GSU Heritage Preservation | Program Requirements

Program Requirements

| Master's Program | Certificate Program |

Master of Heritage Preservation - Historic Preservation Track (45-hour program)

The curriculum for the Master's Program in Heritage Preservation requires that students gain a breadth of knowledge in American urban and architectural history, folklore and, in practical historic preservation courses, such as preservation law, conservation of historical building materials, planning, and surveying of historic resources. The program also recognizes that MHP students bring a range of career interests to the program. Therefore, ample opportunities exist to develop each student's unique talents through a variety of electives, individual readings, and research courses.

Students must pass a general oral examination and complete forty-five hours of graduate course work distributed among the following four areas:

Cultural Resources (12 hours)

To gain an overview of the field of heritage preservation, students must take four of the following five courses. Students with undergraduate or graduate backgrounds in one of these disciplines may be exempted by the program director from one or more courses in Area 1.

FOLK 8200: Folklore

HIST 8600: Introduction to Historic Preservation

HIST 8635: U.S. Cities

HIST 8620: Conservation of Historic Building Materials

HIST 8690: American Architectural History

Buildings and Environment (15 hours)

In order to understand the preservation of building interiors, legal, cultural and landscaped environments students will take courses in preservation law, interior design, and landscape architecture as well as courses in preservation planning and public archaeology. Students should select five out of the six courses below.

ANTH 8240: Public Archaeology
HIST 8610: Preservation Law
HIST 8640: Preservation Planning
HIST 8645: Historic Resource Evaluation
HIST 8650: Historic American Landscapes and Gardens
ID 8650: History of Interior Design

Area of Concentration (a minimum of 12 hours)

In order to tailor their programs to such career interests as neighborhood revitalization, preservation administration, research and analysis, restoration finance, or architectural evaluation, students will select appropriate courses from the preservation disciplines represented in the program. Courses may be taken from one or several disciplines and will be selected with the approval of the program director. Below is a list of possible options:

ANTH 6200: Urban Anthropology
ANTH 6480: Ethnographic Analysis
ANTH 6590: Archeological Methods
FOLK 6020: American Folk Crafts
FOLK 8200: Folklore
GEOG 6532: Introduction to GIS
GEOG 6644: Environmental Conservation
GEOG 6760: Cultural Geography
GEOG 6774: Contemporary Urban Theory and Issues
GEOG 8025: Cultural Geography of the United States
HADM 8500: Economic and Cultural Impact of Travel and Tourism
HIST 6320: Metropolitan Atlanta
HIST 6920: Oral History
HIST 6940: Administration and Use of Historical Archives
HIST 8050: Southern Cities
HIST 8060: Seminar in the History of the South
HIST 8600: Introduction to Historic Preservation
HIST 8610: Preservation Law
HIST 8620: Conservation of Historic Building Materials
HIST 8640: Preservation Planning
HIST 8645: Historic Resources Evaluation
HIST 8650: Historic Landscapes and Gardens
HIST 8660: Case Studies in International Preservation
HIST 8710: History and the Public
HIST 8720: Museum Studies
HIST 8840: Seminar in Urban History
PAUS 8021: Urban Policy Planning
PAUS 8211: Nonprofit Management
PAUS 8221: Fundraising for Voluntary Nonprofit Organizations
PAUS 8231: Nonprofit Leadership
PAUS 8241: Marketing in the Nonprofit Sector

Applied Studies (6-9 hours)

In order to gain experience in the practical work of heritage preservation, students will take courses that require research projects and that offer the opportunity to see the operations of preservation organizations. For these purposes, there are internships, directed studies, and thesis options available to students where classroom and seminar knowledge may be applied to actual preservation needs. Students will take the following courses, or appropriate substitutes, approved by the program director. A Master’s thesis may be sustituted for the internship requirement.

HIST 8680: Internship (3-6 hours)
HIST 8700: Case Studies in Historic Preservation

Master of Heritage Preservation - Public History Track (45-hour program)

Historical Foundations (select 5 courses)

To gain an overview of the field of public history, students must take five out of the seven courses listed:

HIST 6920: Oral History
HIST 7010: Issues and Interpretations in American History
HIST 8000: Introduction to Historical Methods and Theory
HIST 8050: Southern Cities
HIST 8060: Seminar in the History of the South
HIST 8635: U.S. Cities
HIST 8710: History and the Public

Professional Concentrations (select 5 courses)

In order to understand the diverse options in the field of history, students will take courses in folk studies, archives, preservation, and museum operations. Students should select five out of the eight courses below:

FOLK 6020: American Folk Crafts
HIST 6940: Administration and Use of Historical Archives
HIST 8640: Preservation Planning
HIST 8600: Historic Preservation
HIST 8700: Case Studies in Historic Preservation
HIST 8720: Museum Studies
HIST 8730: Exhibit Planning and Production
PAUS 8211: Non-profit Management

Electives (3 courses)

In order to tailor their program to career interests, students will select appropriate courses from preservation and public history disciplines represented in the program. Other graduate courses in history or other fields such as documentary film, may be substituted at the discretion of the program director.

