I’m looking into the undergrad Architecture program at Columbia and it states it is a liberal arts major and not a professional degree program, what is the difference?
It means that you will need to go to grad school if you want to become an architect. It is a 4yr arch studies program, not a 5 yr b of arch which will prepare you for licensing.
A professional architecture bachelor’s degree would be an NAAB-accredited 5-year BArch program.
However, a 4-year BA/BS in architecture could allow you later to complete an NAAB-accredited MArch program in shorter time than someone with a BA/BS in an unrelated major, depending on the MArch program.
More information: http://www.ncarb.org/Studying-Architecture/Difference-Between-NAAB-Accredited-And-Non.aspx
NAAB accredited program search: http://www.naab.org/architecture-programs/school-search/