by our College Data Analytics TeamAre 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.
Studying Historic Preservation involves the study of Historic Preservation And Conservation. Continue reading for the key facts every historic preservation major should know — including career paths, salary data, the skills you will develop, and the best colleges offering historic preservation programs.
Nationwide, historic preservation is a popular field of study, with 450 degrees awarded annually.
Our 2026 Best Historic Preservation Schools ranking analyzes these 59 schools to determine the best overall colleges for historic preservation students. Continue reading to check out one of our many unbiased rankings of historic preservation programs later in this article.
Programs in Historic Preservation emphasize a specific mix of skills, knowledge, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in the occupations historic preservation graduates commonly enter.
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.
The skill set developed in a historic preservation program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:
Per O*NET surveys, a historic preservation major emphasizes the following knowledge areas:
There are several historic preservation degree levels. The table below shows the typical length of the most common levels, and how many graduates earn each one.
| Degree | Typical Program Length | Graduates Annually |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate | Varies | 9 |
| Associate Degree | 2 years | 7 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 4 years | 93 |
| Master’s Degree | 1-3 years | 338 |
| Doctorate | At least 4 years | 3 |
People currently working in careers related to historic preservation tend to have obtained the following education levels.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Master’s degree | 52.0% |
| Bachelor’s degree | 21.4% |
| Associate’s degree (or other 2-year) | 7.2% |
| Doctoral degree | 6.4% |
| Post-master’s certificate | 3.8% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 2.4% |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 2.2% |
| Postsecondary certificate | 2.1% |
| Some college courses | 1.7% |
| Post-doctoral training | 0.4% |
| Less than a high school diploma | 0.3% |
| First professional degree | 0.1% |
See the chart below to get an idea of what level of education most of those in historic preservation careers hold.
Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*
A Historic Preservation Degree will allow you take many different career paths. You could become a curator, a historian, a preservation researcher or a conservationist. You could also work for a museum as an exhibition designer or a technician. Grads also find work as historic interior designers, site managers, or building consultants. Working for communities and private organizations to restore and maintain historical sites could be another career path for you.
A degree in historic preservation opens doors to many career paths. These are some of the most common occupations related to historic preservation.
The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to historic preservation.
| Occupation | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Archivists | 1,193,221 | 1.6% |
| Postsecondary Teachers, All Other | 964,215 | -0.1% |
| Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | 718,152 | 6.5% |
| Managers, All Other | 468,025 | 6.2% |
| Security Managers | 360,967 | 0.6% |
| Compliance Managers | 310,203 | 13.0% |
| Facilities Managers | 268,353 | -0.6% |
| Loss Prevention Managers | 265,210 | 2.2% |
The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of historic preservation graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow as graduates gain experience.
| Years Out | Median Earnings |
|---|---|
| 1 year | $44,600 |
| 4 years | $46,364 |
| 5 years | $52,542 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.
Salaries for historic preservation graduates vary widely by occupation. The following table shows the top highest-paying careers historic preservation grads often go into.
| Occupation | Median Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Wind Energy Development Managers | $169,952 |
| Loss Prevention Managers | $165,723 |
| Facilities Managers | $157,669 |
| Wind Energy Operations Managers | $122,567 |
| Compliance Managers | $117,178 |
| Security Managers | $104,128 |
| Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers | $99,321 |
| Managers, All Other | $95,684 |
With 59 different historic preservation programs to choose from, finding the best fit can be a challenge. We have analyzed these schools to produce unbiased historic preservation school rankings to help you.
If you are interested in historic preservation, you may also want to explore other closely related fields of study within the same broad area.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Historic Preservation and Conservation, General | 376 |
| Cultural Resource Management and Policy Analysis | 59 |
| Historic Preservation and Conservation, Other | 15 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 30,141 |
| Biological and Physical Sciences | 28,033 |
| Data Analytics | 12,891 |
| MULTI/INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES | 10,355 |
| Data Science | 7,716 |
| International/Globalization Studies | 5,740 |
| Nutrition Sciences | 5,456 |
| Behavioral Sciences | 5,391 |
| Sustainability Studies | 4,374 |
| Cognitive Science | 3,121 |
More about our data sources and methodologies.
