The PhD in Historic Preservation at Columbia GSAPP is seeking candidates with an interest in interrogating public policies and governance related to place-based heritage and the existing built environment, to develop doctoral research addressing the future of the heritage enterprise as an agent of social and environmental change.

We invite candidates who will cultivate a scholarly dialogue across and utilize research methodologies from a range of disciplines, including the social sciences, science and technology, architecture and planning, and the arts and humanities. A deep focus on critically analyzing heritage theory and its policy manifestations in relation to social justice and climate action is highly desirable, as is an orientation toward understanding the systemic implications of preservation, across publics and geographies. The candidate’s proposed preservation research topic may take a number of directions related to heritage policy, such as community engagement and the co-production of knowledge, the decarbonization of the existing built environment, the procedural and distributive justice implications of climate adaptation, land use and housing development, or other.

The ideal candidate for this program should have a background in preservation or heritage studies, proficiency in academic writing and conducting social science research, and a solid understanding of how to integrate historical evidence with a critical perspective on preservation and public policy. Candidates are expected to conduct independent research with support from the preservation faculty’s wide range of expertise, the Preservation Technology Lab, the Natural Materials Lab, the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, and the rest of the scholarly community at GSAPP and Columbia University, more broadly. The program highly encourages academic exchanges with scholars from other institutions, as well as active participation in international conferences and workshops.

The curriculum requires two years of coursework, one year to prepare and take general exams, and two years for independent research and writing. The total time to completion is expected to be five years. Doctoral students customarily receive the annual prevailing stipend and appropriate tuition and health fees for five years. The PhD in Historic Preservation is a program within the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP) while the actual degree is granted by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS).

The deadline for applications is January 8,2026. All applications must be submitted through the online portal of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. For application information and requirements please see the Columbia GSAS website.

The PhD in Historic Preservation was launched in 2017 and is oriented toward the training of future historic preservation scholars. The first of its kind in the United States, the program aims to expand the discipline’s range of intellectual entanglements and cultivate new paradigms for scholarly research, experimental practice, global action, and communication. The doctoral program underscores a historical understanding of the discipline’s evolving challenges and purposes; promotes theoretical speculation on alternative modes of practice suited to deal with the ethical, technical, aesthetic, and social problems of the twenty-first century; and fosters a critical and scholarly culture conducive to preparing the discipline’s next leaders.

The program is housed in the Columbia GSAPP Preservation Technology Lab, which serves teaching and advanced doctoral research on the experimental preservation of built heritage and building materials through a constantly evolving myriad of analogue and digital technologies. As part of this mission, the lab encourages awareness of, and creative approaches to, preservation technology as a means to bring about meaningful cultural, social, political, and ecological change in the built environment. We achieve this by facilitating interdisciplinary postdoctoral, doctoral, and masters level research, hosting visiting scholars and promoting dialogues between leading visual artists, architects, engineers, creative technologists, and scientists.

For more information visit the PhD in Historic Preservation Program webpage.