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.
Our Architectural Conservation - MSc programme is over forty years old, making it the longest-established programme of its kind in Scotland or its neighbouring nations.
Students form part of the Scottish Centre for Conservation Studies (SCCS), ECA’s specialist 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.
What you will study
Taking advantage of Edinburgh’s position as a UNESCO World Heritage city, the Architectural Conservation - MSc programme focuses on a wide range of themes including conservation theory, criticism and history; urban conservation; conservation technology; and World Heritage.
The programme comprises six 20-credit taught courses: History and Theory of Conservation, Conservation Technology, Urban Conservation, Building Analysis, World Heritage, and Culture and Performance in the History of Construction. It is assessed through individual papers, group projects and presentations, design exercises, and report writing. It culminates in a supervised 60-credit dissertation of around 14,000-15,000 words on an individually chosen aspect of architectural conservation, with specialist supervision.
Subject to any remaining social distancing restrictions, field trips within Scotland and England (and hopefully overseas) will give the chance to explore conservation issues in other settings.
The benefits of studying in SCCS
As members of the Scottish Centre for Conservation Studies (SCCS), students have access to our annual series of Architectural Conservation Masterclasses, which feature leading national and international figures from a wide spectrum of disciplines. Held mainly online since 2020, and regularly co-hosted with partner organisations, each Masterclass addresses a subject of major significance within architectural conservation or cultural landscape heritage.
As well as the Masterclasses, we also often host and participate in conferences, seminars and exhibitions, including in collaboration with partner organisations.
Find out more about the Scottish Centre for Conservation Studies and our Architectural Conservation Masterclasses.
