Build your architectural career within the construction industry.

The two-year Architectural Technician Ontario College Diploma program teaches you the skills and techniques to enter a career in the architecture and construction fields.

Your professors are industry professionals who provide you with a learning experience from the construction industry and the architectural profession, enabling you to be successful in your academic and professional ventures.

Begin the program with a focus on residential construction, and progress to studying commercial construction. Develop skills related to all facets of building construction, including design and technical resolution with the integration of building and material detailing.

As a student in this program, you have the opportunity to study a variety of practical topics, using both applied and theoretical learning, and a project-based, integrated studies approach. Topics include:

• Working Drawings
• Methods and Materials of Construction
• Codes and Standards
• AutoCAD
• Revit
• Visual Communications
• Building Design
• Environmental Systems

Students also have the option to gain real-world experience through a paid co-operative education (co-op) work term (see Additional Information for more details). Please note that places in the co-op work term are subject to availability and academic eligibility. Please note admission to the co-op program does not guarantee a co-op placement.

Upon completion of this two-year program, you have the opportunity to further your education at Algonquin College by:

• completing the Architectural Technology Ontario College Advanced Diploma program as a third-year option
• applying for advanced standing in the Bachelor of Building Science Degree program

Graduates often work:

• in architectural offices
• with contractors in multiple sectors
• in engineering offices
• as a building materials sales representative
• with municipal offices, provincial and federal agencies dealing with construction
• in construction, maintenance, and planning
• with real estate and facilities management companies

Careers

Graduates may find employment as an Architectural Technician, Building Plan Examiner, Drafts Person, Sales Representative and Building Designer.

Pathways

Please use our Pathways tool to search for pathway options.

The graduate has reliably demonstrated the ability to:

1. Communicate with the project team, project stakeholders, and authorities having jurisdiction to support project delivery.
2. Assist in the preparation, and interpretation of drawings, and other graphical representations to support the design and completion of building projects.
3. Assist in the preparation of project documentation used for site planning, building design, and project execution.
4. Assist in the preparation of time, cost, and quantity estimates to participate in a tendering process.
5. Contribute to identifying technical solutions supported by principles of building science during the design and construction phases of building projects.
6. Engage with members of professional disciplines such as structural, mechanical, and electrical building systems to confirm technical information.
7. Assist in the development of building designs, for new and existing buildings, by analyzing project requirements.
8. Comply with the legal, professional, and regulatory requirements as well as established standards and current building codes, in the practice of building design and construction.
9. Assist in the implementation of sustainable and resilient design principles and practices to manage impacts in building projects.
10. Use current and emerging technologies to support building projects.
11. Assist in the administration of the construction phase of building projects by applying principles of project management.
12. Develop strategies for professional development to enhance performance and maintain currency within the industry.
13. Identify and apply discipline-specific practices that contribute to the local and global community through social responsibility, economic commitment and environmental stewardship.

Application Information

ARCHITECTURAL TECHNICIAN
Program Code 0188X03FWO

Applications to full-time day programs must be submitted with official transcripts showing completion of the academic admission requirements through:

ontariocolleges.ca
60 Corporate Court
Guelph, Ontario N1G 5J3
1-888-892-2228

Students currently enrolled in an Ontario secondary school should notify their Guidance Office prior to their online application at www.ontariocolleges.ca.

Applications for Fall Term and Winter Term admission received by February 1 will be given equal consideration. Applications received after February 1 will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis as long as places are available.

International applicants please visit this link for application
process information: https://algonquincollege.my.site.com/myac360/s/

For further information on the admissions process, please visit:
Admissions - Registrar's Office https://algonquincollege.com/ro/admissions/

Program Resources

Program Information

Students who have completed all course requirements equivalent to the Architectural Technician program of study with a minimum GPA of 2.3 are eligible to apply to Level 05 of the Architectural Technology program.

Graduates may also be eligible for advanced standing in the Bachelor of Building Science Degree Program.

For standard delivery, students will be scheduled for two consecutive semesters followed by a one semester scheduled break. Exceptions must be approved by the Academic Chair.

Note: Students who are not successful in Level 01 Working Drawings 1 and/or Construction Methods and Materials 1 and/or Architectural CAD 1 will be withdrawn from the program and must reapply through OntarioColleges.ca.

CO-OP INFORMATION:

All applicants apply to the co-op version of the program through OntarioColleges.ca or our International Application Portal. After admission, students who do not wish to pursue the co-op option may opt out before the first scheduled co-op work term.

Co-operative education (Co-op) provides students with the opportunity to integrate classroom learning with real-world experience through paid, program-related work terms. Two academic terms before their first co-op work term, students must actively participate in and complete a self-directed co-op preparation course, including required readiness activities and workshops.

Students are responsible for conducting a guided, self-directed job search and securing approved, paid co-op employment related to their program of study. Co-op students compete for positions alongside students from Algonquin College and other Canadian and international colleges and universities. While Algonquin College's Co-op & Career Centre supports students by developing co-op opportunities and providing guidance throughout the process, employment is not guaranteed.

Co-op work opportunities may require students to relocate. All costs associated with participation-including travel, accommodation, work permits, visa applications, and other related expenses-are the responsibility of the student.

Co-op work terms are typically 14 weeks in duration and are completed during academic terms when students are not enrolled in classes. For details about the number and timing of co-op work terms in your program, please refer to the Courses tab on your program's webpage.

International students are responsible for ensuring they meet all co-op work permit requirements before participating in a co-op work term. Additional information is available at: www.algonquincollege.com/international/student-handouts

For more information about co-op programs, expectations, and general and program-specific co-op eligibility criteria, visit: www.algonquincollege.com/coop-career-centre