Preservation Practices (M.S.)

Cummings School of Architecture

The M.S. in Preservation Practices program at RWU prepares students for careers stewarding the historic built environment through adaptive reuse, cultural resource management, community and environmental planning, and publicly-engaged history. Housed in the Cummings School of Architecture, the program offers students a lively interdisciplinary environment to explore issues of community revitalization, preservation design, and sustaining cultural heritage.

Details

Click to Open

Format

On Campus (Bristol)

Full-time

Part-time

Schedule

Fall or Spring start

Day and evening coursework

Credits Required

34-53 (depending on undergraduate background)

Time Commitment

1 to 2 years

M.S. Preservation Practices

The Master of Science in Preservation Practices engages students in the fundamentals of cultural resource management, from individual sites to large-scale development and infrastructure projects, and of place- and people-based community planning, revitalization, and redevelopment. 

Our Model: Field-Based, Community-Engaged, Interdisciplinary

RWU students participate in the interdisciplinary, team-based work of historic preservation practice through engagement with local municipalities, nonprofits and the private sector on preservation planning and rehabilitation projects through field-based workshops, studios, and a paid internship. Students complete the program with an intensive two-semester sequence of a planning workshop and collaborative studio with design students focused on a major historic rehabilitation or revitalization project. Students may also opt to pursue a thesis under the advisement of program faculty. 

What Will You Learn?

Gropius House

Cultural Resource Management and Planning 

Examine practices for managing and intervening in the historic built environment as part of environmental and urban planning and design practices. Learn how preservation laws and regulations designate, manage, and affect stewardship of the historic built environment at the federal, state, and local levels. 

History of the Built Environment and Cultural Landscape Studies

Gain a strong foundation in the history of the built environment and the dynamics of cultural landscapes through work in the field and in the classroom. Engage in a landscape approach to preservation encompassing consideration of design, technological, historical, and cultural and social significance. Explore the complexity of the historical development of the southern New England region and learn to “read the landscape.”

Rough Point

History, Philosophy, and Ethics of Historic Preservation

Explore changes in the values and ethics of preservation and urban conservation as well as the frameworks for judgements and choices made in preservation projects. Assess practical and ethical issues related to historic preservation such as heritage tourism, governmental and NGO roles, diverse cultural perspectives on the past, and responses to natural disaster and war.

Historic Construction Materials and Methods

Engage with the historic materials, art, and technology of building construction spanning selected culture regions of what is now the United States. Learn how to use historic material to trace the evolution of building activities. 

adaptive reuse and revitalization strategiesHistoric Building Documentation, Evaluation, and Research Methods

Participate in hands-on learning about methods for documenting existing conditions and the historical development of buildings and sites for design, planning, and preservation-related interventions. Learn the skills needed to complete a variety of due diligence and planning documents, including historic structure reports, historic designation or evaluation documentation, and existing conditions reports. 

Adaptive Reuse and Revitalization Strategies

Learn about the planning and financial aspects of preserving and rehabilitating historic buildings, public and private financing strategies, place-based revitalization, and issues of shrinking cities, gentrification, and displacement.

Preservation Practices M.S.

Roger Williams University offers a one- or  two-year Master of Science in  Preservation Practices for students holding a bachelor's degree. Students with a undergraduate degree in historic preservation may apply to the one-year (minimum), 34-credit program. A two-year, 52-credit program is available to qualified students holding a bachelor's degree in other fields.

The mission of the Preservation Practices Program is to prepare students for multidisciplinary careers harnessing the historic and existing built environment to foster a vibrant, healthy, sustainable, and livable present. The MS program focuses on developing a foundation of analytical, technical, and professional skills for practice in the areas of cultural resource management, community planning, and place-based revitalization and redevelopment.

