Studying Architecture in China: Programs, Requirements and Costs

Architecture in China covers three closely linked fields: architecture, urban and rural planning, and landscape architecture. This guide explains how the degrees are organized, where the programs are, and what you need to get in.

How the degrees are organized

Bachelor's. In the Ministry of Education's 2026 Catalog of Undergraduate Majors, the architecture group (建筑类) contains:

• Architecture (建筑学)
• Urban and Rural Planning (城乡规划)
• Landscape Architecture (风景园林), which can award an engineering or an arts degree
• Special majors (marked "T" in the catalog), set up for specific needs: Historic Building Conservation Engineering (历史建筑保护工程), Human Settlements Science and Technology (人居环境科学与技术), Urban Design (城市设计), Smart Building and Construction (智慧建筑与建造) and, new in 2026, Smart Landscape Construction (智慧景观营造)

Bachelor's programs take four or five years, and each university sets the length. Zhejiang University, for example, offers Architecture as both a five-year and a four-year program.

Master's and PhD. China's graduate catalog (2022 edition) splits the field like this:

Programs in our database

These come from each university's own 2026 admission catalog. Tuition is per year.

Our program search lists every architecture and planning program we have. We are adding more universities' catalogs, so check back.

Fees at other universities

From the fee pages of universities in our database, per year unless stated:

• Tongji University: Chinese-taught bachelor's in architecture 28,700 CNY; the English-taught international class of the College of Architecture and Urban Planning 33,800 CNY; master's in architecture 32,800 CNY taught in Chinese; the professional Master of Architecture (建筑, 专业学位) 100,000 CNY; PhD in architecture 45,000 CNY.
• Tianjin University: bachelor's in Architecture, Urban and Rural Planning or Landscape Architecture 26,000 CNY, compared with 16,600 CNY for most Chinese-taught programs.
• Shanghai Jiao Tong University: the English-taught Master of Architecture (International) at the School of Design, Minhang campus, costs 160,000 CNY for 2.5 years. The same school also lists an English-taught Master of Landscape Architecture (International).

Other universities in our database known for architecture include Tsinghua University, Southeast University, South China University of Technology, Chongqing University, Hunan University and Shenyang Jianzhu University. For landscape architecture, also look at Beijing Forestry University.

How to get in

Bachelor's (mostly taught in Chinese):

• HSK 5 is the norm for these programs. Starting with little Chinese? See Learn Chinese first, then start your degree.
• CSCA in mathematics and professional Chinese (science), plus physics for Architecture at Zhejiang. See our CSCA guide.
• Drawing and design. Zhejiang asks Architecture applicants for a good grounding in mathematics and physics and some artistic and aesthetic ability.
• Apply early. Zhejiang's 2026 Chinese-taught bachelor's programs closed on 28 February 2026, Beijing time, unless the catalog gave another date.

Master's and PhD:

• Read the admission note for each program. Some English-taught programs are dual degrees open only to students from partner universities, as at Zhejiang.
• Find a supervisor for research degrees: Zhejiang requires a supervisor's acceptance for its English-taught PhD in Architecture.
• The Chinese Government Scholarship covers master's and PhD students too: see our CSC guide.

Tips

• Check recognition at home. If you plan to register as an architect, ask your country's architects' board which degrees it accepts before you enroll.
• Compare the five-year and four-year options. Where a university offers both, ask which one your home board recognizes.
• Keep learning Chinese, even in an English-taught program. It is a compulsory course for degree students and opens up internships later.