Doctor of Philosophy in Historic Preservation

The PhD program in Historic Preservation program supports advanced research and development of experimental preservation methods, praxes, theories, histories, policies, materials and technologies of care for historic buildings and the existing built environment writ large. It sponsors ambitious individual doctoral projects that critically engage experimental preservation as the touchstone for generating innovative scholarship into pressing contemporary social needs and environmental challenges. The program is future oriented, encouraging interdisciplinary research projects that bridge between the professions of the built environment, art, technology and data science. The program is housed within GSAPP's Preservation Technology Laboratory, which provides research space, instrumentation, a materials and historic fragments library, and access to a global network of scholarly and research engagements. Doctoral students also benefit from the resources of Avery Library, as well as strong connections to the rest of GSAPP’s scholarly community, and other departments within Columbia University.