Coursework on the history of the built environment is coupled with applied learning experiences that introduce students to the interdisciplinary, team-based work of historic preservation practice. Applied experience and experiential learning are core components of the curriculum. These are delivered by a series of field-based workshop courses and a required internship undertaken in partnership with nonprofit organizations, government entities, and professional architecture and planning firms. The culminating experience in the MS program is an intensive two-semester sequence of a planning workshop and collaborative studio focused on a major historic rehabilitation or revitalization project. These applied courses happen in collaboration with the SAAHP graduate community of architecture, planning, and historic preservation students. Students wishing to do a traditional thesis in addition to the two-semester planning and design sequence may do so as an elective two-semester sequence under the advisement of SAAHP faculty.

Required


Electives

Five electives required.

Architectural History Survey-Level Elective (One)

Students with undergraduate degrees in architecture, art and architectural history, historic preservation, or related fields may be exempted from the architectural history survey course elective requirement.

Architectural History Seminar Elective (One)

Students with undergraduate degrees in architecture, art and architectural history, historic preservation, or related fields may be exempted from the architectural history seminar course requirement.

Additional Graduate Electives

Choose three (3) to five (5) electives from the following courses. If required, the architectural history lecture and seminar courses fulfill two of the five required electives.

Close

Preservation Practices Graduate Certificate

The Graduate Certificate in Preservation Practices provides students with a foundation in the theory and practice of the conservation of historic buildings, structures, places, and landscapes. Students can choose coursework that addresses cultural resource management, documentation and evaluation, planning, and urban revitalization. Potential areas of employment in which a student could use the skills gained through this certificate include environmental planning, preservation planning, and cultural resource management, and nonprofit advocacy.

Admission External Applicants for the Graduate Certificate in Preservation Practices must hold a bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college or university in order to be eligible for Graduate Certificate Admission. Other admission requirements for external applicants are:

  1. Application Form
  2. Official transcripts for all previous undergraduate and graduate work
  3. All University required fees

Internal applicants who are enrolled in other RWU Graduate Degree Programs may sign up for the Graduate Certificate in Preservation Practices through a Curriculum Declaration Form, and complete a Graduate Degree and a Graduate Certificate program concurrently

Program Requirements

Required Courses (3 courses/7 credits)

Historic Preservation Elective Options (2 courses/6 to 7 credits)

Electives from the menu below:

Close

Preservation Practices, M.S./J.D.

Offered with the School of Law. Full-time enrollment required.

The Joint Juris Doctor (JD)/Master of Science (MS) in Preservation Practices program is designed to provide an accelerated path to a JD degree and an MS in Preservation Practices degree through an electives credit-swapping structure that allows for 9 to 15 credits of JD coursework to count toward the MS degree and 12 to 17 credits of MS in Preservation Practices coursework to count toward the JD degree, depending on whether or not a student has a prior undergraduate degree in historic preservation. Other than changes in allowable electives, which are detailed below, the existing requirements for the JD and MS programs described in the University Catalog and School of Law Catalog remain the same. Students who enter the joint-degree program with an undergraduate degree in historic preservation can potentially complete the joint degree in three years (with winter/ summer coursework) and in four years otherwise.

Three-year Joint JD/MS in Preservation Practices

The joint degree can be completed in three years for students matriculated into the JD and MS programs who also have an undergraduate degree in historic preservation from an accredited National Council for Preservation Education (NCPE) member institution, with the assumption that coursework would need to be taken in the summers and/or winters as well as the normal fall and spring semesters. The School of Law accepts 12-15 credits from the MS program toward the JD and the Cummings School of Architecture accepts 9-12 JD program credits towards the MS for a total of 98-103 combined credits instead of 124 if the degrees were pursued separately.

Four-year Joint JD/MS in Preservation Practices

If a student is not entering the program with an undergraduate degree in historic preservation, it is still possible to complete the joint degree in an accelerated timeframe of four years, with the assumption that coursework would need to be taken in the summers and/or winters as well as the normal fall and spring semesters. The School of Law accepts 15-17 MS program credits towards the JD program and the Cummings School of Architecture accepts 12-15 JD program credits towards the MS program for a total of 109-116 combined credits instead of 143 if the degrees were pursued separately.

