Boolean search strings for architects: licensed or on the path, ARE and AXP terms, project types and the software architect collision
On this page
- Licensing terms that change what an architect search finds
- Ten Boolean strings by license stage, project type and role
- What LinkedIn, Indeed and Google actually support
- Narrowing by license state, project type and phase
- False positives worth excluding with NOT
- A worked example: three passes on a healthcare project architect search
- What a search cannot verify
- Questions people ask
An architect search works when the string separates licensed architects from designers on the path to a license, names the project types and phase the client needs (healthcare, K-12, multifamily, interiors; design, documents or construction administration), and shuts out the much larger population of software, solutions and enterprise architects. Because state law restricts the title "architect", many qualified people at architecture firms are titled designer or job captain, so a title-only search misses them.
Below are ten strings by license stage, project type and role, the licensing terms behind them, and what LinkedIn, Indeed and Google support as of November 2026. For the operators themselves, see Boolean search strings for recruiters.
Licensing terms that change what an architect search finds
| Term on a profile | Who issues or defines it | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed or registered architect, RA | A state architecture board | Licensed in at least one jurisdiction; check which |
| ARE 5.0, divisions passed | NCARB | On the exam path; the number passed shows how close |
| AXP, or the older IDP | NCARB | Documenting the experience most boards require |
| NCARB Certificate | NCARB | Set up to apply for reciprocal licenses |
| B.Arch or M.Arch | A NAAB-accredited program | A professional architecture degree |
| AIA, FAIA, Assoc. AIA | American Institute of Architects | Membership category, which tracks license status |
- The title is restricted. California's Business and Professions Code section 5536 makes it a misdemeanor for anyone not licensed there to use any term confusingly similar to the word architect or to advertise as an architectural designer. NCARB's licensing pages say each state has its own rules for practicing architecture. Read every profile title as a claim to check on the state board's lookup.
- The exam and experience. As of November 2026, NCARB's Pass the ARE page describes ARE 5.0 as the current exam, with six divisions from Practice Management to Construction & Evaluation, and its AXP page calls the Architectural Experience Program required by most U.S. licensing boards. NCARB renamed the Intern Development Program (IDP) the AXP effective June 29, 2016, so older profiles say IDP.
- The degree. NCARB's education page says NAAB-accredited degrees carry "Arch." in the title, such as a five-year Bachelor of Architecture or a Master of Architecture, that any Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in architecture is not NAAB-accredited, and that 17 jurisdictions offer pathways outside a NAAB-accredited degree.
- Reciprocity. NCARB's Certificate page says the NCARB Certificate gives holders the flexibility to apply for reciprocal licensure in all 55 U.S. jurisdictions. It matters when the client's project is in a state where the candidate is not yet licensed.
- AIA designations. The AIA's designation page reserves "AIA" for Architect members entitled under law to practice and use the title architect, "Assoc. AIA" for members without a U.S. license, and "FAIA" for Architect members advanced to Fellowship.
- Sustainability credentials. USGBC's credentials page lists LEED Green Associate and LEED AP with specialty. Useful as an OR term for sustainability-led firms; it says nothing about licensure.
Ten Boolean strings by license stage, project type and role
Swap in the project type, software and metro from your own intake; these are examples. None of them uses graduation years or any other proxy for a protected characteristic, and yours should not either.
Licensed architects and the licensure path
1. Licensed project architect, healthcare — LinkedIn general search
("project architect" OR "licensed architect" OR "registered architect") AND (revit OR "construction documents") AND (healthcare OR hospital OR "medical office") NOT ("software architect" OR "solutions architect" OR "enterprise architect" OR "cloud architect")
2. Architect with reciprocity in view — LinkedIn Recruiter, Keywords filter
(architect OR "project architect") AND ("ncarb certificate" OR "ncarb certified" OR aia OR faia) AND ("construction administration" OR "construction documents") NOT ("software architect" OR "solutions architect" OR "data architect")
3. Designer close to licensure — LinkedIn general search
("architectural designer" OR "job captain" OR "project designer") AND ("are 5.0" OR "architect registration exam" OR axp OR ncarb) NOT ("interior designer" OR "landscape architect" OR software)By project type
4. K-12 and higher education — LinkedIn general search
(architect OR "project architect" OR "architectural designer") AND ("k-12" OR "higher education" OR "educational facilities") AND (revit OR "construction administration") NOT ("software architect" OR teacher)
5. Multifamily and mixed-use — Indeed Smart Sourcing
title: (architect OR "project architect" OR "architectural designer") AND skill: (revit OR "construction documents") AND (multifamily OR "mixed-use" OR podium OR "type v") NOT (leasing OR "property manager")
6. Healthcare planner — LinkedIn Recruiter, Job titles + Keywords filters
("healthcare architect" OR "medical planner" OR "healthcare planner") AND (hospital OR ambulatory OR "fgi guidelines") NOT ("health information" OR "financial planner")By role in the firm
7. Construction administration lead — Indeed Smart Sourcing
title: (architect OR "project architect") AND skill: ("construction administration" OR "submittal review" OR "rfi responses" OR "punch lists") NOT ("general contractor" OR superintendent)
8. Design principal or studio leader — LinkedIn Recruiter, Job titles filter
("design principal" OR "principal architect" OR "studio director" OR "design director") AND (architecture OR "architectural firm") AND (aia OR faia OR "registered architect") NOT (software OR "creative director" OR ux)
9. Sustainability-led architect — LinkedIn general search
(architect OR "architectural designer") AND ("leed ap" OR "passive house" OR "net zero") NOT ("software architect" OR "solutions architect" OR "sustainability consultant")Search-engine X-ray
10. Public profiles by project type and metro — Google X-ray
site:linkedin.com/in "project architect" "healthcare" "revit" "boston" -jobs -recruiter -softwareWhat LinkedIn, Indeed and Google actually support
As of November 2026, LinkedIn's Boolean help page requires AND, OR and NOT in capitals, supports quotes and parentheses, and does not support wildcards, so "architect", "architecture" and "architectural" each need writing out. LinkedIn Recruiter's Boolean page lists Job titles, Companies and Industries among its Boolean filters. The Industries and Companies filters help here: a search limited to architecture firms drops most technology architects before the NOT block has to.
