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Historic Preservation & Conservation

Types of Degrees Historic Preservation & Conservation Majors Are Earning

Those studying Historic Preservation & Conservation can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	9
Associate’s Degree	4
Bachelor’s Degree	91
Master’s Degree	270
Doctor’s Degree	2

What Historic Preservation & Conservation Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

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

• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set built by a Historic Preservation & Conservation program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Information Ordering — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

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

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

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Historic Preservation & Conservation graduates include:

• University Archivist
• Digital Archivist
• Registrar
• Digital Asset Archivist
• Records Associate
• Digitization Assistant
• Processing Archivist
• Document Scanner
• Archives Technician (Archives Tech)
• Accessioning Archivist
• Project Archivist
• Museum Archivist
• Records Management Specialist
• State Archivist
• Records Specialist

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	57.9%
Bachelor’s degree	18.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	10.2%
Post-master’s certificate	4.0%
Postsecondary certificate	2.3%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.1%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.1%
Some college courses	1.9%
Less than a high school diploma	0.3%
Doctoral degree	0.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Historic Preservation & Conservation?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 69.9% of Historic Preservation & Conservation degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	263	69.9%
Men	113	30.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	275	73.1%
Asian	6	1.6%
Hispanic or Latino	31	8.2%
Black or African American	8	2.1%
Two or More Races	14	3.7%
Race Unknown	7	1.9%
International Students	35	9.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Historic Preservation & Conservation Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Historic Preservation & Conservation graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb 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 & Conservation Programs

Fully online options are documented by IPEDS for Historic Preservation & Conservation. 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	2	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 & Conservation Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Historic Preservation & Conservation 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
Historic Preservation and Conservation	30.12
Cultural Resource Management and Policy Analysis	30.1202
Historic Preservation and Conservation, Other	30.1299
Digital Humanities and Textual Studies, General	30.5201
Digital Humanities	30.5202
Maritime Studies	30.2901
Museology/Museum Studies	30.1401
Textual Studies	30.5203
Ancient Studies/Civilization	30.2201
Anthrozoology	30.3401

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.