Ph.D. in Historic Preservation

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.

As a doctoral program, it 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. Candidates are expected to conduct independent research with support from the preservation faculty’s wide range of expertise, the Historic Preservation Laboratory, the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, and the rest of the scholarly community at GSAPP and Columbia University, more broadly.

The total time to complete the PhD is expected to be five years. The curriculum requires two years of coursework, one year to prepare and take general exams, and two years for independent research and writing. The Ph.D. 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 Ph.D. 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).

All students entering the PhD program in Historic Preservation receive two Residence Units of Advanced Standing, having entered with a master’s degree in historic preservation or a related field. As such, students must complete the M.Phil. degree within three years from initial registration and the Ph.D. within eight years from initial registration.

All students are expected to meet the requirements of Satisfactory Academic Progress as stipulated by the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Renewal of student funding packages each year is dependent upon their maintaining good academic and administrative standing.

Students’ multi-year fellowships include participation in the Ph.D. in Historic Preservation program’s professional apprenticeship, which includes teaching responsibilities in the second and third years of the program. The faculty regard these experiences as a vital part of students’ education.

Students must demonstrate reading proficiency in one language other than English. Language proficiency courses and exams are administered by relevant GSAS departments. GSAPP will pay for up to two language courses taken during the summer at Columbia if taken as preparation for the required language examinations or if needed due to the country/region of the student’s specialization. Note that the GSAS policies regarding Summer Tuition Credit apply.

After successfully completing the qualifying examination, each student defends his or her dissertation proposal before a faculty committee, composed of the student’s dissertation adviser, who must be on the list of approved Historic Preservation Doctoral Dissertation Advisors, and two other readers, at least one of whom should be from the list of Historic Preservation dissertation advisors or associated faculty. Defense of the dissertation prospectus must take place before the end of the sixth semester.

The student will then be free to pursue the research topic independently, in ongoing consultation with the dissertation adviser. Since all students come into the program with Advanced Standing, students must complete the dissertation within eight years of entering the program, approved Leaves of Absence notwithstanding.

The dissertation must be submitted four weeks before the dissertation defense. A copy is to be provided for each member of the examining committee. This committee consists of five people, at least three of whom are approved as a dissertation advisor in Historic Preservation or the associated faculty. At least one member of the committee must be from outside GSAPP. The student is granted the Ph.D. upon defending the dissertation successfully and depositing the final copy in accordance with University regulations.

For more information on the Ph.D. dissertation, refer to the GSAS Dissertation Toolkit.

• For information on Ph.D. student employee compensation and benefits, click here.
• For information on available resources for parents, click here.
• For more information on the GSAPP PhD Travel, Conference, and Exhibition Participation Support program, click here.
• For more information on the GSAPP PhD Language Study Support program, click here.