Indeed's advanced search
post documents title: for the most recent title and anytitle: for any title held;
its industry guides document skill:. Use anytitle: when the client will consider
someone whose latest job was at a contractor or developer.
Google's search operators page documents
quotes, site:, the minus sign and filetype:, but not OR. Many architects publish
portfolios as PDFs, so a variant of string 10 with filetype:pdf "portfolio" "revit" and a city can find
work samples, which are public by the architect's choice.
Narrowing by license state, project type and phase
License comes first. If the role needs someone to stamp drawings, the client needs a license in the project's state, or a candidate who can get one by reciprocity in the time available. Ask which, then decide whether "licensed" belongs in a required block or the NCARB Certificate in an OR block.
Project type comes next. Healthcare, K-12, laboratories and multifamily each carry their own codes, clients and vocabulary, and firms often hire for the project type before the title. One project-type block changes a list more than any credential.
Phase decides the rest. A designer who has lived in schematic design and a project architect who runs construction administration write very different profiles: concept, massing and renderings for one; submittals, RFIs and site visits for the other. Match the phase words to what the client's next hire will spend most days on.
False positives worth excluding with NOT
- Technology architects. Software, solutions, enterprise, cloud, data and security architects share the word and crowd any bare architect search. Exclude them in every string; if a client actually wants one, the 30-60-90 day plan for solutions architects shows how different that job is.
- Landscape and naval architects. Landscape architects and naval architects are different disciplines. Exclude them unless the brief says otherwise.
- Interior designers. They work in the same firms and the same software. Keep them for interiors roles, and exclude "interior designer" elsewhere.
- Building product sales and trades. "Architectural" also describes sales reps for building products, architectural woodwork, architectural metals and lighting. Exclude "sales" and "account manager" for practice roles.
- Students and recruiters. Architecture students list every program; architecture recruiters list every title. Exclude "architecture student" for licensed roles and "recruiter" everywhere.
A worked example: three passes on a healthcare project architect search
An invented search, shown as it actually gets narrowed.
Intake: A mid-size firm needs a project architect for hospital renovations, licensed in the state or able to get the license by reciprocity within six months, strong in Revit and construction administration.
Pass 1: architect AND healthcare: healthcare IT solutions architects, enterprise
architects at insurers and a minority of building architects.
Pass 2: ("project architect" OR "licensed architect") AND (healthcare OR hospital) NOT
("software architect" OR "solutions architect" OR "enterprise architect"), limited to architecture firms
with the Industries filter: relevant, though many profiles show new hospital towers only.
Pass 3: add AND (renovation OR "occupied" OR "infection control risk assessment" OR
"construction administration"). The list is short enough to call. Each license is checked on the state
board's lookup, and reciprocity timing is discussed on the call.
The NOT block and the industry filter removed the technology architects; the phase words found the people who can keep a hospital running while they renovate it.
What a search cannot verify
A string can find someone whose profile shows the right license terms, project types and phase. It cannot confirm a license in the project's state, show the quality of their drawings, or tell you how they handle a contractor's change order. Check licenses on the state board's lookup and record them as the license verification guide describes, ask for a portfolio, and use the construction manager strings or civil engineer strings when the client's real need is on the building side of the table.
Questions people ask
How do I keep software architects out of an architect search?
Exclude "software architect", "solutions architect", "enterprise architect" and "cloud architect" with NOT, and require a building term such as Revit, "construction documents", "construction administration" or a project type like healthcare or K-12. Technology titles share the word and crowd a bare architect search.
Can someone call themselves an architect without a license?
State law restricts the title. California's Business and Professions Code section 5536, for example, makes it a misdemeanor for someone not licensed there to use any term confusingly similar to architect or to advertise as an architectural designer. That is why many unlicensed staff are designers or job captains; check the license on the state board's lookup, not the profile title.
What does Assoc. AIA mean on an architect's profile?
It marks an AIA Associate member, whom the AIA describes as a person without an architectural license from a U.S. licensing authority. The plain AIA designation is for Architect members, who are entitled under law to practice architecture and use the title architect in a U.S. state. FAIA marks an Architect member advanced to Fellowship.
How do I find candidates close to architectural licensure?
Search for designer and job captain titles with "ARE 5.0", "architect registration exam", AXP or NCARB. As of November 2026 NCARB's site describes ARE 5.0 as the current exam with six divisions, and the AXP as the experience program most U.S. licensing boards require. Older profiles may say IDP, the program's name before June 29, 2016.