Master of Historic Preservation
The Master of Historic Preservation degree from the University of Maryland responds to the complex needs of the historic preservation profession. It combines a broad reach of advanced individual and collaborative course work with research and practical experience gained through a summer internship. Subjects such as public policy, economic development, historical interpretation and cultural diversity are emphasized alongside traditional preservation topics such as documentation, historical scholarship, preservation planning and design. The goal is to gain knowledge and experience in decision-making, management and conservation. These are tools for preserving material culture for the future while finding better community uses of the built environment in the present.
The Graduate Program in Historic Preservation offers a two-year Master of Historic Preservation (MHP) degree. The 45-credit MHP curriculum includes multidisciplinary core courses, an internship, a collaborative studio course and a wide selection of electives. Low student-faculty ratios and the availability of faculty from several departments and professional institutions offer unparalleled opportunities for individualized study.
Curriculum focus areas include adaptive reuse design and development in historic environments; archaeology; community heritage studies; economic development; interpretation of historic sites, buildings and monuments; preservation of historic landscapes; public policy; and under-represented communities.
Tuition and Fees
Current tuition, fees and other expenses for degrees at the University of Maryland are posted on the Office of the Bursar website.
Visiting the School
The best way to learn more about the University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation is to visit. Throughout the year, both the School and the University of Maryland invite prospective graduate students to attend our annual Graduate Open House. Whether you choose to visit the official open house day or to arrange a visit on another day, a visit will certainly help you decide if the University of Maryland is the place to start your future. You are welcome to attend classes or come to special lectures or other events.
To make an appointment with the program director contact:
Laura Steeg
Program Assistant
or
Dennis Pogue
Interim Director, Historic Preservation
(703) 314-6485
You may also attend a Prospective Students Open House (check for an upcoming open house in the News/Events page).
Deadline
The deadline for application to the Master of Historic Preservation is:
January 15, 2019
Eligibility
All applicants must have a bachelors degree from an accredited institution. There is no restriction on the applicant's previous field of study, and indeed we encourage diversity in all senses.
Application Requirements
Online Graduate Application
CLICK HERE TO APPLY
(via the Graduate Application website).
Read the latest instructions. When prompted, put in the four letter code that identifies the program for which you are applying.
The online code for the Master of Historic Preservation degree is HISP.
Fee
A non-refundable $75 fee is required for each program to which you apply. Payment of your application fee must be made on-line in order for your application to be submitted. Your application will not be processed until you pay your application fee and it is authorized.
To find out if you are eligible for an application fee waiver, please click on the following link: https://gradschool.umd.edu/feewaivereligibility
Transcripts
Unofficial copies of transcripts from each institution including the University of Maryland must be attached to your application. Applicants who are admitted will be required to request official transcripts be forwarded to the Graduate Admissions Office from each institution where undergraduate or prior graduate work was undertaken. Sealed envelopes of transcripts that meet the requirements below must be submitted.
Transcripts must bear the signature of the registrar and seal of the granting institution and should include the years of attendance, courses taken, grades received, class standing and any degree, certificate or diploma received.
Letters of Recommendation
Three recommendations are required from professors or other unrelated individuals who can assess the applicant’s potential to succeed in this program. The online application provides an electronic recommendation form, which facilitates submission and receipt in most cases.
Statement of Purpose
(1000-2000 words)
Applicants must submit a statement of their goals and objectives in pursuing graduate study using the online application. The statement should address the following two questions:
- What are your reasons for undertaking graduate study at the University of Maryland, College Park? Indicate, if appropriate any specific areas of research interest. You may wish to discuss past work in your intended field or allied fields, your plans for a professional career, or how you developed your interest in or knowledge of your chosen subject.
- What life experiences have prepared you to pursue a graduate degree at a large and diverse institution such as the University of Maryland? Among the items you might care to include would be your financial, community and family background, or whether you are the first person in your family to pursue higher education or any other factors that you believe would contribute to the diversity of our academic community. You may also wish to give the graduate admissions committee some examples of your determination to purse your goals, your initiative and ability to develop ideas, and/or your capacity for working through problems independently.
Resume
Applicants must attach an up-to-date resume via the online application.
GRE
All applicants must submit GRE scores. The code to submit your scores to the University of Maryland is 5814. You may submit your application prior to taking the exam and scores will be added to the application once received. Scores are only applicable for five years. Any test taken more than five years ago must be retaken.
Writing Sample
A writing sample of at least 10-30 pages of previous academic or professional work must be submitted and uploaded the to Writing Sample section of the application.
International Applicants
Applicants who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents must submit additional documents.
Updated information is available on the Graduate School website at:
http://www.gradschool.umd.edu/prospective_students/international_admissions.html
Contact
For more information about admissions to the MHP degree, contact:
Dennis Pogue,
Interim Director
(703) 314-6485
The following curriculum structure applies to all Historic Preservation degree candidates matriculating in Fall 2017 or later.
