Historic Preservation Graduate Certificate
The Graduate Certificate in Historic Preservation (GCert) is a 15 credit-hour program, which may be taken alone or in conjunction with another Graduate Certificate, or an M.A. or Ph.D. degree in American Studies or another department. Many of the participants are professionals in the workforce who seek to expand their experience and credentials.
Since it began in 1986, over 100 students have participated in the program or received Certificates. Students have represented a wide range of disciplines, including History, Anthropology and Archaeology, Art History, Asian Studies, Pacific Islands Studies, Hawaiian Studies, Education, Law, Geography, Urban and Regional Planning, Political Science, Public Administration, Travel Industry Management and Architecture. Several courses are cross-listed with other departments and schools to facilitate interaction and help maintain the multi-disciplinary nature of the field.
The Certificate requires the successful completion of two, three credit-hour courses, a three credit-hour Practicum/Internship, and six credits of electives (usually two courses) of preservation-related courses in American Studies and other departments and programs. Students may take the Certificate program concurrently with other graduate degree or certificate programs and are, in fact, encouraged to do so; six credit-hours of electives (two courses) may now be jointly counted toward the Certificate and any other program. However, students cannot double count the required courses listed below toward their graduate degree.
Upon completion of the Graduate Certificate Program in Historic Preservation all students should have acquired:
- An overall knowledge of the field of historic preservation in the U.S. and internationally;
- Knowledge of procedures, laws and international agreements pertaining to historic preservation practice nationally and internationally;
- Knowledge of the range and types of historic properties/resources, their characteristics and special conservation requirements;
- Critical thinking skills relevant to identifying and analyzing historic resources and formulating strategies for their recognition and protection;
- Competence in scholarly and professional writing and in oral communication;
- Advanced research skills, including knowledge of primary and secondary sources necessary in the historic preservation field;
- Basic and advanced documentation skills for identifying, describing and in other ways recording historic and cultural resources.
Required Courses
AmSt 675 Preservation: Theory and Practicum ( syllabus )
Anth 645 Historic Preservation (Laws/Policies) ( syllabus )
AmSt 695 Historic Preservation Practicum/Internship
Currently, AmSt 675 is offered every Fall, and Anth 645 is offered every Spring. It is highly recommended that students begin their studies with AmSt 675. AmSt 695 is taken on an individual basis and is offered every term. It is usually the last course taken before a student receives the Certificate.
Practicum/Internship
The Practicum/Internship, AmSt 695, is intended to advance the student’s knowledge of the field and enable them to research areas of special interest. Since the course is meant to be of a practical character, students are especially encouraged to take advantage of work-related opportunities in the field. Past Practica/Internships, for example, have included research reports carried out for cultural resource management firms, studies conducted for nonprofit organizations, research and exhibits undertaken for museums, and results of ongoing advocacy projects. Students should view the Practicum/Internship as an opportunity to explore areas they have never had an opportunity to consider, and to build on and consolidate projects in which they have had prior involvement.
The Practicum/Internship offers two options: one, a formal internship with an approved preservation-related organization; or two, a research project, as determined in consultation with the Director of the program.
Briefly, option one requires at least 320 hours (the equivalent of eight weeks) of work, either paid or volunteer, for an approved preservation-related organization and a written report of approximately 10 pages (2,500 words) and a formal presentation on activities. Option two can be considered a “mini-thesis,” requiring approximately the same expenditure of time and effort. Those taking option two are encouraged to pick a topic of a practical or “applied” character and are also required to make a formal presentation of their work, along with a substantially longer written report. Typically, an option two Practicum/Internship would require a paper of approximately 50 pages (12,000-15,000 words).
