Des Plaines, Illinois has 4 accredited schools offering architecture programs, with tuition ranging from $31,360 to $43,137 per year for indexed programs. Des Plaines has a population of about 59,408. Median household income is $94,303 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 38.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, the top-earning architecture-related role is Architectural and Engineering Managers at a median $163,430 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Architecture Schools to Des Plaines
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer architecture programs near Des Plaines, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Des Plaines city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
- Graduation rate 30%
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
- Average net price (lower is better) 20%
- Retention rate 15%
- Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Des Plaines.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$68,740
Avg net price
$10,974/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 79%
- Programs offered: 140
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
48%
Graduation rate
56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$56,313
Avg net price
$18,558/yr
TuitionIn‑state$31,360
Out‑of‑state$31,360
Key stats
- Retention rate: 66%
- Programs offered: 39
Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$53,390
Avg net price
$13,297/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 68%
- Programs offered: 121
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Illinois schools on the Illinois architecture page.
Architecture Wages Near Des Plaines
Des Plaines is part of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (BLS area code 16980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Illinois statewide.
| Occupation |
Median Wage |
Source |
COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
| Architects, Except Landscape and Naval |
$81,790 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN |
$78,948 |
| Landscape Architects |
$66,830 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN |
$64,508 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers |
$163,430 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN |
$157,751 |
| Architectural and Civil Drafters |
$58,800 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN |
$56,757 |
| Urban and Regional Planners |
$98,840 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN |
$95,405 |
| Construction Managers |
$117,280 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN |
$113,205 |
| Interior Designers |
$76,570 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN |
$73,909 |
| Civil Engineers |
$100,160 |
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN |
$96,680 |
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
Des Plaines at a Glance
| Metric |
Value |
Source |
| Population |
59,408 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income |
$94,303 |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ |
38.7% |
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) |
103.6 (above U.S. average) |
BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Des Plaines-Area Cities With Architecture Programs
- Mount Prospect, IL – 2.8 mi away (54,171 pop)
- Park Ridge, IL – 3.3 mi away (37,496 pop)
- Niles, IL – 4.7 mi away (29,617 pop)
- Elk Grove Village, IL – 5.1 mi away (32,931 pop)
- Glenview, IL – 5.3 mi away (47,475 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited architecture schools are near Des Plaines, IL?
Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering architecture programs near Des Plaines. The closest is University of Illinois Chicago in Chicago, IL (17.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Notre Dame (88.5 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying architecture roles near Des Plaines?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying architecture-related roles near Des Plaines are: Architectural and Engineering Managers ($163,430), Construction Managers ($117,280), Civil Engineers ($100,160). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Illinois statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Mount Prospect instead of Des Plaines?
Mount Prospect, IL is 2.8 miles from Des Plaines and has its own set of local architecture programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Des Plaines an affordable place to study architecture?
Des Plaines’s median household income of $94,303 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Des Plaines while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Illinois public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Learn More About Architecture Programs
Other Programs Available in Des Plaines
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Des Plaines:
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- Counseling programs in Des Plaines, IL
Data verified: September 5, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
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