Historic preservation seeks to find effective and artful ways of maintaining and reusing significant buildings, landscapes, and communities. Central to the discipline is the attempt to preserve cultural identity in the face of the threats of urban sprawl and loss of social diversity.
The Historic Preservation Program at The University of Texas at Austin exposes students to multiple fields in the discipline of historic preservation—architectural conservation and documentation, historic site management, and preservation planning and development. The coursework is practical, technical, and theoretical in scope, encompassing the study of history, research techniques, materials conservation, documentation and interpretation of historic resources, restoration methodologies, and sensitive design for adaptive reuse.
Students explore a wide array of historic properties, from rural vernacular sites to significant works of the Modern Movement, from interior furnishings and buildings to landscapes and urban centers. The special emphasis of the program is on works of the later nineteenth and twentieth centuries, especially on examples of Modernism. International travel is strongly supported by the program. Recent students have studied in Italy, Mexico, Turkey, and Ukraine, and there are also programs currently under development in China, France, and the Dominican Republic.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
Preservation in the Americas—Finding Our Shared History
Work with the National Park Service
Historic preservation
DEGREES + PROGRAMS
The Historic Preservation Program at the University of Texas as Austin offers a graduate-level degree program and a doctoral-level degree in Historic Preservation, which can be achieved through the lens of Architecture or Community & Regional Planning.
| GRADUATE | PH.D. |
|---|---|
HISTORIC PRESERVATION NEWS
HISTORIC PRESERVATION STUDENTS IN ACTION
FOLLOW US
- Instagram Post
@utsoaJoin us in welcoming the new and visiting faculty joining the School of Architecture community this fall!
▪️ Lidia Cano Pecharroman joins us as an Assistant Professor of Community and Regional Planning and the Director of the Extreme Weather Adaptation Lab at @thelbjschoolInstagram Post
@utsoaLed by Senior Lecturer Robert Stepnoski (@robertstepnoski), the 2025 Summer course “Robots for Architecture” explored robotic automation in architectural design and fabrication using KUKA robots.
Instagram Post
@utsoaOur faculty are known for their expansive professional practices that extend beyond the university, so we’re kicking off a new series to feature the research and design work of our wonderful professors.
Instagram Post
@utsoaA little quiet before the next creative storm. Two months down, two to go—see you in August. 🗓️
Instagram Post
@utsoaEven in an increasingly digital profession, hands-on fabrication remains a cornerstone of design education.
Instagram Post
@utsoaSummer stillness at UTSOA ☁️
Instagram Post
@utsoaHave you seen Goldsmith Hall's Living Wall lately? It’s thriving. 🌿
Designed to attract native fauna and test the boundaries of green wall systems, the Living Wall is a research project years in the making—part art, part architecture, part ecology.
Instagram Post
@utsoaWhat happens when local decision-makers and academic subject-matter experts come together to tackle some of Texas’ most urgent planning and design challenges?
Instagram Post
@utsoaKicked off the first of three orientation sessions this summer with an incredible group of new students. Welcome to UTSOA!