Graduates · Ontario · 2021 Census
What can you do with an architecture degree?
What graduates actually work as, from Statistics Canada, beside what Job Bank says about each job: openings, pay, and what it takes.
Published Last reviewed How we research and correct this
What can you do with an architecture degree in Ontario?
In the 2021 Census, the most common jobs among employed Ontarians aged 25 to 34 with a bachelor's degree or higher in architecture were architects (19.1%), urban and land use planners (14.4%) and architectural technologists and technicians (9.2%). This is one of the more direct fields: the single biggest job, architects, covers 19.1% of these graduates, and the 12 most common jobs together cover 64%.
What graduates really do
What jobs do architecture graduates in Ontario actually have?
Ontario is published for the architecture and related services group, so the lead table is Ontario graduates aged 25 to 34. Architectural technology diplomas are in the college table below.
| Job | Share of graduates | People | Job Bank outlook | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ArchitectsOur guide | 19.1% | 1,695 | Moderate | $41.03/hr |
| Urban and land use plannersOur guide | 14.4% | 1,280 | Moderate | $47.38/hr |
| Architectural technologists and technicians | 9.2% | 815 | Moderate | $28.85/hr |
| Construction managersOur guide | 3.6% | 320 | Moderate | $50.61/hr |
| Interior designers and interior decoratorsOur guide | 3% | 265 | Limited | $27.40/hr |
| Landscape architects | 2.8% | 250 | Moderate | $45.76/hr |
| Post-secondary teaching and research assistants | 2.6% | 235 | No Job Bank outlook | — |
| Drafting technologists and technicians | 2.3% | 205 | Limited | $31.25/hr |
| Retail salespersons and visual merchandisers | 2.1% | 185 | Limited | $17.95/hr |
| Insurance, real estate and financial brokerage managers | 1.7% | 155 | Moderate | $58.97/hr |
| Graphic designers and illustratorsOur guide | 1.7% | 150 | Very limited | $32.69/hr |
| Landscape and horticulture technicians and specialistsOur guide | 1.5% | 130 | Limited | $31.05/hr |
How does it look for other groups?
These are different groups of people, shown separately on purpose: a different place, age group or level of education. Do not read them as one comparison.
| Job | Share of graduates | People | Job Bank outlook | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architectural technologists and technicians | 18.2% | 765 | Moderate | $28.85/hr |
| Drafting technologists and technicians | 11.5% | 485 | Limited | $31.25/hr |
| Construction managersOur guide | 8.8% | 370 | Moderate | $50.61/hr |
| Construction estimators | 3.4% | 145 | Moderate | $38.46/hr |
| Retail salespersons and visual merchandisers | 2.7% | 115 | Limited | $17.95/hr |
| ArchitectsOur guide | 2.4% | 100 | Moderate | $41.03/hr |
| Home building and renovation managers | 1.8% | 75 | Good | $43,200/yr |
| Construction inspectors | 1.7% | 70 | Moderate | $39.00/hr |
| Interior designers and interior decoratorsOur guide | 1.4% | 60 | Limited | $27.40/hr |
| Real estate agents and salespersonsOur guide | 1.3% | 55 | Moderate | $62,400/yr |
| Correspondence, publication and regulatory clerks | 1.2% | 50 | Limited | $27.47/hr |
| Civil engineering technologists and technicians | 1.2% | 50 | Moderate | $32.60/hr |
| Job | Share of graduates | People | Job Bank outlook | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ArchitectsOur guide | 23.5% | 4,370 | Moderate | $41.03/hr |
| Architectural technologists and technicians | 9.3% | 1,720 | Moderate | $28.85/hr |
| Construction managersOur guide | 5.5% | 1,025 | Moderate | $50.61/hr |
| Drafting technologists and technicians | 4.1% | 755 | Limited | $31.25/hr |
| Interior designers and interior decoratorsOur guide | 3.4% | 640 | Limited | $27.40/hr |
| Retail salespersons and visual merchandisers | 2.2% | 405 | Limited | $17.95/hr |
| Seniors managers - public and private sector | 1.9% | 350 | No Job Bank outlook | — |
| Graphic designers and illustratorsOur guide | 1.9% | 345 | Very limited | $32.69/hr |
| Retail and wholesale trade managers | 1.6% | 300 | Moderate | $43.27/hr |
| Construction estimators | 1.4% | 260 | Moderate | $38.46/hr |
| Real estate agents and salespersonsOur guide | 1.1% | 210 | Moderate | $62,400/yr |
| College and other vocational instructors | 0.9% | 175 | Limited | $45.00/hr |
Do those jobs have openings?