Descriptions for courses within the school are listed in the Courses page. For courses outside the school, please refer to the Schedule of Classes at the UMD Office of the Registrar.
Year 1
Semester 1
- HISP 600 History, Theory, and Practice of Historic Preservation (3)
- HISP 611 Historical Research Methods (3)
- HISP 655 American Vernacular Architecture and Documentation (4)
- HISP 680 Preservation Economics (3)
Semester 2
- HISP 630 Preservation Policy and Planning (3)
- HISP 635 Social and Ethnic Issues in Historic Preservation Practice (3)
- HISP 640 Historic Preservation Law (3)
- HISP 670 Conservation of Historic Places: Historic Materials, Building Systems, and Conservation (3)
Summer Session
- HISP Internship in Historic Preservation (Non-credit Requirement)
- Optional summer coursework is also available
Year 2
Semester 1
- HISP 650 Historic Preservation Studio Workshop (6)
- HISP 710 Final Project in Historic Preservation I (1)
- Elective
Semester 2
Electives
Electives include all HISP course offerings, as well as the following approved courses offered by other departments in the university. Electives not listed below must be approved by an advisor.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION ELECTIVES
HISP 625 Cultural and Heritage Tourism: Issues in Sustainability & Historic Preservation (3)
HISP 629 Independent Study in Historic Preservation (3)
HISP 645 Archaeology and Preservation (3)
HISP 660 Internship in Historic Preservation (3)
HISP 679 Introduction to Measured Drawings for Historic Preservation (3)
AMERICAN STUDIES
AMST603 Current Approaches to American Studies (3)
AMST629L Queer Politics (3)
AMST628C Deviance and Dominance in the Study of the City (3)
AMST628B U.S. Intellectual History of Ideas: Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality (3)
AMST629I Material Culture and Internet Studies (3)
AMST628N Space, Place, and Identity in the Digital Age (3)
AMST628C Critical Interrogations and the Politics of Belonging: The Evolution and Future of Latina/o Studies (3)
AMST629K Gentrification and the Politics of Displacement (3)
AMST629D Race, Class, Material Culture (3)
AMST628B Gender, Work, and Underground/Informal Economies (3)
AMST628Q Laboring Subjects: The Cultural Politics of Work and Labor (3)
AMST629N Comparative Race and Ethnicity (3)
AMST655 Introduction to Museum Scholarship (3)
AMST856 Museum Research Seminar (3)
AMST851 Cultural Landscapes of North America (3)
ANTHROPOLOGY
ANTH611 Anthropology of Immigration and Health (3)
ANTH612 Hypermarginality and Urban Health (3)
ANTH613 Health Disparities in the United States (3)
ANTH615 Advanced Studies in Global Health (3)
ANTH616 Anthropology of Global Violence
ANTH624 Women's Health: Ethnographic Approaches to Reproduction and Politics (3)
ANTH631 Archaeology of Diaspora (3)
ANTH633 Archaeology of Slavery: Classical, Caribbean and North American Contexts (3)
ANTH634 Digital Heritage Preservation (3)
ANTH641 Introduction to Zooarchaeology (3)
ANTH647 Advanced Material Culture Studies in Archaeology (3)
ANTH650 Advanced Studies in Theory and Practice of Environmental Anthropology (3)
ARCHITECTURE
ARCH 420 History of American Architecture (3)
ARCH 428C Selected Topics in Architectural History; City Beautiful Architecture and Urbanism in USA (1-3)
ARCH 428/628R Selected Topics in Architectural History; Digital Heritage Preservation (4)
ARCH 428/628W Selected Topics in Architectural History; Writing Architecture in Practice (3)
ARCH 429 Independent Studies in Architectural History (1-4)
ARCH 434 History of Modern Architecture (3)
ARCH 435 History of Contemporary Architecture (3)
ARCH 436 History of Islamic Architecture (3)
ARCH 460 Site Analysis and Design (3)
ARCH 489 Independent Studies in Architectural Preservation (1-4)
ARCH 629 Graduate Independent Studies in Architectural History (1-4)
ARCH 635 Seminar in the History of Modern Architecture
ARCH 654 Urban Development and Design Theory (3)
ARCH 674 Seminar in Regionalism (3)
ARCH 678 Adanced Selected Topics in Architecture (1-6)
HISTORY
HIST407 Technology and Social Change in History (3)
HIST456 History of American Culture and Ideas to 1865 (3)
HIST457 History of American Culture and Ideas Since 1865 (3)
HIST467 History of Maryland (3)
HIST600 Historiography (3)
HIST601 Methods in Historical Research (3)
HIST608B General Seminar: American History
HIST608C General Seminar: European History
HIST608E General Seminar: Women’s and Gender History
HIST609 Readings in the History of Science and Technology (3)
HIST648 Readings in Recent American History (3)
HIST668 Readings in American Social History (3)
HIST678 Readings in American Labor History (3)
HIST890 Seminar in American Culture and Ideas (3)
HIST892 Seminar in American Social History (3)
HIST894 Seminar in American Labor History (3)
HIST898 Seminar in Recent American History (3)
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
LARC450 Environmental Resources (3)
LARC451 Sustainable Communities (3)
LARC489 Special Topics in Landscape Architecture (1-4)
URBAN STUDIES & PLANNING
URSP 603 Land Use Planning: Concepts and Techniques (3)
URSP 604 The Planning Process (3)
URSP 605 Planning History and Theory (3)
URSP 606 Microeconomics of Planning Economics (3)
URSP 661 City and Regional Economic Development Planning (3)
URSP 664 Real Estate Development for Planners (3)
URSP 673 Community Development (3)
