Options with architecture

Your skills

Architecture is concerned with the planning, design and construction of buildings, and over the course of your degree you develop a good mix of subject-specific and technical skills. Design is a big aspect of the course and you will use it to produce buildings and spaces that take into account cultural context, specific environments and technologies.

You will also develop a range of transferable core skills that may include:

• numeracy, design and drawing;
• IT skills, e.g. computer-aided design;
• project management skills;
• the ability to solve problems in an analytical, logical way;
• teamworking skills;
• written and oral communication in various settings;
• research skills;
• decision-making ability;
• adaptability and flexibility for dealing with unexpected situations where necessary;
• the ability to reflect on, and improve, your own professional performance.

Completing some work experience or an industrial placement also develops skills and will show potential employers that you are hard working, reliable, motivated and can use your initiative.

Job options

Jobs directly related to your degree

• Architect - works in the construction industry designing new buildings and the spaces around them, working closely with users, clients and officials to ensure that their buildings match the needs of these groups. Architects work on new buildings or groups of buildings in the regeneration of an area, design alterations to existing buildings or advise on the restoration and conservation of old properties.
• Architectural technologist - works in building design and construction management teams, working especially closely with architects and having particular responsibility for ensuring the reliable technological performance of any building. Architectural technologists bridge the gap between the idea of an attractive functional building and the reality of that building performing successfully.
• Interior and spatial designer - involved in the design or renovation of internal spaces, including structural alterations, furnishings, fixtures and fittings, lighting and colour schemes. Designs and feasibility studies are produced for commercial, leisure and domestic properties, and the designer oversees the project from beginning to end.

Jobs where your degree would be useful

• Town planner - involved in making long and short-term decisions about the management and development of towns and cities. They aim to balance the conflicting demands of housing, industrial development, agriculture, recreation, transport and the environment, in order to allow appropriate development to take place.
• Building surveyor - provides professional advice on all aspects of property and construction. They work on site with new buildings and are concerned with the aftercare and performance of existing buildings.
• Higher education lecturer - teaches and carries out research activities in universities and some colleges of further or higher education.
• Historic buildings inspector/conservation officer - advises on and promotes the conservation of the historic environment and in particular, its long-term care, preservation and enhancement.
• Landscape architect - plans, designs and manages open spaces including both natural and built environments.
• Planning and development surveyor - investigates, plans and manages proposals to either build new developments or organise the regeneration of existing sites.
• Production designer, theatre/television/film - responsible for the visual concept of a film, television, or theatre production. Working closely with the director and producer, production designers realise a design style for sets, locations, graphics, props, lighting, camera angles and costumes.

Other options

Relevant work experience for those graduates who intend to qualify as architects is available in a wide range of approved practices. Other forms of work experience or internships can provide you with ways into various jobs. They can build your confidence and knowledge of the industry in addition to generating a good source of contacts.

Volunteering opportunities are very widespread and can really help personal development and future career prospects by providing valuable evidence of many of the skills that employers require. If you want to work abroad, allow plenty of time to plan as you will need to consider issues such as visas, local customs (and possibly languages), insurance, healthcare arrangements and accommodation.

Although some of the jobs listed here might not be first jobs for many graduates, they are among the many realistic possibilities with your degree, provided you can demonstrate you have the attributes employers are looking for. Bear in mind that it’s not just your degree discipline that determines your options. Remember that many graduate vacancies don't specify particular degree disciplines, so don't restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here. Look at your degree... what next? for informed advice on career planning and graduate employment, or login/register with My Prospects to find out what jobs would suit you, a helpful starting point for self-analysis.

Explore types of jobs to find out more about the above options and related jobs.

Career areas

A 2011 HESA survey of 2010 graduates indicates that six months after graduation 59% of architecture graduates were in employment either in the UK or overseas. Of these, almost 60% were working in professional and technical occupations, which include those related to architecture.

Around 12% of architecture graduates entered professions in retail and catering. Just over 5% were commercial, industrial or public sector managers, while 4% worked in art, design and culture related professions.

Where are the jobs?

Architecture graduates commonly become architects, architectural technologists, interior designers, building surveyors, and project mangers.

Graduates may be employed by small firms with fewer than ten employees. Public sector employers, such as local authorities and housing associations together employ a significant proportion of the profession and some large organisations such as banks and supermarkets may have in-house architectural teams.

Examples of possible jobs can be found through websites such as those of the Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT)  and ConstructionSkills . 

Sectors relevant to architecture include:

• construction - covers a wide range of areas including public and private housing, non residential public buildings like hospitals and schools, commercial and industrial buildings. The industry is also involved in the repair, maintenance and refurbishment of all existing buildings, and the infrastructure and services to all new and existing buildings.
• property - where finance and the built environment meet, involving the buying and selling, planning and development, and management and investment of property.
• engineering - There are many opportunities in a wide range of functions in the engineering industry including aeronautical, structural, electronic and mechanical engineering.

See industry insights for further information on possibilities in other employment areas.

Statistics are collected every year to show what HE students do immediately after graduation. These can be a useful guide but, in reality, because the data is collected within six months of graduation, many graduates are travelling, waiting to start a course, paying off debts, getting work experience or still deciding what they want to do. For further information about some of the areas of employment commonly entered by graduates of any degree discipline, check out What Do Graduates Do?  and your degree...what next?

Further study

A 2011 HESA survey of 2010 graduates indicates that six months after graduation just over 12% of architecture graduates had embarked on further study, with almost a further 9% combining work and study. A large proportion of these may have been studying for various professional qualifications related to architecture. 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 perhaps even some subjects outside the technical and construction fields.

These trends show only what previous graduates in your subject did immediately upon graduating. Over the course of their career - the first few years in particular - many others will opt for some form of further study, either part time or full time. If further study interests you, start by thinking about postgrad study and search courses and research to identify your options.

Look at funding my further study for details relating to finance and the application process.

Contacts and resources

Jobs and work

• ARCHAOS 
• Architects' Journal 
• Architects Registration Board (ARB) 
• Architectural Review 
• Architecture Centre 
• The Architecture Room 
• Chartered Institute of Architectural Technologists (CIAT) 
• ConstructionSkills 
• RIBA Journal 
• Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) 
• Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) 
• Royal Society of Ulster Architects 

AGCAS

Written by AGCAS editors

Date: 

September 2010

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