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Historic Preservation

Types of Degrees Historic Preservation Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Historic Preservation can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	9
Associate’s Degree	7
Bachelor’s Degree	93
Master’s Degree	338
Doctor’s Degree	3

What Historic Preservation Majors Need to Know

Studies in Historic Preservation emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Historic Preservation graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Historic Preservation emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a Historic Preservation program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Historic Preservation careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Historic Preservation graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Processing Information	4.1 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Historic Preservation professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
FileMaker Pro	Data base user interface and query software	—
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Extensible markup language XML	Enterprise application integration software	—
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Historic Preservation graduates include:

• Registrar
• Processing Archivist
• Project Archivist
• Digitization Assistant
• Archives Technician (Archives Tech)
• Document Management Technician (Document Management Tech)
• Digital Asset Archivist
• Document Scanner
• Film Archivist
• Reference Archivist
• Records Clerk
• Digital Archivist
• Records Manager
• Records Associate
• Archivist

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Historic Preservation graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	52.0%
Bachelor’s degree	21.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	7.2%
Doctoral degree	6.4%
Post-master’s certificate	3.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.4%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.2%
Postsecondary certificate	2.1%
Some college courses	1.7%
Post-doctoral training	0.4%
Less than a high school diploma	0.3%
First professional degree	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Historic Preservation?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 69.6% of Historic Preservation degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	313	69.6%
Men	137	30.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Historic Preservation graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	319	70.9%
Asian	7	1.6%
Hispanic or Latino	35	7.8%
Black or African American	14	3.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	9	2.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.2%
Two or More Races	20	4.4%
Race Unknown	9	2.0%
International Students	36	8.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Historic Preservation Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Historic Preservation graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$44,600
4 years	$46,364
5 years	$52,542

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $52,542 — roughly 18% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Historic Preservation Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Historic Preservation. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	4	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Historic Preservation Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Historic Preservation graduates earn a median of $46,364 four years after completion — roughly 22% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Multi Interdisciplinary Studies	30
Accounting and Computer Science	30.16
Anthrozoology	30.34
Behavioral Sciences	30.17
Biological and Physical Sciences	30.01
Biopsychology	30.10
Classical and Ancient Studies	30.22
Climate Science	30.35
Cognitive Science	30.25
Computational Science	30.30
Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature	30.36
Cultural Studies/Critical Theory and Analysis	30.26

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.