Building and Construction Engineers and Technicians Green occupation

How to become an Architectural and Municipal Design Engineer

Official Chinese title (2022 occupational classification): 建筑和市政设计工程技术人员

Designs buildings, structures and municipal works, and provides project management, advice and technical services.

Main tasks

Researching the layout, style, size and function of design projects and preparing information on materials, cost and timing
Collecting environmental, geological, hydrological and other information about the project site
Setting the project's layout, functions, processes and technical parameters, choosing and refining structures, systems and equipment, and planning traffic and landscaping
Completing design documents for the concept, preliminary design and construction drawing stages
Briefing builders on the design and providing design services during construction
Giving technical advice on project planning and approval

Ways in

University: Architecture & Built Environment degrees, Offered by 52 universities in China Related undergraduate subject classes in the Ministry of Education catalogue (2025): Architecture (0828); majors such as Architecture, Urban and Rural Planning, Landscape Architecture, Historic Building Conservation Engineering, Human Settlements Science and Technology, Urban Design. Matched to the occupation by Peernovo.
University: Engineering degrees, Offered by 105 universities in China Related undergraduate subject classes in the Ministry of Education catalogue (2025): Civil Engineering (0810); majors such as Civil Engineering, Building Environment and Energy Engineering, Water Supply and Drainage Science and Engineering, Building Electrical and Intelligent Systems, Urban Underground Space Engineering, Road, Bridge and River Crossing Engineering. Matched to the occupation by Peernovo.
Vocational majors: Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Architectural Design (440101). Vocational major 440101 Architectural Design (建筑设计), 3 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Registered Architect; Construction Drawing Reading; Building Information Modelling (BIM).; Vocational bachelor (职业本科) major: Architectural Design (240101). Vocational major 240101 Architectural Design (建筑设计), 4 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Registered Architect; Building Information Modelling (BIM); Construction Drawing Reading.; Vocational bachelor (职业本科) major: Building Engineering (240301). Vocational major 240301 Building Engineering (建筑工程), 4 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Constructor (Registered Construction Engineer); Registered Structural Engineer; Construction Drawing Reading; Building Information Modelling (BIM); Building Construction Process Implementation and Management.; Vocational bachelor (职业本科) major: Building Environment and Energy Engineering (240401). Vocational major 240401 Building Environment and Energy Engineering (建筑环境与能源工程), 4 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Registered Utilities Engineer; Cost Engineer; Constructor (Registered Construction Engineer); Building Information Modelling (BIM); Construction Drawing Reading.; Vocational bachelor (职业本科) major: Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineering (260202). Vocational major 260202 Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Engineering (制冷与空调工程), 4 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Refrigeration and Air Conditioning System Installation and Repair.; Vocational bachelor (职业本科) major: River Training, Port and Waterway Engineering (250204). Vocational major 250204 River Training, Port and Waterway Engineering (治河与港航工程), 4 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Constructor (Registered Construction Engineer); Registered Civil Engineer; Civil Engineering Concrete Materials Testing; Building Information Modelling (BIM).; Vocational bachelor (职业本科) major: Smart Urban Facilities Management (240602). Vocational major 240602 Smart Urban Facilities Management (城市设施智慧管理), 4 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Constructor (Registered Construction Engineer); Cost Engineer; Building Information Modelling (BIM); Construction Drawing Reading.; Vocational bachelor (职业本科) major: Urban Underground Engineering (240303). Vocational major 240303 Urban Underground Engineering (城市地下工程), 4 years. The Ministry of Education's 2022 major profiles list this occupation among those the major prepares students for (职业面向). Example certificates: Constructor (Registered Construction Engineer); Registered Civil Engineer; Registered Structural Engineer; Building Information Modelling (BIM); Building Construction Process Implementation and Management; Prefabricated Building Component Fabrication and Installation.
National qualification: Licence to practise: Registered Architect. You need this qualification to work in the job. Listed in the national vocational qualifications catalogue (国家职业资格目录, 2021) as Registered Architect (注册建筑师), run by National Administration Board of Architectural Registration. Peernovo links it to this occupation.
National qualification: Licence to practise: Registered Survey and Design Engineer. You need this qualification to work in the job. Listed in the national vocational qualifications catalogue (国家职业资格目录, 2021) as Registered Survey and Design Engineer (勘察设计注册工程师), run by Ministry of Housing and Urban Rural Development; Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. Peernovo links it to this occupation.

Pay · AI and this job

Median pay in China: CN¥79,500 a year (2025).
Middle half: CN¥55,200 to CN¥123,700. One in ten earn less than CN¥42,000 and one in ten more than CN¥192,300.
This is the figure for the mid group Engineering and Technical Personnel, not for this job alone.
National figure: wage prices of enterprise employees from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) enterprise pay survey. The public sector and the self-employed are not covered.
Guangzhou only: median CN¥103,845 a year (2025), middle half CN¥67,735 to CN¥162,139.
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Who does this work

The census group Engineering and Technical Personnel holds 2.35% of everyone employed in China; 17.1% of its workers are women (2020 Census).
48.9% are under 35, 45.1% are 35 to 54 and 6% are 55 or older. The middle age band is 35 to 39.
Census figures for the whole mid group (2020 long-form sample), not for this job alone.

Questions people ask

How do I become an Architectural and Municipal Design Engineer?

Ways in include: Architecture & Built Environment degrees; Engineering degrees; Higher vocational college (高职专科) major: Architectural Design (440101); Vocational bachelor (职业本科) major: Architectural Design (240101).

How much does an Architectural and Municipal Design Engineer earn in China?

Across China, the median pay of enterprise employees is CN¥79,500 a year (Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS), 2025). The public sector and the self-employed are not covered. It is the figure for the mid group Engineering and Technical Personnel. In Guangzhou alone it is CN¥103,845 a year (2025).

Will AI change the work of an Architectural and Municipal Design Engineer?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS): 2025 enterprise pay survey information: wage prices of enterprise employees by occupation mid group, and digital occupations (P10 to P90 annual CNY) (2025 (published 2026-07-08)), retrieved 5 October 2026
Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau: Guangzhou 2025 labour market wage prices (P10 to P90 annual CNY by occupation) (2025 (enterprise pay survey)), retrieved 4 October 2026
National Bureau of Statistics of China: China Population Census Yearbook 2020, long-form tables 4-6 and 4-7 (employed by occupation mid group, sex, age) (2020 Census long form (10% sample)), retrieved 4 October 2026
International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, State Administration for Market Regulation, National Bureau of Statistics: Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China, 2022 edition (public consultation draft) (2022 public consultation draft (1,636 occupations; final edition 1,639)), retrieved 4 October 2026

Sources: Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition, public consultation draft), Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, State Administration for Market Regulation and National Bureau of Statistics; Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, 2025 enterprise pay survey information; Guangzhou Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, 2025 labour market wage prices; National Bureau of Statistics of China (www.stats.gov.cn), 2020 Population Census yearbook; Ministry of Education, vocational education major profiles (2022 revision) and undergraduate major catalogue (2025); Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, national vocational qualifications catalogue (2021); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Figures processed by Peernovo. English text, translations and the matching of occupations to ISCO-08, majors, degree fields and qualifications by Peernovo.

Descriptions and tasks are Peernovo's own words, written from the facts in the Occupational Classification of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition). Job titles and work types are the classification's own.

Updated 5 October 2026