Electives
The required six-credits of electives may be satisfied by a student taking the annual Summer Preservation Field School [six credits]: AmSt 696 Preservation Field Study: (B) Hawai`i, (C) Asia, (D) Pacific or the following:
AmSt 676 Recording Historic Resources ( syllabus )
AmSt 677 Community Preservation
However, other electives are also acceptable and may be approved in consultation with the Director. Students should check on any specific eligibility requirements, prerequisites or consents needed. Note that all courses may not be offered every term. These electives include the following courses:
AmSt 423 History of American Architecture ( syllabus )
AmSt 474 Preservation: Hawaii, Asia & the Pacific ( syllabus )
AmSt 475 Documentation of Historic Architecture [Cross-listed as Arch 472]
AmSt 623 American Architecture
AmSt 625 Material Culture
AmSt 627 The American City [Cross-listed as Arch 627; Hist 639E]
AmSt 679 Elements of Style ( syllabus )
AmSt 680 Historic Building Technology
AmSt 681 American Vernacular Traditions ( syllabus )
Anth 464 Hawaiian Archaeology
Anth 485 Pre-European Hawai`i
Anth 486 Peoples of Hawai`i
Anth 640 Methods and Theory in Archaeology
Arch 472 Documentation of Historic Architecture [Cross-listed as AmSt 475]
Arch 642 Urban Design Studio
Arch 691 Special Topics: Architecture History/Theory [varies]
Arch 692 Special Topics in Architectural Technology [varies]
Art 472 Art of the United States [Cross-listed as AmSt 456]
Art 479 Art of Hawai`i
Art 495 History of Modern Design
Asan 620 Problems and Issues of Contemporary Asia
Econ 418 Pacific Island Economies
Econ 495 Hawaiian labor History
ES 493 Oral History: Theory and Practice
ES 495 Hawaiian Labor History
Geog 421 Urban Geography
Geog 468 Topics in Hawaiian Geography
Geog 618 Human Environment Systems
Geog 665 Seminar in Geography of the Pacific
Hist 472 American Social History
Hist 481/482 Pacific Islands I and II
Hist 484 The Hawaiian Kingdom, 1819-1893
Hist 485 History of 20th Century Hawai`i
Hist 632 Advanced Readings in American History
Hist 634 Research in American History
Law 574 State and Local Government Law
Law 580 Land Use Management and Control
Law 582 Environmental Law
LIS 620 Preservation Management
LIS 652 Introduction to Archives Management
LIS 653 Seminar in Archival Studies
Plan 495 Land and Housing Economics [Cross-listed as Econ 495]
Plan 600 Public Policy and Planning Theory
Plan 610 Community Planning and Social Policy
Plan 615 Housing
Plan 616 Community-Based Planning
Plan 627 Negotiation and Mediation in Planning
Plan 632 Planning in Hawai`i and Pacific Islands
Plan 640 Land Use Policies and Programs
Plan 645 Land Use Planning
Plan 671 Urban Economic Analysis
Plan 741 Seminar in Planning Practice
RE 675 Development of Real Property
Concurrent Certificates
The University of Hawai‘i’s Historic Preservation Program is unique in its multi-disciplinary character. Students in the Certificate program come from Anthropology, Architecture, American Studies, Asian Studies, Art, Urban Planning, Education, and many other disciplines. Some students pursue a Graduate Certificate as a “stand-alone” degree; others are “concurrent” students and take it in combination with other Master’s and Ph.D. programs. Certificate students may “double-count” two courses (other than required courses) towards the Certificate and another degree or program. This means that only nine additional credit-hours are required for a Graduate Certificate in Historic Preservation when taken in conjunction with another program.
The following are some of the other University of Hawai’i graduate programs which potential Certificate candidates might consider. Those with Graduate Certificates are so noted. Prospective students should make inquiries directly with the various departments/programs with the telephone numbers shown:
American Studies 956-8570
Anthropology 956-8415
Architecture 956-7228
Art and Art History 956-8251
Asian Studies 956-5752
Education 956-7849
Ethnic Studies 956-8086
Geography 956-8465
Hawaiian Studies 973-0989
History 956-8486
Law 956-7966
Liberal Studies 956-7297
Library and Information Studies 956-7321
Pacific Islands Studies [CERT] 956-7700
Planning Studies [CERT] 956-7381
Political Science 956-8357
Public Administration [CERT] 956-8260
Resource Management [CERT] 956-8164
South Asian Studies 956-2677
Southeast Asian Studies 956-2688
Travel Industry Management 956-8946
Urban and Regional Planning [CERT] 956-7381
We feel that the combination of a Graduate Certificate in Historic Preservation and another graduate degree or certificate lends a particular strength to the University of Hawai‘i’s program in Historic Preservation. As a result of this emphasis students from the Pacific region or Asia can combine studies in historic preservation with more in-depth research into their own histories and cultures. Similarly, North American students—especially those anticipating professional careers on the mainland U.S.—can take preservation courses together with more basic background in American history and culture as offered in the American Studies or History departments. The same is true of other combinations. This cross-fertilization insures a strikingly diverse set of students at any one time in the program and allows for a far more individually tailored program than that previously provided by many other graduate programs in the subject.
Apply to the Program
Applicants for admission to the Historic Preservation Program should possess an academic or employment background in preservation-related disciplines or a demonstrate a strong interest and motivation to pursue such studies. There are no specific prerequisites, other than possession of an undergraduate degree.
All prospective Historic Preservation Graduate Certificate students must apply for classified admission to the UH Graduate Division. To apply online, visit University of Hawaii Online Admission Application and follow the onscreen instructions or download an application.
The deadline for Fall admission is March 1; the deadline for Spring admission is September 1.
If you are a current UHM graduate student who wishes to pursue a graduate certificate concurrently, download the Concurrent Graduate Certificate Application Form and submit to the Graduate Division Admission office.
Prospective certificate students and concurrent students should send directly to the Historic Preservation Program:
Applicants are required to mail directly to the Graduate Division-Admission Office an official transcript from each university attended.
GRE scores and two letters of recommendation for Historic Preservation Graduate Certificate applicants are not required.
Please be aware that financial aid is not provided for students doing the Historic Preservation Graduate Certificate Program only.