Architects, Except Landscape and Naval

Plan and design structures, such as private residences, office buildings, theaters, factories, and other structural property.

Most important skills

Critical Thinking
Operations Analysis
Reading Comprehension
Speaking
Complex Problem Solving
Active Listening
Writing
Monitoring

Key knowledge

Design
Building and Construction
Engineering and Technology
Customer and Personal Service
Public Safety and Security
English Language
Law and Government
Administration and Management

What the work involves

Prepare information regarding design, structure specifications, materials, color, equipment, estimated costs, or construction time.
Consult with clients to determine functional or spatial requirements of structures.
Prepare contract documents for building contractors.
Integrate engineering elements into unified architectural designs.
Administer construction contracts.
Represent clients in obtaining bids or awarding construction contracts.
Prepare operating and maintenance manuals, studies, or reports.
Calculate potential energy savings by comparing estimated energy consumption of proposed design to baseline standards.

Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Realistic, Conventional, Artistic.

Qualifications and licensing

Most common education: Master's Degree (43.5% of expert ratings)
Related experience: Over 6 years, up to and including 8 years (21.7%)
On-the-job training: Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year (34.8%)
Preparation level: O*NET job zone 5: Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Licensing: Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.

Check before planning

Licensing for Architects, Except Landscape and Naval is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.

Limits

Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0

Work environment

How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).

Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.

Rankings compare typical U.S. occupation-level work conditions; individual jobs and employers vary. Data: O*NET 31.0 Work Context and BLS wages (May 2025).
Condition	Level	Compared with other occupations	Most common answer (O*NET survey)
Contact with others	Moderate	Higher on contact with others than 57% of occupations compared	61% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others”
Dealing with the public	Moderate	Higher on dealing with the public than 53% of occupations compared	27% of surveyed respondents chose “Very important”
Teamwork	Very high	Higher on teamwork than 82% of occupations compared	70% of surveyed respondents chose “Extremely important”
Freedom to make decisions	Very low	Lower on freedom to make decisions than 83% of occupations compared	35% of surveyed respondents chose “Limited freedom”
Time pressure	Moderate	Higher on time pressure than 58% of occupations compared	39% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day”
Conflict situations	High	Higher on conflict situations than 70% of occupations compared	35% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month”
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people	Low	Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 63% of occupations compared	61% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month”
Consequence of error	Moderate	Lower on consequence of error than 50% of occupations compared	35% of surveyed respondents chose “Serious”

Work-pressure profile

Time pressure: moderate
Conflict situations: high
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: low
Consequence of error: moderate

Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.

Full answer distributions