Architecture
A degree in architecture equips you to design spaces that shape how we live, work, and interact - combining creativity with technical understanding and social impact.
Beyond traditional architectural practice, it also develops skills in design thinking, communication, project coordination, and sustainability, making you valuable in many creative and built environment roles.
Where can it take you?
You could work with studios and firms like Foster and Partners, Grimshaw, Zaha Hadid Architects, or in local government, heritage organisations, housing, and urban planning.
Common roles include:
Architect (post-qualification), architectural assistant, urban designer, interior designer, planning officer, or roles in visualisation, BIM, and sustainability consulting.
What skills have I gained during my course?
In addition to your professional, technical and design skills, your architecture degree will equip you with key transferable employability skills to employers in all sectors such as:
- problem-solving
- research and analysis
- creative and innovative thinking
- verbal and written professional communication including presentation skills
- co-ordinating with others and teamwork
- digital capabilities
How can I develop my skills and gain experience?
Regardless of whether you are a first year or final year, developing skills outside your degree will enhance your CV and allow you to provide evidence of these in applications and at interviews. There are a range of opportunities at the University and beyond for you to explore.
If you need to develop a portfolio for job applications, please go to our design portfolio webpage.
RIBA mentoring scheme
The mentoring scheme gives students an insight into practice and to enhance their learning experience. Around 1,000 students and 600 mentors take part in the RIBA student mentoring scheme each year.
RIBA mentoring scheme
RIBA East Midlands
RIBA East Midlands provides provide a range of events and services for members including the RIBA’s professional development programme, management and delivery of the RIBA East Midlands Awards and the highly successful Student Mentoring scheme.
Explore what RIBA has to offer
Work experience and volunteering
Depending on what area of work or role you might be interested in, and where, there will be specific strategies, from speculative applications to formal processes you need to be familiar with.
Work experience - what, how and when
Nottingham Internship Scheme
We work closely with a huge variety of local and national businesses to bring you an exciting range of internship opportunities, for both current students and recent graduates.
Nottingham Internship Scheme
Apply for part-time jobs
The university advertises part-time, casual and temporary jobs on campus and with local businesses.
Created just for you, the advertised vacancies can fit around your studies and other commitments.
Part-time jobs
Nottingham Consultancy Challenge
The Nottingham Consultancy Challenge offers the chance for you to gain hands-on experience of managing a short term project for a local business or charity as part of a multi-disciplinary team.
Nottingham Consultancy Challenge
Nottingham Advantage Award
Through the completion of extracurricular modules, the Nottingham Advantage Award helps you develop key life and work-based skills and reflect on your experiences, allowing you to demonstrate your achievements and skills more effectively when applying for jobs.
Nottingham Advantage Award
Students' Union
The Students’ Union offers a wide range of volunteering options both locally and internationally which you can fit around your studies.
Alternatively you could get involved in a society or sports club - there's so many, you're bound to find one that interests you!
Students' Union
Tongue and Groove Architecture Society
Careers events
We offer a range of events to develop your skills and meet employers throughout the year. Check out:
What have Nottingham graduates gone onto do?
Architecture roles and companies
Currently, most students completing the BArch Architecture at Nottingham and many MEng Architectural Environmental Engineering students progress into ‘stage 1 experience’ roles – generally these are advertised as architectural assistant, or sometimes junior architect, architectural intern or similar. In recent years, Nottingham students have gone on to work for a range of practices including:
- Architects' Journal top 100 companies including Foster + Partners, BDP, Weston Williamson, Hawkins Brown, Sheppard Robson, Grimshaw Architects, Wilkinson Eyre, HOK, Make Architects and Gensler
- Nottingham practices including Franklin Ellis, Benoy, Allan Joyce, Rayner Davies, CPMG and Leonard Design Architects
- Other regular UK and international recruiters including Paul Davies and Partners, China Architecture and Design Research Group, Studio Map and Tasou Associates
Opportunities beyond architecture
70% of all graduate roles are open to students from any degree background, so as an architecture graduate you will have access to a range of alternative opportunities either in general graduate employment or within the broader construction, property, design and creative sectors.
Other roles that architecture students from Nottingham have progressed into in recent years include:
- 3D design assistant
- Sales negotiator (Estate Agent)
- Teaching assistant
- Theatre technician
- Artist
- Graphic design intern
- Junior interior designer
- Fashion designer
- Marketing manager (for an architectural practice)
Recruitment and selection process
If you need to develop a portfolio for job applications, please go to our design portfolio webpage. Advice and information on all aspects of the recruitment process can be found on our Making applications webpages.
What do graduates from my course go on to do?
Graduate Outcomes is a national survey capturing the activities and perspectives of graduates launched in 2018 and is the biggest annual social survey in the UK.
You can view the destinations of graduates, who completed the survey, from your course by booking an appointment with an adviser. This can help you to explore your options if you are unsure what you want to do.
Find out more about the Graduate Outcomes survey
Where are they now?
Discover the stories of our architecture and built environment graduates.
Maria Tulea, BArch Architecture, works as a junior digital designer at the Financial Times says:
"Architecture as a subject is very complex and it teaches you so many transferable skills that can be applied in so many different careers."
Read more from Maria
What are my further study options?
For many architecture students, their next step in education will be to return to complete part 2 of their architectural studies, either through the RIBA accredited MArch course at Nottingham, or a similar course elsewhere.
However, some students may choose to pursue other postgraduate study routes including PhD research in architecture and design related areas or masters level study either in architecture and design or in alternative subjects.