How To Become An Architect - Who would ever choose to study architecture? It takes over seven years to qualify, and research suggests architecture students put in more hours per week than any of their peers. Architects must be ‘Renaissance (wo)men’ – thinkers, drafters, crafters, mathematicians, diplomats, salespeople – but content themselves with realising other people’s designs for most, or even all, of their careers. Why, then, is architecture such a popular and competitive course?