ANTH 6480: Ethnographic Analysis
ANTH 8240: Public Archeology
FOLK 6020: American Folk Crafts
FOLK 8200: Folklore
GEOG 6644: Environmental Conservation
GEOG 6760: Cultural Geography
GEOG 8025: Cultural Geography of the United States
HIST 6320: Metropolitan Atlanta
HIST 8050: Southern Cities
HIST 8060: Seminar in the History of the South
HIST 8600: Introduction to Historic Preservation
HIST 8610: Preservation Law
HIST 8620: Conservation of Historic Building Materials
HIST 8640: Preservation Planning
HIST 8645: Historic Resources Evaluation
HIST 8650: Historic Landscapes and Gardens
HIST 8660: Case Studies in International Preservation
HIST 8690: American Architectural History
HIST 8700: Case Studies in Historic Preservation
HIST 8840: Seminar in Urban History
PAUS 8211: Nonprofit Management
PAUS 8221: Fundraising for Voluntary Nonprofit Organizations
PAUS 8231: Nonprofit Leadership
PAUS 8241: Marketing in the Nonprofit Sector

Capstone Courses (2 courses)

In order to gain experience in the practical work of public history, students will take courses that require research projects and that offer the opportunity to see the operations of public history organizations. For these purposes, there are internships, directed studies, and thesis options available to students where classroom and seminar knowledge may be applied to actual preservation needs. Students will take the following courses, or appropriate substitutes, approved by the program director.

HIST 8800: Case Studies in Public History
HIST 8680: Internship

Certificate Program in Heritage Preservation (18-hour program)

The College of Arts and Sciences offers two certificates in heritage preservation, one in historic preservation and the other in public history. The certificate program is open to students who are enrolled in graduate degree programs and in good academic standing at Georgia State University in such programs as history, anthropology, geography, urban studies, public administration, and real estate. Others may apply for the certificate program using the same procedure as that used to apply for the MHP degree, and the same standards will apply. Students accepted into the certificate program will have student standing, with all the attendant responsibilities and privileges.

The certificate in heritage preservation requires completion of 18 hours of course work, to be taken in two or more departments, and successful completion of a general examination. Students must maintain a 3.0 grade-point average in order to receive a certificate. While graduate credit from other institutions may, by petition, be applied toward the certificate, normally not more than six hours will be accepted.

Students must pass a general written examination for both the certificate in historic preservation and for the certificate in public history.

Certificate in Historic Preservation

The required course work is divided into the three following areas; students must take two courses from each area:

1. Preservation Overview. Students must take both courses.

HIST 8600: Introduction to Historic Preservation
HIST 8700: Case Studies in Historic Preservation

2. Cultural Resources. Students must choose two courses.

ANTH 8240: Public Archaeology
HIST 8690: American Architectural History
FOLK 8200: Folklore
GEOG 8025: Seminar in Cultural Geography of the U.S.
HIST 8635: U.S. Cities
HIST 8645: Historic Resource Evaluation

3. Preservation Specialties. Students may choose two of the following courses, or others approved by the director of the program.

HIST 8050: Southern Cities
HIST 6320: Metropolitan Atlanta
HIST 8610: Preservation Law
HIST 8620: Conservation of Historic Building Materials
HIST 8650: Historic American Landscapes and Gardens
HIST 8660: Case Studies in International Preservation
HIST 8640: Preservation Planning

Certificate in Public History

The required course work is divided into the three following areas; students must take two courses from each area:

1. Public History Overview. Students must take both courses.

HIST 8710: History and the Public
HIST 8800: Directed Studies in Public History

2. Historical Foundations. Students must choose two courses.

HIST 6920: Oral History
HIST 6940: Administration and Use of Historical Archives
HIST 7010: Issues and Interpretations in AmericanHistory
HIST 8000: Introduction to Historical Research
HIST 8060: Seminar in History of the South
HIST 8635: U.S. Cities

3. Public History Specialties. Students may choose two of the following courses, or others approved by the director of the
program.

FOLK 6020: American Folk Crafts
HIST 6940: Administration and Use of Historical Archives
HIST 8640: Preservation Planning
HIST 8700: Case Studies in Historic Preservation
HIST 8720: Museum Studies
HIST 8730: Exhibit Planning and Production
HIST 8650: Historic Landscapes and Gardens
HIST 8690: American Architectural History
PAUS 8211: Administration of Nonprofits