Historic Preservation

Students documenting a historic building in south Texas
HISTORIC PRESERVATION
HOW TO APPLY

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 Cover

Preservation in the Americas—Finding Our Shared History

Structure within Carlsbad Caverns' Historic District

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. 

Master of Science in Historic Preservation

Ph.D. in Historic Preservation

HISTORIC PRESERVATION STUDENTS IN ACTION

  • Instagram Post
    40 Hours for the Forty Acres is happening now! Show your support for the School of Architecture this year by giving to travel scholarships.
    @utsoa

    40 Hours for the Forty Acres is happening now! Show your support for the School of Architecture this year by giving to travel scholarships.

  • Instagram Post
    Graduation looks good on you 📸
    @utsoa

    Graduation looks good on you 📸

  • Instagram Post
    The countdown is on! This Saturday, we celebrate YOU, our incredible planning and design graduates. We are so proud of everything you’ve achieved and can’t wait to cheer you on at Commencement. 🎉 <br>
    @utsoa

    The countdown is on! This Saturday, we celebrate YOU, our incredible planning and design graduates. We are so proud of everything you’ve achieved and can’t wait to cheer you on at Commencement. 🎉

  • Instagram Post
    Save the date for 40 Hours for the Forty Acres! This year, on May 7-8, we’re focusing on raising support for travel scholarships to provide students with opportunities to experience architecture, planning, and design in real-world contexts. <br>
    @utsoa

    Save the date for 40 Hours for the Forty Acres! This year, on May 7-8, we’re focusing on raising support for travel scholarships to provide students with opportunities to experience architecture, planning, and design in real-world contexts.

  • Instagram Post
    Assistant Professor Ria Bravo’s (@riabravodesign) Interiors Fabrications course introduces students to a range of fabrication techniques and materials, including sewing, 3D printing, CNC routing, and hands-on construction methods.
    @utsoa

    Assistant Professor Ria Bravo’s (@riabravodesign) Interiors Fabrications course introduces students to a range of fabrication techniques and materials, including sewing, 3D printing, CNC routing, and hands-on construction methods.

  • Instagram Post
    We’re excited to welcome pioneering Thai landscape architect Kotchakorn Voraakhom to campus next week as the School of Architecture’s 2025 Commencement Speaker. <br>
    @utsoa

    We’re excited to welcome pioneering Thai landscape architect Kotchakorn Voraakhom to campus next week as the School of Architecture’s 2025 Commencement Speaker.

  • Instagram Post
    You did that: final reviews are done! 🙌 We saw incredible work throughout the week and couldn’t be more proud of your hard work this semester.<br>
    @utsoa

    You did that: final reviews are done! 🙌 We saw incredible work throughout the week and couldn’t be more proud of your hard work this semester.

  • Instagram Post
    Join us next Friday, May 2 for our End of Year Show, an exhibit celebrating a year of UTSOA, themed Overexposed.<br>
    @utsoa

    Join us next Friday, May 2 for our End of Year Show, an exhibit celebrating a year of UTSOA, themed Overexposed.

  • Instagram Post
    Congrats @utsoafirstyears on wrapping up Design II final reviews yesterday! <br /><br />Final review week continues tomorrow through Friday. For a list of guest critics, visit the link in our bio. And tune in and follow along on our stories all week. <br /><br />Best of luck everyone!
    @utsoa

    Congrats @utsoafirstyears on wrapping up Design II final reviews yesterday!

    Final review week continues tomorrow through Friday. For a list of guest critics, visit the link in our bio. And tune in and follow along on our stories all week.

    Best of luck everyone!