We Stand with The American Institute of Architects on Reclassification of Professional Degrees by the U.S. Department of Education
December 8, 2025
We stand with Evelyn Lee, FAIA, President of The American Institute of Architects (AIA) on the reclassification of professional degrees and share her concern about “an action by the U.S. Department of Education that poses a threat to the reputational and financial future of our profession.” As she goes on to note, “This is not a bureaucratic reclassification; it is a fundamental misunderstanding of who we are and what we do that has real-world consequences for those pursuing advanced degrees in architecture.”
The long-term repercussions of this action would directly hinder individuals’ ability to pursue architectural degrees and disrupt the pipeline of qualified professionals needed to serve the public interest. Additionally, it would impair architecture firms’ capacity to operate effectively by limiting their ability to adequately staff their offices.
To learn more about the proposed reclassification, please visit the AIA website.
We encourage individuals who share our concern to:
- Write to your member of Congress urging them to push the Department of Education to classify architecture as a professional degree for federal aid purposes.
- Prepare for the Department of Education public comment period in early 2026.