Options with architecture
Mixing planning, design, numeracy and IT skills, architecture students gain an appealing set of subject-specific and technical skills. But not all become architects. See where your skill set can take you...
Jobs directly related to your degree include:
Jobs where your degree would be useful include:
Remember that many employers accept applications from graduates with any degree subject, so don’t restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here. To find out what jobs would suit you, log in to My Prospects.
Completing some work experience or an industrial placement will help you develop an understanding of architectural practices and the industry from the inside. As well as generating some good contacts, it will build your confidence as well as your skills. It will also demonstrate to potential employers that you are hard working, reliable and motivated.
If you're intending to qualify as an architect, then approach practices directly in search of work experience; try Architects (RIBA Directory of Practices) . Alternatively, you can practise your architectural skills in other area such as the built environment, construction, landscape design, and other design practices. Remember that all work experience is valuable.
Search for placements and find out more about work experience and internships.
Graduates may be employed by small firms with fewer than ten employees. Public sector employers, such as local authorities and housing associations, employ a significant proportion of the profession and some large organisations, such as banks and supermarkets, may have in-house architectural teams.
Find information on employers in property and construction, engineering and manufacturing, and other job sectors.
While studying architecture, you will develop specific skills plus a range of transferable core skills that include:
Over the course of their career - the first few years particularly - many graduates opt for some form of further study, either part time or full time.
Most architecture graduates eventually go on to complete the final stages of the qualifications recognised by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) and the Architects Registration Board (ARB) in order to progress towards qualifying and practising as registered architects.
Apart from further qualifications in architecture, some graduates choose postgraduate study in other technical subjects, such as engineering, design or computer science, or in subjects outside the technical and construction fields.
For more information on further study and to find a course that interests you, see postgraduate study in the UK and search courses and research.
Nearly 60% of architecture graduates are in employment six months after graduating. Of these, 61% work in professional and technical occupations, which include those related to architecture.
After graduating, 12% of architecture graduates embark on further study, with a further 11% combining work and study. A large proportion of these may be studying for various professional qualifications related to architecture.
For a detailed breakdown of what architecture and building graduates are doing six months after graduation, see What Do Graduates Do?
Graduate destinations data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
