Program Overview

Master of Science in Historic Preservation

The Master of Science in Historic Preservation is a two-year course of study that leads to a degree in Historic Preservation. The program is conducted in Charleston, South Carolina, and offers a unique blend of hands-on learning and theoretical foundations in historic preservation.

Program Overview

The program teaches students to preserve both the fabric of historic buildings and landscapes and the stories that give those places meaning. The curriculum is built around hands-on learning, with students learning preservation by doing preservation with Charleston's foremost experts in architectural conservation, architectural history, landscape preservation, and urban/preservation planning.

Curriculum

The 60-credit MSHP curriculum is conducted in a 'cohort' model, meaning all MSHP students begin together in the Fall semester and learn through their two years in the program with a close-knit group of colleagues.

Semester I

• Foundational preservation knowledge and skill acquisition: A semester of "core" curriculum in historic preservation that revolves around developing a deeper understanding of historic architectural fabric through a connected series of courses. 15 credits.
  • HP 8080 History and Theory of Historic Preservation (3cr)
  • HP 8070 American Architecture (3cr)
  • HP 8090 Historical Research Methods (3cr)
  • HP 8190 Investigation, Documentation and Conservation (6cr)

Semester II

• Advanced preservation knowledge and skill acquisition: An "advanced" semester that focuses on acquiring skills in digital recording, pursuing a preservation project through a studio, investigating and analyzing cultural landscapes and broader assemblages of historic resources as well as a conservation laboratory science class. 15 credits
  • HP 8050 Preservation Studio (6cr)
  • HP 8330 Cultural & Historical Landscape Preservation (3cr)
  • HP 8100 Conservation Laboratory Science (6cr)

Historic Preservation Internship

During the summer between the first and second years, students complete an intensive internship with professional historic preservation practitioners. In addition to gaining valuable hands-on experience and career networking, the internship allows students to gain a first-hand perspective on the professional practice of preservation. Students secure internships at a wide range of organizations, including the Historic American Building Survey (HABS), the International Committee on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the National Trust, and local museums and foundations as well as preservation practitioners in America and Europe. 3 credits.

• HP 8450 Historic Preservation Internship (3cr)

Semester III

• Implementation/Intervention: A semester focusing on modern building systems and materials, the legal and economic contexts of historic preservation, and on project-based work developing, and implementing preservation interventions. At this point in the curriculum, students begin their theses. 15 credits.
  • HP 8030 Building Technology and Pathology (3cr)
  • HP 8020 Historic Preservation Research Seminar (3cr)
  • HP 8010 Preservation Law and Economics (3cr)
  • Approved Elective (3cr)
  • Approved Elective (3cr)

Semester IV

• Capstone: A final semester during which the focus is on completion of the thesis with additional opportunities to pursue elective courses related to career goals. 12 credits.
  • HP 8910 Thesis in Historic Preservation (6cr)
  • Approved Elective (3cr)
  • Approved Elective (3cr)

Approved Elective Courses

• HP 8040 Management and Administration of Historic Preservation (3cr)
• HP 8110 Advanced Conservation Science Laboratory (3cr)
• HP 8210 Historic Preservation and Public Memory (3cr)
• HP 8220 Vernacular Places and Spaces (3cr)
• HP 8230 Historic American Interiors (3cr)
• HP 8250 Sustainability and Historic Preservation (3cr)
• HP 8260 Historic Structures Report (3cr)
• HP 8270 Adaptive Use (3cr)
• HP 8280 Case Studies in Preservation Engineering (3cr)
• HP 8290 Digital Tools for Historic Preservation (3cr)
• HP 8920 Special Topics in Historic Preservation (3cr)
• HP 8930 Independent Study in Historic Preservation (3cr)

Areas of Emphasis

The curriculum offers students experience in all these major aspects of preservation practice:

• Architectural History and Cultural Significance
• Documentation and Interpretation of Landscapes, Buildings, Interiors, and Objects
• Historic Building Materials, Techniques, and Treatments
• Contextual Design and Planning
• Conservation Science and Material Analysis
• Preservation Policy and Cultural Resource Management
• Sustainability and the Economics of Rehabilitation

Application Information

• Priority application deadline is February 15; applicants who meet this priority deadline will also be considered for merit aid.
• Application Requirements:
  • Personal Statement
  • Two letters of recommendation
  • Unofficial transcripts
  • Writing Sample (Undergraduate research thesis accepted; writing sample should showcase your writing mechanics, including your ability to use and credit sources correctly and your analytical thinking)
  • Portfolio
  • GRE is not required

Awards

The program bestows two awards annually to graduating students: a best thesis award and the Kelly B. Bulak Award. For the outstanding thesis award, our faculty are charged each year with selecting from among the group of scholarly works, an outstanding example of the thesis process and final manuscript. The Kelly B. Bulak Award is given annually to the graduating student who the faculty feels most embodies Kelly's optimism, passion for historic buildings and landscapes, dedication to our field, and commitment to their classmates.

Facilities and Resources

The Graduate Program in Historic Preservation and its students draw on a wide range of resources during their two-year course of study. One of the program's most significant assets is its location in Charleston, arguably the nation's best-preserved city and the birthplace of many of historic preservation's most effective tools.

Historic Preservation Organizations

The state of South Carolina has a rich heritage that is preserved, interpreted, and sustained by a wide variety of non-profit and governmental organizations.

• Richard Hampton Jenerette Foundation
• Preservation Society of Charleston
• Historic Charleston Foundation
• Drayton Hall
• Lincolnville Preservation & Historical Society
• Preservation South Carolina
• South Carolina Department of Archives and History