Graduate Certificate in Historic Preservation

Historic Preservation is a process of design for continuity and the management of change within an existing historic context. The Graduate Certificate in Historic Preservation offers specialized education in historic preservation design, technology, planning and management through graduate level courses.

The Graduate Certificate in Historic Preservation enables graduate students from multiple program areas to receive tangible confirmation of skills and comprehension in historic preservation. A Graduate Certificate in Historic Preservation offers students from any discipline the opportunity to take historic preservation classes with rationale and purpose. Certificate holders can gain employment advantages in fields related to archaeology, architecture, business, engineering, geography, historic preservation, history, interior design, landscape architecture, law, museum studies, political science, public policy, social science and urban and regional planning. Many government jobs within federal, state, and local agencies specifically require or desire graduate level training in historic preservation. All states, many counties, and most large cities have non-profit organizations and societies devoted to historic preservation. And within the construction industry there is currently a huge trend upwards in adaptive use of existing buildings, especially within previously abandoned downtown areas. There is widespread demand for professionals with specialized training in historic preservation. Interested individuals should contact the Historic Preservation Certificate Program Coordinator within the College of Architecture.

Certificate in Historic Preservation Admission Requirements. New and existing graduate students in “good standing” shall declare the intent to seek the Certificate by requesting permission to enter and complete the program. Students not currently enrolled in a graduate program may apply according to UTSA Admission Requirements for Certificate Programs. The Certificate Program Coordinator may determine that a student requires prerequisite background courses to adequately prepare for the courses of the Graduate Certificate Program.

Certificate in Historic Preservation Requirements. The Certificate requires 15 credit hours of coursework and 10 weeks (or 350 hours) of practical experience, such as an internship or other type of employment related to historic preservation. Two courses are required and an additional three courses must be selected from the list of approved courses. All requirements must be completed within a 6-year period. Courses taken for the Graduate Certificate in Historic Preservation can be applied towards the Master of Architecture degree and the Master of Science in Architecture. Students will be advised by the Historic Preservation Certificate Program Coordinator/Advisor.

A. 6 semester credit hours of the following required courses:

ARC 5203 History and Theory of Preservation
ARC 6423 Architectural Conservation Theory

B. Required Practical Experience, 10 weeks or equivalent (to be approved by the Certificate Program Coordinator).

C. 9 semester credit hours of approved elective courses selected from the following list:

ARC 5233 Architectural Surveys and Measured Drawings
ARC 5403 Historic Preservation Seminar
ARC 5423 Legal and Economic Aspects of Preservation
ARC 5613 American Architecture
ARC 6003 Morphology of Architecture and Landscape of South Texas and Borderlands
ARC 6413 Preservation Technology
ARC 6433 Research Methods in Architecture