Historic Preservation Program

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the certificate program intended for?

Students in professional and doctoral degree programs in the College of Architecture and Urban Planning who wish to specialize in Preservation Planning & Design.

Any student accepted to the BLA, MLA, MArch, or MUP programs; anyone accepted to the Interdisciplinary PhD in Urban Design & Planning or to the PhD in the Built Environment.

That is very unlikely.

This is not an official University Extension certificate program; however, local professionals are welcome to take any course at the University of Washington as a non-matriculated student on a space-available basis. See University of Washington Non-Degree Enrollment information for non-matriculated students. If a local professional wished to complete the certificate coursework, we would be happy to advise and assist them in any way we could, and on completion would write a letter asserting that they have completed the certificate curriculum. Please email Neile Graham if you would like to be added to our email list for course and event announcements; we are happy to add anyone interested to this list.

Not formally, no. However, from other programs are more than welcome in our preservation courses, and please email Neile Graham if you would like to be added to our email list for course and event announcements; we are happy to add anyone interested to this list. Additionally, we have a couple of students from outside the College of Architecture who plan to do all the certificate work. For these students we will advise them, assist them in getting into our classes, and when they are have done the coursework and completed a thesis with a preservation component, we will write a letter asserting that they have completed the certificate curriculum.

No, none.

Not before you get here. Once you're here, students in Architecture should take Arch 590, and students in other programs should take UrbDP 585. Please see our curriculum for other required courses.

Yes, if you plan carefully, can handle a full course load every quarter, and don't have other electives you wish to take. However, in practice very few students can do this. On average, certificate students take one extra quarter to complete their degree. Of course, on average all students seem to take one extra quarter to complete their degree, whether they complete a certificate as well or not.

Yes. Many courses overlap with degree requirements, and those that don't will count toward your electives.

Talk to us and find out if there is a substitute available, or if you can take the course the following year.

Talk to Neile Graham, the program coordinator, if you have general questions about course availability, how to fit courses into your degree program, how to request course waivers, etc. Her office is Gould 410L, just off the main Urban Design & Planning Office. Her hours are Monday through Friday 7:30 - 12:30. Her phone is 206-543-5996. She will advise you among the faculty it would be best for you to talk to regarding more academic questions about the discipline, your background, how the certificate will match your interests and your professional ambitions, etc.

Request a waiver. We ask that you write us a brief memo outlining what the course covered and which course you think it is similar to, attaching a copy of the syllabus, your transcripts, your assignments for the course, or some other material that documents what the course covered.

There is a folder full of such information in Neile's office in Gould 410L. If you're on our email list, information about some of these opportunities will be forwarded to you. Please note that most of the deadlines for summer internships are in February and March, so you need to plan early to apply for these.

Usually students' professional degree programs have the largest effect on the kind of jobs they are eligible for after graduation; what the certificate program does is to prepare you for preservation positions within your profession, for example with architecture firms who do some preservation work or who wish to have a specialist on staff, or with public and private agencies that deal with preservation. Several of our graduates have successful careers as private consultants to a variety of clientele. Tracks within the program roughly correspond to National Park Service Professional Qualification Standards.

We have an annual gathering in early October, and you will meet other interested students in your preservation classes. We are happy to provide names of current and former students to applicants interested in learning more about the program.

There is a Statement of Interest form available in Neile's office in Gould 410L. All you have to do is complete the form and return it to her, and you've signed up.

Your thesis must have some kind of preservation component, and it must be chaired by a faculty member from the Preservation Planning & Design Program.

The certificate requires that your chair be on the Preservation Planning & Design Program faculty and your department requires that your chair be on your department's graduate faculty. How do you find out who is on both lists?

1. Go to the Graduate Program's Faculty Locator page, and on the pull-down menu select your home department. Click "find now". This will generate a long list.
2. On this list locate names that also appear on the Preservation Planning & Design faculty.
3. Read the write-ups on the faculty page to see who might be interested in your topic.

We have a list of theses done by preservation students for your perusal. These are all available in the CAUP library, and Neile has several theses in her office for you to look at.

We ask that MArch students submit a copy of their thesis proposal in lieu of taking the thesis prep course required of MUP and MLA students. Additionally, we do check with your thesis chair at graduation to confirm that your thesis is appropriate for the certificate.

An actual piece of paper with an official seal and signatures stating that you having completed the certificate. Completion of the certificate program is recognized by employers as substantial preparation for a career in historic preservation.

If you have a question that you think should be addressed here, please contact Neile.

Student Information Page | Preservation Links | main Program page

Introduction to the Certificate Programs

College of Architecture and Urban Planning | University of Washington