Architect
Design buildings and oversee their construction in line with building codes and client needs.
Registration: Architect registration with the state architects' board
Salary
Cited figures only: median full-time weekly earnings for the ANZSCO unit group Architects and Landscape Architects (2321) from Your Career (Jobs and Skills Australia), and where available the QILT graduate starting salary for the matching study area.
| Figure | AUD | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Median full-time weekly earnings | $1688 | Your Career (2026-09-23) |
| Graduate starting salary | $75,100 | QILT (2026-08-31) |
Jobs, demand and who does this work
Figures for the ANZSCO occupation Architect (232111), the closest official match for architect, from Your Career (Jobs and Skills Australia data, sourced 2026-09-23).
- People employed
- 19,300
- Future demand
- Strong
- Work full-time
- 81%
- Average full-time hours
- 44 a week
- Women
- 34%
- Median age
- 40
Where the jobs are (share of workers)
| NSW | 35% |
| VIC | 33.1% |
| QLD | 14.2% |
| WA | 7.9% |
| SA | 5.6% |
| TAS | 1.9% |
| ACT | 2% |
| NT | 0.3% |
Highest qualification held by workers
| Postgraduate qualification | 48.8% |
| Bachelor degree | 44.7% |
| Diploma or advanced diploma | 3.2% |
| Certificate I-IV | 0.3% |
| Year 12 | 1.4% |
| Below Year 12 | 0.2% |
What an architect actually does
Most of the working day is spent at a desk in front of CAD or BIM software, running through design options, redrawing details after a consultant comment, or producing planning and construction-issue drawings. Add in client meetings, site visits and trips to council to argue a DA. A graduate at a mid-sized practice will spend the first couple of years on documentation and small redesigns, learning Revit and the National Construction Code. Senior architects spend less time drawing and more time running a project: managing the consultant team, briefing the contractor, signing off variations, and chasing clients for decisions. Hours sit at 38-45 in normal periods but stretch to 50-60 around DA submission, tender deadlines and the run-up to practical completion. Site days mean boots, hi-vis and an hour or two on the road, occasionally interstate.
Typical tasks
- Prepare design concepts and DA submissions.
- Coordinate consultants and contractors.
- Document construction-issue drawings.
Skills you'll use
- Revit, ArchiCAD or another BIM tool plus AutoCAD
- National Construction Code, BCA, Australian Standards
- 3D modelling and visualisation (Rhino, SketchUp, V-Ray, Twinmotion)
- Reading and producing construction-detail drawings
- Contract administration under AS4000 or ABIC contracts
- Verbal and written client communication
- Sketching and presentation to non-design audiences
- Managing consultants (structural, services, fire, hydraulic)
How to become one
- 1Finish Year 12 with English and Maths (Methods or Advanced preferred)
- 2Complete a 3-year accredited Bachelor of Design (Architecture) or Architectural Studies
- 3Complete a 2-year Master of Architecture - the registrable qualification
- 4Work at least 2 years (3300 hours) under a registered architect across documentation, contract administration and design phases
- 5Pass the Architectural Practice Examination (APE), which has a logbook, written paper and oral interview run by the state architects' board
- 6Apply for registration with the state architects' board (eg. NSW Architects Registration Board, ARBV in Victoria)
- 7Continue to log CPD hours each year to maintain registration
Where you can work
- Small boutique architectural practices (most of the industry)
- Mid-sized commercial and residential firms
- Large multi-disciplinary practices working on civic, health and education projects
- In-house architecture teams at developers and government
- State and local government planning and design teams
- Heritage and conservation practices
- Sole practice serving residential and small commercial clients
Career progression
Typical stages and roles. Years of experience are a rough guide; pay at each stage depends on the employer, award or agreement.
- Graduate of Architecture0-3 yearsTypical roles: Architectural graduate, Documentation drafter, Junior designer
- Registered Architect5-9 yearsTypical roles: Project architect, Senior designer, Registered architect (post-APE)
- Senior Architect or Associate10-15 yearsTypical roles: Senior architect, Associate, Studio leader
- Director or Principal15+ yearsTypical roles: Director, Principal architect, Practice owner
Is this for you?
You might love this if
- You like the slow back-and-forth of design (you'll redraw the same plan dozens of times)
- You can hold both the artistic vision and the building-code reality at once
- You're comfortable presenting ideas to clients who don't read drawings
- You're willing to study for at least 5 years and another 2-3 years to registration
- You're patient with a slow-moving industry and slow career progression
This might not suit you if
- You want to be on the tools building things yourself (look at carpentry, building or engineering)
- You can't stand long hours at a screen
- You want a fast-moving startup career with quick wins
- You expect graduate pay to match other professions like engineering or law
- You hate redlining your own work after a senior says "do it again"
Ways in
Uni and TAFE routes for architect. We only list pathways that actually lead to this occupation.
University
Bachelor degrees that lead to this career.
TAFE / VET
Nationally accredited Certificate and Diploma qualifications.
No direct TAFE pathway to this career.
Sources
ExamExplained does not publish predictive salary figures. For current Australian earnings data check Your Career (yourcareer.gov.au) directly. Career classifications follow the ABS ANZSCO 2022 release.