the neighborhoods by designing residential or mixed-use buildings and facilitating urban mobility.
OnlineEngineeringPrograms.com: What advice would you give to aspiring architecture students?
Scharly: Be curious, very curious, analytic, creative, and persevering.
Architecture is a long path that requires creativity and perseverance. It’s more than a profession but a [sacerdotal art], and that’s how we can move forward on it.
We also build on history; it’s an important fact in your research to base it on history, and how things have been designed and built in the past. For example, today, could you imagine building a Roman Cathedral? Probably not. But by imagining how they did with their actual technologies, you can today imagine how we can build with AI, robots, and eventually on other planets.
| School | City | State | Website | Undergrad | Graduate | Grads |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kent | OH | www.kent.edu | 190 | |||
| Lubbock | TX | www.ttu.edu | 180 | |||
| Gainesville | FL | www.ufl.edu | 156 | |||
| Boston | MA | the-bac.edu | 109 | |||
| Carbondale | IL | siu.edu | 60 | |||
| Muncie | IN | www.bsu.edu | 56 | |||
| Norman | OK | www.ou.edu | 24 | |||
| Hampton | VA | home.hamptonu.edu | 19 | |||
| Perkinston | MS | mgccc.edu | 13 | |||
| Goodman | MS | holmescc.edu | 5 | |||
| Dallas | TX | www.dallascollege.edu | 4 | |||
| Fulton | MS | www.iccms.edu | 3 | |||
| Scooba | MS | www.eastms.edu | 2 | |||
| Lincoln | NE | www.unl.edu | 2 |
Rochester Institute of Technology
Rochester Institute of Technology offers an on-campus master of architecture degree, providing a well-balanced education that integrates technology, research, and design with sustainability, thus preparing students for a modern architectural world. Notably, 2U, Inc. (a leader in education technology) announced on October 7, 2019, that it will partner with Rochester Institute of Technology’s Golisano Institute for Sustainability to offer students an online version of this master of architecture (MArch) degree.
Admission requirements for this program include a complete graduate application, a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution, official transcripts, a personal statement, one letter of recommendation, current resume, portfolio, an undergraduate cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, and TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE scores for international students.
This program involves courses such as architectural representation, architectural history, architectural design, the fundamentals of building systems, sustainable building metrics, integrated building systems, and urban and regional planning. Students are required to attend two on-campus immersions.
This master of architecture program is offered in two tracks: the first one for students who have prior experience and an undergraduate degree in architecture (63 credits), while the second track is for students with no prior experience or background in architecture (90 credits). Upon graduation, students can take up roles such as architectural designers, sustainability consultants, research scientists, start-up entrepreneurs, planning engineers, and more.
Lawrence Technological University
The Lawrence Technological University offers an online master of architecture (MArch) program, helping students advance their skills and careers. This program is almost fully online and offers the same curriculum as that of the on-campus program. The same leading professors who teach the on-campus classes, deliver the online version too. This program involves the following three tracks:
MArch Track II - Consisting of 36 credit-hours, this track is for students with a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Lawrence Technological University or another accredited institution. Students receive instruction in the critical practice studio, research methods, ecological issues, design theory, professional practice, construction management, and project management.
MArch Track III - This track is for students who hold undergraduate degrees in a field other than architecture. Comprising 90 or fewer credits, courses in this track include construction systems, advanced structures, arch foundational studio, critical practice studio, comprehensive design studio, basic structures, and HVAC and water systems.
MArch Track IV - Intended for students who hold a degree in a non-architectural environmental field such as interior design or landscape architecture. Option 1 (79 credits) is for students with undergraduate environmental design degrees from a school other than LTU; and option 2 (60 credits) is for students with a bachelor’s in interior design from LTU. The coursework includes introduction to building technology, structural systems, construction systems, acoustics, electrical, and illumination systems, and HVAC and water systems.
Application requirements for this program include official transcripts, a completed graduate application, a minimum undergraduate grade point average of 3.0, three letters of recommendation, a current resume, and a 1,000-word essay.
Southern Illinois University offers an online master of architecture program for architecture professionals. The program meets the educational requirements for licensure in Illinois and other states and the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) certification requirements.
For admission into the program, students need a bachelor of science in architectural studies or its equivalent, a minimum grade point average of 2.7, a portfolio of work, a statement of intent, two letters of recommendation, and TOEFL scores for international students. The GRE is not required for admission.
The program comprises 42 credit-hours. The curriculum includes courses such as research methods and programming, environmental behavior studies in architecture, the global traditions in architecture, architectural systems and the environment, architectural visualization, architectural professional practice, special readings in architecture, and more.
Through the program, students will better understand architecture and strengthen their communication and collaboration skills.
Boston Architectural College offers an online master of architecture program for students with a background in architecture. This low-residency program allows students to work full-time while they earn their degree. The Boston Architectural College also offers an online bachelor of science in architecture, leading to a master's degree in architecture.
To apply for this online master of architecture program, students must have a bachelor's degree (in architecture is strongly recommended but not required), a completed online application, portfolio, official college transcripts, a current resume, essay, one letter of recommendation, and proof of your English proficiency. For the bachelor’s degree, students need to provide an official high school transcript or GED scores, and the same application requirements are mentioned above.