Applying to the Joint Juris Doctor/Master of Science in Preservation Practices Program

Each program requires a separate application. Refer to the application requirements for each individual program in the University Catalog and the School of Law Catalog. When applying for the JD and MS programs concurrently the application fee for the MS program will be waived (only the application fee for the JD program is required).

Students who are currently matriculated in the JD program or the 2-year MS program and are in their first year of coursework are eligible to apply to the program in which they are not matriculated for consideration for the Joint JD/MS program. Students who are currently matriculated in the 1-year MS program cannot apply to the Joint JD/ MS program.

Program Requirements

Note:

Applicants applying for the Joint J.D./M.S.H.P. degree must apply to an earn acceptance into the School of Architecture, Art and Historic Preservation and the School of Law separately. Applicants who intend to pursue the Joint degree must so indicate on the application for admission. Submit applications sufficiently in advance of the application deadline to assure adequate processing time at both schools. Applications to each school normally need to be filed simultaneously, even though students will normally only be taking courses in the School of Law for the first year. (This sequence is required due to School of Law prerequisites for electives.) Students who are currently matriculated into the B.S. in Historic Preservation program in the School of Architecture, Art and Historic Preservation must notify the Dean and Program Director by the end the junior year to indicate their intent to enroll in the Joint J.D./M.S.H.P. program, contingent on maintaining a 2.67 average or greater.

Required Courses for the MS

Cummings School of Architecture Electives

School of Law Courses that Satisfy M.S. Degree Elective Requirements (choose 9-15 credits depending on program path):

LAW SCHOOL COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

LAW 622 - Property

LAW 631 - Administrative Law

LAW 637 - Construction Law

LAW 672 - Environmental Law

LAW 674 - Ocean and Coastal Law & Policy

LAW 728 - Human Rights

LAW 743 - Land Use Planning

LAW 756 - Transactional Lawyering: Contract Drafting

LAW 770 - International Law

LAW 806 - Environmental & Land Use Clinical Externship (selected positions)

LAW 815 - Federal Indian Law

LAW 837 - Tribal Courts, Tribal Law, Tribal Government

LSM 802 - Environmental and Land Use Seminar (in conjunction with LAW 806)

LSM 888 - Climate Change Law & Policy

Cummings School of Architecture Courses that Satisfy a Portion of the JD Degree Elective Requirement

(12-17 credits will be applied to JD elective requirements depending on whether the student is matriculated in the three or four-year JD/MS program.)

Required Coursework Sequence for Various Degree Entry Points

  • Students who are not previously matriculated in the JD program or the 2-year MS program and are then matriculated into the Joint JD/MS program take required first-year law courses for the JD program for their first year and thereafter complete another two or three years of mixed law and historic preservation coursework. 
  • Students matriculated into the Joint JD/MS program who have an undergradute degree in historic preservation from an accredited NCPE member institution and are in their first year of the JD program take mixed historic preservation/ law courses for the next two years.
  • Students who are already matriculated in the 2-year MS program and are in their first year of coursework and are then subsequently matriculated into the Joint JD/MS program spend the next year completing the first year course sequence required by the JD program. The final three years thereafter consists of mixed law and historic preservation coursework.

Shared Requirement for M.S. Program Thesis and J.D. Writing Project

The thesis required for the M.S. program satisfies the J.D. program's writing requirement. The student is required to have at least one thesis reader from the School of Law faculty.

Shared Internship/Public Service Requirement

Students who complete the 140-hour internship required of the MS program that focuses on historic preservation and law and incorporates at least 50 hours of non-remunerated activities satisfies the internship requirement of the MS program and the public service requirement of the JD program. (Reimbursement of expenses is allowed.)

Close

Path One provides a continuous sequence from undergraduate to graduate study leading to the Master of Science in Preservation Practices professional degree, for students who have completed Roger Williams University's B.S. in Preservation Studies program. Path One students normally complete this 150-credit sequence in 5 years from the beginning of their undergraduate studies.

