Historic Preservation

The 47-credit Historic Preservation program prepares students for leadership within a continuously changing preservation context.

All four programs inside the Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment focus on applied research. Through studios, theses, capstones, demonstration projects, research initiatives, partnerships and public programs, students have an opportunity to make an impact. To learn more about our approach and collaborations visit the Research and Impact page.

With a broad grasp of cultural heritage issues, law, policy, and practice coupled with documentation, evaluation, communication, and interpretative skills, graduates of the Historic Preservation program are prepared with the essential practical and professional tools of the field. Case studies and interaction with community leaders and practitioners insures an integrative, interdisciplinary, and inclusive approach. The New York City environment, its urban context, and an accomplished faculty support the goal of excellence and national recognition in the field.

Courses such as history, documentation and interpretation, adaptive reuse, architecture, preservation planning, in policy, and heritage impart the broad range of skills practitioners need today to practice in this field. Students are encouraged to analyze preservation policies and methods within a broader historical and social context, a critical approach that enables graduates to practice at the highest professional level. Internships give students real-world experience.