The MSc Architectural Conservation degree provides an in-depth introduction to the key components of the built heritage, in a programme suitable for students from all backgrounds.
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 fifty 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), 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.
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, 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.
Although based within a school of architecture, it is taught from first principles, and is suitable for students from any disciplinary background. No specific prior grounding in architecture, design or built-environment studies in required.
Opportunities
Field trips within Scotland and England, and (where possible) overseas, provide the chance to explore conservation issues in other settings.
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. 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.
