MSc in Historic Conservation

Gain the expertise to shape the future through the buildings and places we value from the past.

This course puts you at the centre of historic conservation practice. You’ll be introduced to fundamental concepts and techniques and taught by leading experts from across the field.

Topics of study include:

• History of architecture and the built environment
• Analysis and recording of historic sites
• Legal and policy frameworks
• Conservation techniques for traditional and modern structures
• Financial analysis.

Throughout the course, you’ll be challenged to think critically and holistically and supported to develop an intelligent, professional approach. Regular field trips and hands-on workshops let you apply your learning to current practice while building your experience and networks.

Teaching is delivered jointly by Oxford Brookes and the University of Oxford, combining the internationally renowned research and teaching expertise of the two institutions.

Study modules

Compulsory modules

• Historical Studies I and II (40 credits)
  Two linked modules were taught in consecutive semesters. How did our present stock of historic buildings and sites come into existence? what social, political, economic and artistic factors influenced their initial construction and subsequent alteration? The first module concentrates on the medieval period and provides an introduction to the evolution of the landscape and the major elements of architectural history in England up to the sixteenth century. The second module continues the narrative from the sixteenth century up to the present day.
• Building Construction and Repair (20 credits)
  What are historic buildings made of, what keeps them standing, and how can their physical substance be preserved and/or renewed? This module examines the properties, decay and repair of traditional and modern materials, as well as structural principles, environmental factors and the introduction of new fabric and services into historic structures.
• Historic Building Analysis and Recording (20 credits)
  How can we 'read' the history of a building, and how can we best communicate our understanding by visual and written means? This is a skill-based module that helps you to analyse the special architectural and historical characteristics of a particular site, building or group of buildings, and to develop techniques for the representation of these characteristics through archival research, measurement, drawing and recording.
• Conservation Economics (10 credits)
  Who pays for the conservation of the historic environment, and how and why do they do it? An initial overview, setting the built heritage in the context of cultural economics more generally, is followed by a series of classes given by outside speakers, each an expert on some aspect of conservation finance. Topics covered include project costing, development appraisal, third-party funding and the relevant aspects of the property market.
• Design for Conservation (20 credits)
  How far, and in what ways, should an understanding of the historic environment inform current design decisions? This module enables you to analyse historic townscapes, understand basic principles of urban design and formulate design guidance and codes for sensitive historic areas. You will acquire skills in the critical appraisal of existing or proposed buildings, preparing design briefs for sites in historic areas and presenting design concepts.
• Conservation and Regeneration: Theory law and practice (20 credits)
• Research Methods in Design (10 credits)
  This module provides a critical overview of research methods and skills relevant to investigative work in conservation and design.
• Historic Conservation: Dissertation (50 credits)
  What is historic conservation? how, when and where did it originate? why do we do it, and how might we do it differently? This module examines the structure of concepts, values, principles, narratives, institutions and procedures upon which our current practice rests. Beginning with a historical overview that relates the emergence of the conservation agenda to developments in other fields of culture, it proceeds to analyse the dominant legal and institutional frameworks through which that agenda is pursued, both in the UK and further afield.

Final project

• Dissertation
  This involves an individual research study of 15,000-20,000 words, on a conservation-related topic to be agreed upon between you and your supervisor.

Learning and teaching

Our teaching and learning methods reflect the variety of topics and techniques associated with historic conservation. These include:

• lectures
• directed reading
• workshops
• seminars
• practical and project work.

Most modules also include site visits and/or fieldwork. These provide you with direct experience of the practical application of conservation principles.

The course provides an excellent grounding for those wishing to pursue a career in the conservation sector. Our tutors have wide experience in the field, and the broad variety of visiting speakers from national and local government, private practice, the voluntary sector, the law and academia add greatly to this range. We have excellent links with heritage organisations across the country, giving you opportunities for placements and other work experience. Graduates have gone on to work in many different roles across the sector, including:

• central government bodies, eg English Heritage and Historic England
• local government roles, eg conservation and design officer
• charitable organisations, eg the National Trust and the Landmark Trust
• campaign groups, eg Victorian Society and SAVE Britain's Heritage
• private consultancies, eg CgMs and Alan Baxter & Associates.