Undergraduate Degree Requirements

Required Core

ARCH 101 Foundations of Architecture 

ARCH 281 Architectural Analysis I 

ARCH 325 History of Modern Architecture 

ARCH 327 History of American Architecture, Urbanism, and Landscape 

HIST 100 Making Global History 

MATH 124 Basic Statistics 

PRES 101 Introduction to Preservation Studies 

PRES 320 American Cultural Landscapes 

PRES 331 Historic Construction Materials and Assemblies 

PRES 341 Building and Site Documentation Research Methods 

PRES 421 History and Philosophy of Historic Preservation

Required AMST Courses (Choose One)

AMST 370 Topics in Race, Gender, and Sexuality in America 

AMST 371 Topics in Ethnicity, Class and Region in America

Required HIST 200 Series (Choose Two)

HIST 240 Colonial and Revolutionary America 

HIST 241 Securing the American Republic, 1800-1914 

HIST 242 The United States in the American Century

Required Advanced PRES Elective (Choose One)

ARCH 462 The Villa and the Garden 

PRES 371 Architecture and Preservation Abroad 

PRES 430 Special Topics in Preservation Studies 

PRES 471 Museum Studies 

PRES 572 Preservation Law and Regulation 

PRES 573 Preservation Economics 

PRES 430 Special Topics in Preservation Studies 

PRES 471 Museum Studies 

PRES 572 Preservation Law and Regulation 

PRES 573 Preservation Economics

Graduate Degree Requirements

Core Requirements

ARCH 543 Project Development and Finance 

ARCH 517 Collaborative Revitalization Studio 

PLAN 501 Introduction to Urban and Regional Planning 

PRES 501 Fundamentals of Preservation Practice 

PRES 532 Building Materials and Technology Workshop

Graduate Electives (Choose five)

ARCH 522 Environmental Design Research 

ARCH 524 Evolution of Urban Form 

ARCH 529 History of Landscape Architecture 

ARCH 530 Special Topics in Architecture 

ARCH 577 The Skyscraper 

ARCH 593 Sustainable Paradigms 

ARCH 594 Urban Ecology 

ARCH 561 Landscape Architecture: Theory and Practice 

ARCH 572 Urban Design Theory from the Industrial Revolution to the Present 

ARCH 573 Modernism in the Non-Western World: A Comparative Perspective 

ARCH 574 Regionalism in Architecture 

ARCH 575 Contemporary Asian Architecture & Urbanism 

ARCH 576 Theoretical Origins of Modernism 

PRES 530 Special Topics in Historic Preservation 

PRES 571 Museum Studies 

PRES 572 Preservation Law and Regulation 

PRES 573 Preservation Economics

To read more about our academic offerings, or to view full course descriptions, please refer to our University Catalog.

Path Two

Path Two provides advanced entry to the Master of Science in Preservation Practices degree for students from other universities who have completed a four-year undergraduate degree in Historic Preservation. Individualized placement occurs following an evaluation of the student's undergraduate transcript. Path Two students normally complete a 34-credit, full time sequence over two semesters of study and a summer internship.

Path Three

Path Three provides entry to the Master of Science in Preservation Practices degree for students who have completed a four-year undergraduate degree in fields other than historic preservation. Students normally finish this 53-credit full-time program in two years.

Degree Requirements

Required Core

ARCH 281 Architectural Analysis I 

ARCH 543 Project Development and Finance 

ARCH 517 Collaborative Revitalization Studio 

PLAN 501 Introduction to Urban and Regional Planning 

PRES 501 Fundamentals of Preservation Practice 

PRES 520 American Cultural Landscapes 

PRES 521 History and Philosophy of Historic Preservation 

PRES 531 Historic Construction Materials and Assemblies 

PRES 532 Building Materials and Technology Workshop 

PRES 541 Building and Site Documentation Research Methods

Architectural History Lecture Course (One)