Which of those jobs are hiring?
None of the 12 most common jobs for these graduates has a good or very good Ontario outlook from Job Bank for 2025 to 2027; the best-rated are listed below. That means more competition for each opening, not that no one is hired. Outlook is a province-wide forecast of openings against job seekers, not a promise for any one town or employer.
- Architects: Job Bank outlook moderate, 19.1% of these graduates.
- Urban and land use planners: Job Bank outlook moderate, 14.4% of these graduates.
- Architectural technologists and technicians: Job Bank outlook moderate, 9.2% of these graduates.
- Construction managers: Job Bank outlook moderate, 3.6% of these graduates.
- Landscape architects: Job Bank outlook moderate, 2.8% of these graduates.
- Insurance, real estate and financial brokerage managers: Job Bank outlook moderate, 1.7% of these graduates.
When the degree is not enough
What does the degree not lead to on its own?
An architecture degree or a related college diploma does not on its own let you call yourself an architect in Ontario. Architects are licensed by the Ontario Association of Architects, which sets education, supervised experience and examination requirements.
We could not read the Association's own requirement pages, so we do not list those steps here. Confirm them with the Association and with the school you are considering, and check whether your program counts toward licensure.
Routes that need more than the degree
Add a college graduate certificate
Ontario Colleges states that graduate certificates require a university degree or a college certificate or diploma for admission, and build on knowledge and experience from earlier postsecondary study. Check each program on ontariocolleges.ca for its own entry requirements. Ontario Colleges: program types
Jobs to look at
Careers worth a closer look
Full guides: what the work is really like, who hates it, what it pays, and the route in.
- ArchitectDesigning buildings that people can use, afford and be safe in, then guiding them through years of permits, drawings and changes.Career guide
- Interior designerPlanning how rooms work and feel, from the layout and materials to the lighting, to a client's budget and a building code.Career guide
- Construction managerRunning the schedule, budget and people on a building project, and being the one phoned when any of those three goes wrong.Career guide
- Civil engineerDesigning the things everybody uses and nobody thinks about — roads, bridges, water, foundations — and being legally responsible when they fail.Career guide
- Graphic designerMaking things people need to understand look clear and feel right, usually to somebody else's brief and somebody else's deadline.Career guide
Read this before you rely on it
What the numbers do not show
- The Census is from 2021. Jobs and hiring have moved since. Job Bank's outlook is current to 2025 to 2027.
- It counts employed people and what they do, not whether they wanted that job or use their degree in it. A graduate working as a retail supervisor is counted in the data exactly like one working in their field.
- It is a 25% sample, and Statistics Canada rounds every count to a multiple of five. Small groups are noisy.
- For Ontario the Census publishes bachelor's degree or higher together, so those tables include master's and doctoral graduates.
- Each person is counted once, by their highest credential. A person who finished a diploma and then a degree appears under the degree, not the diploma.
- The 12 jobs shown are the most common, not all of them. The rest of the graduates are spread across hundreds of other jobs.
Sources: Statistics Canada, 2021 Census of Population, tables 98-10-0447-01 and 98-10-0403-01; Job Bank (Employment and Social Development Canada) Ontario outlooks and wages, linked on each job. We join them by occupation code and change neither.
Finished the degree and stuck?
There is a plan for the next 90 days
Other degrees
Psychology Sociology Political science Business Biology Communications English Social work Education Engineering Computer science Health professions Visual and performing arts History Mathematics and statistics Physical sciences Legal studies Kinesiology and recreation Philosophy Languages and linguistics Environment and natural resources Family and human sciences Liberal arts and general studies Police foundations Culinary and personal services Engineering technology Construction trades Mechanic and repair trades Welding, machining and precision trades Transportation and materials moving Criminology and criminal justice All degrees Every job in Ontario