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2025 Best General Architecture Schools in the Great Lakes Region

10 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
769 Architecture Degrees Awarded
$50,340 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in general architecture, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #127 in the country in terms of popularity. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 10 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best General Architecture Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 769 degrees in general architecture annually.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great General Architecture School

Best General Architecture Schools in the Great Lakes Region The architecture program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for General Architecture rankings. We derive our Best Overall General Architecture School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

General Architecture Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Architecture
Master's Degrees in Architecture
Doctor's Degrees in Architecture

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best General Architecture Schools in the Great Lakes Region list to help you make the college decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for General Architecture in the Great Lakes Region

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the architecture degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Great Lakes Region Schools in Architecture

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
36 Architecture Degrees Awarded
$62,957 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in general architecture needs to check out University of Notre Dame. Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Notre Dame is a great university overall.

There were approximately 36 general architecture students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent data year. General Architecture degree recipients from University of Notre Dame receive an earnings boost of approximately $12,617 above the average earnings of general architecture majors.

More information about a degree in general architecture from University of Notre Dame

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
52 Architecture Degrees Awarded
$38,998 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in general architecture needs to take a look at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. U-M is a fairly large public university located in the city of Ann Arbor. A Best Colleges rank of #22 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.

There were about 52 general architecture students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the architecture program state that they receive average early career earnings of $38,998.

More information about a degree in general architecture from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
155 Architecture Degrees Awarded
10.3% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat Kent State University at Kent if you wish to pursue a degree in general architecture. Kent State is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Kent. A Best Colleges rank of #250 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Kent State is a great university overall.

There were about 155 general architecture students who graduated with this degree at Kent State in the most recent data year. After graduation, architecture degree recipients typically earn around $47,254 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in general architecture from Kent State University at Kent

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
89 Architecture Degrees Awarded
$44,598 Median Starting Salary

University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is a great option for students interested in a degree in general architecture. UC is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Cincinnati. A Best Colleges rank of #137 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 89 general architecture students who graduated with this degree at UC in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the architecture program state that they receive average early career earnings of $44,598.

More information about a degree in general architecture from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
70 Architecture Degrees Awarded
$57,603 Median Starting Salary

Ball State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Muncie. A Best Colleges rank of #181 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Ball State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 70 general architecture students who graduated with this degree at Ball State in the most recent data year. General Architecture degree recipients from Ball State University get an earnings boost of approximately $7,263 above the typical income of general architecture graduates.

More information about a degree in general architecture from Ball State University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
83 Architecture Degrees Awarded
$43,014 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Milwaukee, UWM is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 23rd out of 46 colleges for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.

There were roughly 83 general architecture students who graduated with this degree at UWM in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the architecture program state that they receive average early career earnings of $43,014.

More information about a degree in general architecture from University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
61 Architecture Degrees Awarded
$53,708 Median Starting Salary

SIUC is a fairly large public university located in the town of Carbondale. This university ranks 36th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 61 general architecture students who graduated with this degree at SIUC in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the general architecture degree program at Southern Illinois University Carbondale make $3,368 above the standard college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in general architecture from Southern Illinois University Carbondale

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
71 Architecture Degrees Awarded
$32,451 Median Starting Salary

UIC is a very large public university located in the large city of Chicago. This university ranks 10th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 71 general architecture students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the architecture program state that they receive average early career earnings of $32,451.

More information about a degree in general architecture from University of Illinois at Chicago

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In OH
45.5% Growth in Graduates

BGSU is a large public university located in the town of Bowling Green. This university ranks 18th out of 91 colleges for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were roughly 11 general architecture students who graduated with this degree at BGSU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in general architecture from Bowling Green State University - Main Campus

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In IL
32 Architecture Degrees Awarded

Judson is a small private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Elgin. This university ranks 38th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 32 general architecture students who graduated with this degree at Judson in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general architecture from Judson University

Best General Architecture Colleges by State

Explore the best general architecture schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 322 77
Ohio 314 340
Illinois 304 184
Indiana 294 151
Wisconsin 273 87

View All Rankings >

General Architecture is one of 8 different types of Architecture & Related Services programs to choose from.

Architecture Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Architecture 766
Pre-Architecture Studies 3

View All Architecture Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Architecture

Related Major Annual Graduates
Architectural Sciences & Technology 725
Urban & Regional Planning 172
Interior Architecture 115
Landscape Architecture 94
Environmental Design 32
Architecture (Other) 13
Architectural History 10

View All Architecture Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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