The master’s program is made up of 36 credit-hours. The coursework explores sustainable systems, practice management, building systems, project management, and architecture thesis research strategies, among others. The bachelor's program consists of 132 credit-hours. Some of the courses included are spatial thinking, social and political theory, contemporary architecture, modern and contemporary art, and advanced research strategies, among others.
The University of Missouri offers a 100 percent online master’s of arts (MA) or master’s of science (MS) degree in architectural studies with an emphasis in environment and behavior studies. This fully online program does not require campus visits. It is ideal for students wanting a career in applied research, consulting, or teaching in architecture, interior design, and other environmental design disciplines.
To apply for admission, students must have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution, a minimum grade point average of 3.0, transcripts of all previous college or university education, three letters of recommendation, statement of purpose, portfolio or dossier, and TOEFL or IELTS scores for students whose native language is not English. GRE scores are not required for admission.
The program consists of 30 credits. It includes courses such as sustainable technologies and systems, energy-efficient building design, readings in environmental design, problems in environmental design, philosophy of environmental design research, theories in architectural and interior design, and information visualization and visual analytics.
After completing the program, graduates can pursue research and teaching positions in universities, interior design or architecture consulting, and environmental design initiatives.
The Academy of Art University offers several online undergraduate and graduate architecture degree programs taught by practicing architects and experienced professionals. These programs are designed to introduce students to the creative aspects of designing and making. Students can learn about various aspects of architecture through the university’s online system.
The online programs offered are as follows:
Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Design (BA-ARH-D) Degree - This program consists of 120 credit-hours. Students delve into topics such as sketching for communication, college math, conceptual design studio, spatial ordering and form, projective drawing and perspective, 3D digital modeling, site design and mapping, and assembly building and context, among others..
Bachelor of Architecture (BArch) Degree - Consisting of 150 credit-hours, this program includes almost all courses from the above program, with the addition of language, culture and humanities, professional practices for architects, mixed-use urbanism and research, and from theory to practice, among others.
Master of Architecture (MArch) Degree (Track 1) - This program consists of 63 credit hours and involves courses such as graduate design technology structures, intermediate design studio, digitally generated morphology, architectural theory, digitally generated fabrication, construction documents and building codes, and a master of architecture thesis.
Master of Architecture (MArch) Degree (Track 2) - This track comprises 87 credit-hours, and includes courses such as design process and 2D media, architectural tectonics, design process and 3D media, architectural history: modernism and its global impact, material and methods of construction: building detailing, and architectural professional practices.
Undergraduate admission requirements include proof of high school completion, official transcripts, completed online application, and a nonrefundable application fee. Graduate students must submit a completed online application, proof of undergraduate degree by submitting official transcripts, a one-page statement of intent, a personal resume, and a portfolio/demo reel.
Students in these programs learn to solve creative problems, communicate their ideas professionally, apply design and art principles to make aesthetic, technical, and conceptual decisions, and develop the professional behaviors and skills necessary to compete in a global marketplace for art and design.
Chatham University offers an online master of interior architecture (MIA) program. This program is completed primarily on campus. It is designed to expand the experience and education of professionals with an undergraduate degree in interior architecture, interior design, or architecture.
Admission requirements include a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or college, with an undergraduate GPA (grade point average) of 3.0 or higher, a completed online application, a statement of purpose, a current resume, letters of recommendation, a portfolio, and official transcripts from all universities and colleges attended.
The program consists of 54 credit hours and includes courses such as graduate research methods, theory of interior architecture, design and behavior, 2D visual communications, building codes, architecture studio, interior architecture studio, interior materials, construction methods, and 20th and 21st century architecture.
Through the program, students have the opportunity to conduct research in architecture, develop analytical and writing skills, and learn to think critically.
Arizona State University - Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts
The Master of Architecture degree at Arizona State University is available on-campus and online. Students may choose a two-year track, which is for a preprofessional degree; or a three-year track, which is for a non-professional degree. The tracks are 48 credits or 72 credits, respectively.
Applicants for the two-year track must have a BS from an accredited institution with a major in architectural studies or similar preprofessional degree. Those in the three-year track must have baccalaureate or graduate degree in any field, excluding architecture. All applicants must submit official transcripts, have a minimum GPA of 3.0, letter of intent, portfolio, two references, resume or CV, and proof of English proficiency if their native language is not English.
Coursework includes topics such as advanced architecture technology, advanced architecture history, architectural theory, advanced architecture representation, architecture research, and architecture practice. Graduates will have skills that include building technology, construction and drafting, spatial awareness, and visual communication.
ASU also offers an online Bachelor of Science in Design in Architectural Studies.The 120-credit program gives graduates a foundation in design principles.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS 2025), the career outlook for architects is promising, with overall employment in architecture occupations projected to grow 4 percent in the next decade, which is faster than the average of 3 percent for all occupations from 2024 to 2034.
On average, architects earn more than $100,400 per year. Although BLS data is generally regarded as the most reliable, it isn’t always the most current. Data from other sources can vary, as shown below—all the latest available as of May 2026:
| BLS (May 2024) | Salary.com (May 2026) | |
| Number employed in the U.S. | 111,140 | Not available |
| Average Annual Salary | $103,390 | Not available |
| 10th Percentile | $60,510 | $78,740 |
| 25th Percentile | $76,110 | $86,212 |
|
50th Percentile (Median) |
$96,690 | $94,420 |
| 75th Percentile | $123,300 | $103,255 |
| 90th Percentile | $159,800 | $111,299 |
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