URSP 688 Special Topics in Urban Studies and Planning (3)
URSP 708 Community Planning Studio (3)
On behalf of the faculty, staff, and students we want to welcome you to the University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. We are happy that you will be joining us and hope that your experience is productive, rewarding, and enjoyable. We have assembled some information to aid you in your transition into our classroom environment. Should you find that there are items that are not addressed, please let us know so that we can help you get the answer to your question as well as include that information for future generations. Feel free to contact us to discuss your concerns.
As you scroll down this page, please click on the topic of interest to you in order to expand the window.
To schedule a meeting with the Program Director contact:
Laura Steeg
Program Assistant
or
Dennis Pogue
Interim Director
Keep up to date on what's happening in the school and be informed about important deadlines by visiting the MAPP calendar.
Prospective Students
The Historic Preservation Program at the University of Maryland responds to the complex needs of the historic preservation profession. It combines a broad reach of advanced individual and collaborative course work with research and practical experience gained through a summer internship. Subjects such as public policy, economic development, historical interpretation and cultural diversity are emphasized alongside traditional preservation topics such as documentation, historical scholarship, preservation planning and design. The goal is to gain knowledge and experience in decision-making, management and conservation. These are tools for preserving material culture for the future while finding better community uses of the built environment in the present.
Through coursework, charrettes, and field trips, preservation students have the opportunity to interact formally and informally with students in the School’s programs, including architecture, real estate, and community planning, and across the university (including history, American studies, anthropology, and landscape architecture) providing exciting cross-fertilization of ideas among scholars of the built environment.
To learn more, please visit our Prospective Students page.
Newly Admitted Students
Now that you received admission to the Master of Historic Preservation Program you are no doubt asking, “What’s next?” We have prepared this checklist for you so that your transition to graduate school is as smooth and effortless as possible. Keep in mind if you encounter problems we’re here to help you. Please reach out to us and we will try to get you the information you need.
New Student Checklist: Pre-Arrival
Below you will find several activities that you will need to engage in prior to arriving in College Park. As soon as you have decided to enroll at the University of Maryland, you should begin to address the items below.
Accept your offer of admission. You can do this by following the information provided to you in the official letter of admission from the Graduate School that was emailed to you. Visit the online applicant portal, select “accept” offer of admission, and make a $300.00 non-refundable deposit. These funds will be applied to your bursar account.
Set up your Directory ID and email address. Your access to University of Maryland email and use of your Directory ID is absolutely essential. Visit http://it.umd.edu/new/student.html to set up your access to these important tools. Your Directory ID and password is used to access University of Maryland resources, such as the registration system (Testudo) and your university email account (email.umd.edu). Please note that your university e-mail account will use your directory id as your email address.
Check and carefully read your email at least three times a week. The School uses University email and the School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation website as the primary means of communication to students. Checking your email infrequently could result in missing important information. You are still responsible for knowing information sent to your university e-mail even if it is not your primary e-mail address.
Find a place to live. Priority for residence hall housing is given to full-time undergraduate students. Graduate students at the University of Maryland can request residence hall housing. However, there are no facilities within the residence hall system exclusively for graduate students or for spouses, partners or family members of students. Information about additional housing options in nearby communities is available from the University's Off-Campus Housing Services and Graduate Student Life staff members. To search for housing options, please start by visiting Off-Campus Housing Services, where an online database can be used to match housing criteria you select, such as type of housing and price range, to currently listed/available rental housing in College Park and surrounding communities.
Apply for financial aid. The Office of Financial Aid assists students with securing federal, state, and institutional financial aid. Early applications are recommended. Visit the Office of Financial Aid website to find out how to apply. Please note: International students are not eligible to apply for financial aid.
