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 85 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
  
  

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.

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).

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:

However, other electives are also acceptable and may be approved in consultation with the Director. These include the following courses (subject to changes):

[Students should check on any specific eligibility requirements, prerequisites or consents needed. Note that all courses may not be offered every term.]

(or another course approved in consultation with the Director)