2023 Historic Preservation Degree Guide

Are you fascinated by old buildings? Do you enjoy spending free time touring old properties and houses? A Historic Preservation degree will allow you learn how to protect and restore these beautiful historic buildings and areas.

Major in Historic Preservation in order to learn the practical and theoretical aspects that allow workers to preserve historical sites. This major involves more than simply history and art appreciation. Students will learn economics, real estate development, preservation planning and the laws that surround it. You will have the opportunity to visit structures and research them in order to collect and analyze information.

Some of the classes you will take in a Historic Preservation major include: preservation planning and law, American architecture, historic preservation law, architectural conservation, perspectives on preservation, design, real estate, public relations and policy.

You may have the opportunity to choose a concentration. Several worth mentioning are Historic Preservation and Conservation, and Cultural Resource Management and Policy Analysis.

Historic Preservation Degrees Remain Stable

#296 Most Popular Major 416 Degrees Awarded 0.0% Increase in Graduates

Historic Preservation was the 296th most popular major in the 2020-2021 school year. Colleges in the United States reported awarding 416 degrees in this year alone. This is approximately the same as the 416 graduates the prior year.

This year's Best Historic Preservation Schools ranking compares 20 of them to identify the best overall programs in the country. Explore this or one of our many other custom historic preservation rankings further below.

2023 Best Colleges for Historic Preservation

Best Historic Preservation Schools by Degree

Associate Degrees in Historic Preservation Bachelor's Degrees in Historic Preservation Master's Degrees in Historic Preservation Doctorate Degrees in Historic Preservation

Historic Preservation Degree Requirements

A passion for history and architecture will lead you to success in this field. Art and architecture require an eye for detail. Research skills will be necessary as you dive into historical data and learn about the culture. Working with people should be natural to you as you help build historical appreciation in your local community.

Critical thinking, writing and research skills are necessary to complete your projects and write reports and papers. You will need to collect data and analyze how buildings reflect on the time period. Memorization will also be helpful as you learn about different places, names, and designs. Strong math and organization skills will lead you to success in both architecture and economics.

You may have the opportunity to study abroad. This will give you the chance to see historical areas and structures of a particular culture. Take advantage of any internship or work opportunities in a historic center, architecture firm or museum.

Prior Education for a Historic Preservation Program

historic preservation degree applicants generally need have finished high school or their GED. Many schools may also have GPA and SAT/ACT score minimums that must be met. Specific historic preservation careers may require a certain level of degree attainment or additional certifications beyond that.

Types of Historic Preservation Degrees

There are various different levels of historic preservation degrees. You can get anything from a in historic preservation to the highest historic preservation degree, a . Depending on the historic preservation degree you choose, obtaining your diploma can take anwhere from 1 to 4+ years.

How Much Money Do Historic Preservation Grads Make?

Recently graduated historic preservation students earned an average of $37,439 in 2019-2020. Earnings can range from as low as $24,160 to as high as $50,313. As you might expect, salaries for historic preservation graduates vary depending on the level of education that was acquired.

High Paying Careers for Historic Preservation Majors

Salaries for historic preservation graduates can vary widely by the occupation you choose as well. The following table shows the top highest paying careers historic preservation grads often go into.

Getting Your Historic Preservation Degree

With over 123 different historic preservation degree programs to choose from, finding the best fit for you can be a challenge. Fortunately you have come to the right place. We have analyzed all of these schools to come up with hundreds of unbiased historic preservation school rankings to help you with this.