Complete immunization requirements. If you have not done so already, turn in the required immunization records to the University Health Center. You can find the required form here. If you have any questions regarding immunization, please call (301) 314-8114.
Graduate Assistantships and Teaching Assistantships. We endeavor to inform applicants to GA and TA positions of the status of their application prior to April 15th. Notification will be via email from the Historic Preservation Program Director. If you receive a GA or TA position, you will be notified of your actual assignment in July. The Director will provide you with a contract outlining your duties and responsibilities. It is important for you to review the contract thoroughly as it is a legal document and when you sign it you are legally bound to the terms outlined therein. Prior to the beginning of the semester there will be a GA and TA orientation conducted by Ms. Monica Herrera, the School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation’s HR representative. Attendance at this meeting is mandatory.
Register for courses. Once you have been accepted and have your University ID number you will be able to register for courses. Students should be familiar with the deadlines for adding and dropping courses. Adjusting class schedules after the deadlines will incur additional financial charges. You can register for classes through Testudo, the site for interactive Web services for students.
We encourage all new graduate students to wait until late June to register for courses. The Historic Preservation Program Assistant, Ruth Davis-Rogers, will prompt you to register when we are ready on our end. Generally, the initial semester of each graduate program is prescribed in the curriculum attached to your letter of admission that was sent to you by the Director of the Historic Preservation Program. Usually the initial semester requires little advising.
Most courses have “blocks” that limit enrollment to Master of Historic Preservation students only. When you are ready to register, you will need to be in touch with Ruth Davis-Rogers so she may remove the “blocks” so that you can register. We recommend that you register within 24-48 hours so that your access to courses is guaranteed.
If you are a dual degree student, you will need to coordinate your registration process with both the Historic Preservation Program Assistant and the other program in which you are enrolled. The Architecture, Planning, and Real Estate programs also have “blocks” associated with their courses that can only be removed by their advising teams.
Architecture
Brian Kelly, Director
Nancy Goslin, Administrative Assistant
Community Planning
Casey Dawkins, PhD, Director
Real Estate Development
Maria Day-Marshall, JD, Director
Gérard Boulin, Administrative Assistant
Apply for a parking permit. Campus parking at the University of Maryland is managed by the Department of Transportation Service (DOTS). Students can purchase permits by the semester or the year through their office or via their website. For students who aren't interested in a regular parking pass, there are some limited meter, hourly parking, and special passes available.
Better yet, sell your car and Metro, bike, and/or walk to school. Save money, improve your health, and help to ensure a greener world for all.
The Washington, DC metropolitan area is home to the comprehensive Metro transportation system. You can plan your trips at (http://www.wmata.com) on MetroRail and/or MetroBus. We are excited that the University of Maryland’s campus in several years’ time will become an active hub of the Purple Line light rail, that is in the final stages of planning.
Zagster (http://zagster.com/mbike/) puts bicycles right at your fingertips. You can choose any of the over 25 stations right in College Park. Have your own bike? Welcome to one of the most rapidly growing bicycle friendly environments in the nation! Bike Washington (http://bikewashington.org) offers insights as to how to get around our growing network of bike friendly trails and rights-of-way.
College Park is a pedestrian friendly campus. If you elect to live close by the campus, you can walk to just about anywhere in a safe and beautiful pedestrian environment.
Pay tuition and fees. The Bursar's Office, located in the Lee Building, is your resource center for checking your balance, paying your bills, receiving refunds, making payment and more. Please note that Paper Bills are not sent to students registered for current or upcoming terms. Log into your Testudo account to view and pay your bill.
New Student Checklist: Post-Arrival
Many of the items below are activities that can only be completed once you’ve settled in area.
Get your university photo ID. Student IDs are required to withdraw books from libraries; ride the UM Shuttle buses; gain admission to most athletic, social, and cultural events; as a UMD prepaid debit card for food establishments and printing services and as a general form of identification on campus. Student IDs are available in the Mitchell Building. To obtain an ID, you must be registered for classes and you must have proof of identity, such as a valid driver’s license or passport.
Final Transcripts. If you applied to the University using an in-progress transcript, please have a final transcript with the degree posted sent to the university. If you failed to turn in these required documents by the start of your first semester, you will be blocked from registering for the next semester.
Immunization Records. If you have not done so already, turn in the required immunization records to the University Health Center. You can find the required form here. If you have any questions regarding immunization, please call (301) 314-8114.
If you fail to turn in these required documents by the start of your first semester, you will be blocked from registering for the next semester.
Get involved! To get involved and be a part of the UMD community, consider joining a student organization, academic student organization, or other group of students/peers.
Current Students
HiPO (Historic Preservation student Organization)
Student-run non-profit organization created by Master's of Historic Preservation students at University of Maryland--College Park to enhance their experience by providing lectures, site visits, and social events.