How To Become A Staff Architect: What It Is and Career Path

What is a staff architect and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Christy Graves

If you're someone with a knack for creativity and designing structures, then you should consider becoming a staff architect. As a staff architect, you will plan or design structures such as residences, office buildings, theatres, and factories. To excel at this job, you'll need to develop a thorough knowledge of architectural principles and techniques and will also need to be aware of the laws and regulations pertaining to the design and construction of buildings.

The staff architect works as an integral part of a team to produce architectural plans, specifications, and drawings that address the basic design elements of a project. Although some of your work may be completed in an office environment, you'll probably also be required to frequently visit construction sites.

In order to work as a staff architect, you'll need to earn your bachelor's degree in architecture or related disciple and obtain a state license to work as an architect.

What general advice would you give to a staff architect?

Christy Graves

Professor/Program Manager, Seminole State College of Florida

I would advise the graduate to learn from everyone they work with within the workplace environment. Even though a degree in architectural engineering technology is valuable, it's impossible to learn everything you need to know to be successful in the industry by taking classes in school and earning a degree. Do not be afraid to ask others for help when you aren't sure about the task you've been assigned to do. In addition, keep up with new technology. Remember, learning should be a lifetime pursuit. It shouldn't end with earning a degree.

ScoreStaff ArchitectUS Average

Salary

5.8

Avg. Salary $74,065

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.2

Growth rate 3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.32%

Asian 16.07%

Black or African American 2.30%

Hispanic or Latino 11.88%

Unknown 3.95%

White 65.48%

Gender

female 22.86%

male 77.14%

Age - 45

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 45

Stress level

7.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.5

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a staff architect

Explore staff architect education requirements

Most common staff architect degrees

Bachelor's

76.8 %

Master's

16.3 %

Associate

4.5 %

Start to develop specific staff architect skills

Skills	Percentages
Java	28.50%
Revit	17.73%
Conceptual Development	7.22%
MEP	7.08%
Visualization	5.63%

Complete relevant staff architect training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 2-4 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New staff architects learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a staff architect based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real staff architect resumes.

Research staff architect duties and responsibilities

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Prepare your staff architect resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your staff architect resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a staff architect resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable staff architect resume templates

Build a professional staff architect resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your staff architect resume.