AAH 321 Art and Architecture in the Classical World 

AAH 322 Art and Architecture in the Medieval World 

AAH 323 Art and Architecture in the Islamic World 

AAH 324 Art and Architecture of the Italian Renaissance 

ARCH 325 History of Modern Architecture 

ARCH 327 History of American Architecture, Urbanism, and Landscape

Architectural History Seminar Course (One)

AAH 530 Special Topics in Art + Architectural History 

ARCH 529 History of Landscape Architecture 

ARCH 530 Special Topics in Architecture 

ARCH 573 Modernism in the Non-Western World: A Comparative Perspective 

ARCH 574 Regionalism in Architecture 

ARCH 575 Contemporary Asian Architecture & Urbanism 

ARCH 577 The Skyscraper

Graduate Electives (Choose up to five)

ARCH 522 Environmental Design Research 

ARCH 524 Evolution of Urban Form 

ARCH 529 History of Landscape Architecture 

ARCH 530 Special Topics in Architecture 

ARCH 577 The Skyscraper 

ARCH 593 Sustainable Paradigms 

ARCH 594 Urban Ecology 

ARCH 561 Landscape Architecture: Theory and Practice 

ARCH 572 Urban Design Theory from the Industrial Revolution to the Present 

ARCH 573 Modernism in the Non-Western World: A Comparative Perspective 

ARCH 574 Regionalism in Architecture 

ARCH 575 Contemporary Asian Architecture & Urbanism 

ARCH 576 Theoretical Origins of Modernism 

PRES 530 Special Topics in Historic Preservation 

PRES 571 Museum Studies 

PRES 572 Preservation Law and Regulation 

PRES 573 Preservation Economics

Cultural Resource Survey: Steep Brook - Fall River, MA

Prepared for Fall River Historical Commission in PRES 341/541 Building & Site Documentation and Research Methods

Historic Structures Report: Wind Hill - Bristol, RI

Prepared for Roger Williams University Office of Facilities Management based on work completed in PRES 341/541: Building & Site Documentation and Research Methods

Historic American Building Survey Documentation: Townsend-Greene House - Newport, RI

Prepared for the Newport Restoration Foundation in PRES 341/541 Building & Site Documentation and Research Methods

Adaptive Reuse Feasibility Study: Rochambeau Avenue Fire Station - Providence, RI

Prepared for the Providence Redevelopment Agency in HP 525 Preservation Economics Course

Neighborhood Revitalization Study: Riverside Square - East Providence, RI

Riverside Square Revitalization Assessment in PRES 341/541 Building & Site Documentation and Research Methods

Adaptation Without Loss: Newport’s Point Neighborhood - Newport, RI

Developing Design Solutions and Guidelines for Elevating Historic Buildings in Newport's Point Neighborhood in ARCH 517 Collaborative Revitalization Studio

Reimagining Sacred Spaces: ARCH 517 Collaborative Revitalization Studio - Providence, RI

Sacred Spaces - Preserved, Adapted, Added Onto Rather Than Abandoned in ARCH 517 Collaborative Revitalization Studio

Master's Degree Application Requirements

Applicants to the M.S. Preservation Practices program should submit the following items to the Office of Graduate Admission to be considered for admission. Materials do not have to be submitted together in one package. 

  1. Completed online application form accompanied by the $50 application fee
  2. Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate coursework
  3. Letter of Intent (two double-spaced pages maximum) describing your interest in the Preservation Practices program, relevant past experiences, and career goals
  4. Two letters of recommendation attesting to your potential to succeed in graduate school
  5. Academic writing sample with sources cited employing a conventional style
  6. If your first language is not English, an official report of TOEFL or IELTS results

Certificate Application Requirements

Applicants to the Preservation Practices Graduate Certificate program should submit the following items to the Office of Graduate Admission to be considered for admission. Materials do not have to be submitted together in one package. 

  1. Completed online application form accompanied by the $50 application fee
  2. Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate coursework
  3. Letter of Intent (two double-spaced pages maximum) describing your interest in the Preservation Practices program, relevant past experiences, and career goals
  4. All University required fees

General Information

The Graduate Records Examination (GRE) is not required for admission. International applicants should also read additional requirements for non-U.S. residents.

