Outline
Our highly regarded Architectural Conservation MSc programme is more than 50 years old. It is the longest-established graduate historic preservation programme in Scotland or its neighbouring nations. The degree provides an in-depth introduction to the key components of the built heritage, in a programme suitable for students from all backgrounds.
You will form part of the Scottish Centre for Conservation Studies (SCCS), the University’s specialist historic preservation teaching and research unit, and join a community of postgraduate students from all over the world and from a wide range of disciplinary first-degree backgrounds, including architecture, history, planning, engineering and interior design.
The SCCS provides the depth of expertise and resources that ensures the Institute of Historic Building Conservation, Britain’s official organisation for heritage professionals, recognises this programme.
With its blend of medieval, neo-classical and modern architecture, and its unique concentration of national cultural institutions, Edinburgh is the ideal city in which to develop postgraduate skills in historic preservation. You will benefit from learning in a programme based in the heart of the Edinburgh World Heritage Site - and from the wealth of academic and intellectual activities associated with an internationally-renowned university.
Although based within a school of architecture, the programme is taught from first principles, and is suitable for students from any disciplinary background. You will not require any prior learning experience in architecture, design or built-environment studies, and no portfolios are required as part of the application process.
Whether you are approaching the field from an architectural, historical, social or other viewpoint, this programme will guide you through the foundations and challenges of this important means of nurturing cultural identity.
Programme Structure
The Architectural Conservation MSc programme focuses on a wide range of topics – in all cases taking advantage of Edinburgh’s position as a UNESCO World Heritage city, and the physical location of the SCCS in the heart of the World Heritage Site.
In Semester 1, the courses offered cover:
- conservation history, theory, and criticism
- in-depth historical/archaeological analysis of historic buildings
- World Heritage studies.
In Semester 2, the courses offered cover:
- urban conservation and planning
- conservation technology and building pathology
- the history of historic construction techniques.
Following the taught courses, you will research and write a dissertation of around 14,000 to 15,000 words on an aspect of architectural conservation, selected in consultation with teaching staff.
Teaching
Teaching is delivered through a mix of group field projects, seminars, lectures, and site visits. Importantly, the programme does not involve any design project work, and thus there is no need for prior familiarity with design software (CAD etc.). Training is provided for any technical skills required for project work, such as GIS map-based analysis.
In recent years, the programme has been significantly enhanced through the way in which our longstanding in-person teaching has been augmented by additional online lectures and copious electronic literature resources.
Assessment
The programme is assessed through a carefully-balanced mix of assessment methods, tailored to the diverse teaching approaches:
- individual written papers
- group projects
- individual and group presentations
- report writing.
There are no examinations in this programme.
Learning Outcomes
To complete your studies, you must demonstrate your familiarity with:
- The historical and theoretical foundations and challenges of historic preservation, both of individual buildings and urban areas
- The techniques of recording and research
- The technologies of building repair
You will also develop more general practical and intellectual skills, in areas such as:
- project organisation
- historical research
- graphic and oral communication