Graduate Concentration in Historic Preservation
The Center for Historic Architecture and Design supports a graduate concentration in historic preservation as part of the M.A. program in Urban Affairs and Public Policy, housed in the School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy. The National Council for Preservation Education (NCPE), the accrediting body for collegiate preservation programs in the United States, has accredited the historic preservation concentration in CHAD/SUAPP. NCPE recognizes degree programs in historic preservation and allied graduate degree and certificate programs. The historic preservation concentration in the M.A. in Urban Affairs and Public Policy received accreditation as an allied degree program.
The concentration provides professional training for those who desire careers in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors of historic preservation. It also prepares individuals for further graduate education in the field of preservation. Drawing on fieldwork experiences as a laboratory for research and instruction, the program explores preservation issues in a variety of cultural, ethnic, and settlement contexts. The concentration focuses on the interface between understanding the evolution and significance of the historic architectural landscape from a scholarly perspective and designing effective public policies to conserve significant historical resources.
With an emphasis on planning and policy analysis in an urban and community environment and incorporating a strong foundation in analytical research methods, the Urban Affairs masters degree provides a solid grounding in the context in which most preservation activities take place. The program is flexible and can accomodate a student's specific interests.
Requirements of the M.A. program and the historic preservation concentration are found on the School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy curriculum and program requirements page. For additional information contact the CHAD Director, David Ames: E-Mail CHAD Director
Related U.D. Graduate Programs
Ph.D. in Preservation Studies. Administered by the Center for Material Culture Studies, this interdisciplinary doctoral program emphasizes the philosophies, research methdologies, and policies informing preservation efforts focused on art, architecture, landscapes, and material culture.The program prepares students to address questions regarding individual objects, collections, buildings, sites, or landscapes in terms of significance, cultural context, and preservation.
M.A. and Ph.D. in Art History. The Department of Art History offers studies in the history of art from ancient to modern times, with special srengths in Western European and American Art. Courses are also available in architectural history and in non-Western art.The department has a cooperative program with the Department of Art History and Archeology at Bryn Mawr College and also with the Department of the History of Art, University of Pennsylvania; graduate students enrolled at each institution may take courses at the other without additional fees.
M.A. and M.S. in Geography. The
Department of Geography offers masters degrees in geography with two
themes: climatology and human geography; the lattter is relevant to
historic preservation. The human geography program covers a broad range
of themes approached from cultural-historical, socio-economic and
humanistic perspectives and includes the study of landscapes,
geographic ideas, perceptions and attitudes in a cross-cultural context.
M.A. in American Material Culture. Offered
by the Winterthur Program in American Material Culture, this two-year
program combines the study of objects with a multidisciplinary
perspective. Drawing on faculty from both University of Delaware and
from Winterthur Museum, the program incorporates connoisseurship
courses and field-based learning.
History Department Programs. In
addition to the M.A. and Ph.D. in History, the department also offers
special graduate programs that are of particular interest to historic
preservation. The Certificate Program in Museum Studies is popular with
CHAD students. The Department of History and the Winterthur Museum
jointly sponsor a Ph.D. program in the History of American
Civilization. Based on the multidisciplinary study of American social
and cultural history, the program is distinguished by its emphasis on
American material culture. The department and the Hagley Museum jointly
sponsor the University of Delaware-Hagley Program, which focuses on the
history of industrialization. Students may study social, labor,
business, cultural, and economic history and the history of technology.
Ph.D. in Urban Affairs and Public Policy. The
Ph.D. Program in Urban Affairs and Public Policy would be appropriate
for those interested in pursuing research related to preservation
public policy, preservation planning and preservation as part of the
urban historic landscape. This doctoral program is interdisciplinary
and seeks to prepare students for research, teaching, and public policy
problem-solving careers. Areas of specialization in the doctoral
program reflect research concentrations in the college, and the program
of study in each area is tailored to meet student interest and research
objectives. The primary areas of specialization are (1) technology,
environment and society and (2) planning, governance and urban policy.
Historic preservation is part of the area in planning, governance
and urban policy.