Where appropriate, documents should be submitted via email to gradadmit@rwu.edu. Any official documents that must be mailed (i.e. transcripts) should be sent directly to:

Office of Graduate Admission
1 Old Ferry Rd.
Bristol, RI 02809

Have questions about the application process? Visit the How to Apply page from the Office of Graduate Admission.

Financial Aid

All accepted Historic Preservation students will be awarded a guaranteed paid assistantship or internship grant through the Career Investment Program. Full-time students will receive $3,000 per year, paid at $18 per hour, and part-time students receive $1,500 per year. Students who fall below full-time status during the year will be pro-rated. 

Meet our faculty

Elaine Stiles

Dr. Elaine Stiles
Associate Professor of Historic Preservation and Program Director

Dr. Ginette Wessel

Dr. Ginette Wessel
Associate Professor of Architecture

Gail Fenske

Dr. Gail Fenske
Professor of Architecture

Alyssa Lozupone

Alyssa Lozupone
Adjunct Professor of Historic Preservation
Alyssa has served as the Newport Restoration Foundation’s Director of Preservation since May 2019. In this role, she oversees the preservation, stewardship, and property management of the non-profit’s 80 historic buildings in Newport, Middletown, and Portsmouth, Rhode Island. She’s held previous positions at the Connecticut State Historic Preservation Office; The Preservation Society of Newport County; and Roger Williams University’s Cummings School of Architecture, where she’s served as an Adjunct Instructor since 2016. Alyssa currently serves on the Board of Directors at Landmark Trust USA (Dummerston, VT) and Preservation Action (Washington, D.C.). She holds an M.S. in Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA) and a B.A. in Cultural and Historic Preservation from Salve Regina University (Newport, RI).

Benjamin Haavik
Adjunct Professor of Historic Preservation
Benjamin Haavik is Team Leader for Property Care at Historic New England, where he is responsible for the maintenance and preservation of the organization’s thirty-eight historic house museums and landscapes. Prior to joining Historic New England in 2004, he was deputy director of the Historic House Trust of New York City where he cared for twenty-four historic sites throughout the five boroughs of New York City. Mr. Haavik started his career at the Fairmount Park Historic Preservation Trust in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after receiving his M.S. in Historic Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania. In 2004, Mr. Haavik was a participant in the Attingham Summer School Program in England. He is a Professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation recognized by his peers as being a highly qualified Architectural Conservator.

John Tschirch
Adjunct Professor of Historic Preservation
John Tschirch is an architectural historian, writer, and teacher. His latest books include America’s Eden: Newport Landscapes through the Ages (2022) and Newport: The Artful City (2020), focused on the history of Newport’s urban plan and streetscapes, which received the Victorian Society of America Book Award in 2021. John received his M.A. (1986) in Architectural History and Historic Preservation from the School of Architecture at the University of Virginia. His thirty-year career in the preservation led him on treks across the globe to study historic landmarks and landscapes from Newport “cottages” and Croatian fortresses to Cotswold villages. He currently teaches courses in the history of ornament and design at Rhode Island School of Design and historic preservation at Roger Williams University, and consults on historic preservation projects. From 1986 to 2013 he served as Director of Education and, later, as Director of Museum Affairs and Architectural Historian for the eleven historic house museums and landscapes of the Preservation Society of Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. He has lectured widely in the U.S. and abroad on architecture, landscapes and historic cities, from the Attingham Conference in London to Yale University’s Mellon Center Seminar on 18th Century French Design and the UNESCO sponsored conference on Architecture and Culture in Buenos Aires.

Marjorie Drew

Historic Preservation on St. Thomas

Marjorie Drew, RWU Class of 2019
Preservation Practices (M.S.)

After 19 years as a respiratory therapist, Marjorie Drew ’19 wanted a change. Graduating with a Master of Science in Historic Preservation from RWU, Drew set out in December of 2019 for a new adventure working as a Historic Preservation Specialist for FEMA in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.

Read full story

Related Programs