Architecture, by definition, is the design of a built environment for use by people. Architects' style may vary by artistic preference. However, all architects are constrained by the need to balance artistic license with the practical concerns of physics and the desired function of the designed space. If a design is not useful or cannot physically be created, the architect will not be successful.
In addition, architects are constrained by the need to be licensed in order to practice. Architecture is a field of opposites, where precision and exacting professional standards allow the architect to achieve unparalleled individuality and successful artistic license.
Due to the legal requirement for professional licensing, education is a necessity in the field of architecture. Most architects enter the field in one of two ways. Students may enroll in a five-year Bachelor or Master of Architecture program, or come to architecture with a bachelor's degree in another field and then progress to a two-year or three-year master's degree in architecture. In order to become a licensed architect in the U.S., students must complete a degree program that has been accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB).
Architecture has experienced a downswing in job growth as part of the wider recession affecting American job outlooks --- as of January 2011. However, the U.S. Department of Labor predicts that jobs in architecture will grow over the next 10 years, outpacing the average growth of all other careers. According to U.S. Department of Labor statistics, in May 2008 U.S. architects earned $41,320 to $119,220 a year, with a mean annual wage of $76,750 per year and a mean hourly rate of $36.90.
Campus-based architecture schools are traditional, brick-and-mortar educational institutions with a department that specializes in education in the field of architecture. Online architecture schools offer the same services as a brick-and-mortar university department using an online educational platform. Both options are available to students in the state of Georgia. The traditional nonprofit schools Bauder College, the Georgia Institute of Technology, Southern Polytechnic State University, and the University of Georgia all offer architecture degrees.
For-profit schools American Intercontinental University (AIU), The Art Institute, and Westwood College operate a mixture of campus-based and online degrees in architecture. Savannah College of Art and Design, one of the few campuses that straddles a fine non-profit/for-profit line, also offers a degree in architecture in online and campus-based formats.