Certificate in Historic Preservation

THIS PROGRAM IS CURRENTLY NOT ACCEPTING NEW STUDENTS AS OF SUMMER 2023.

Historic preservation specialists encourage the renovation and re-use of America's built environment:  buildings and bridges, farms and factories, battlefields and business districts, and even entire neighborhoods. Professionals in this fast-growing field find employment with consulting firms or with local, state, or national preservation groups, museums, or government agencies.

Youngstown State University offers a Certificate in Historic Preservation for students at either the undergraduate or graduate level. Classes give students training in historic research skills plus direct experience in real-world preservation tasks.

COURSE TITLE S.H.
Preservation Core Courses
HIST 2605Turning Points in United States History 13
HIST 2606Turning Points in United States History 23
HIST 3715Introduction to Historic Preservation3
HIST 5806American Architectural History 13
HIST 5807American Architectural History 23
HIST 5810Conservation of the Historic Built Environment3
HIST 4811Practicum in Historic Preservation (group project in the community)3
HIST 4812Historic Preservation Internship3
Electives
Select two of the following:6
HIST 3736
History of Ohio
American Material Culture
Urban Geography
Advanced Topics in Archaeology
New World Archaeology: Topics
Global Fashion Economy
Total Semester Hours30

Other courses may be substituted with permission of the department. In addition, hands-on instruction in preservation technology is available through arrangement with nationally renowned Belmont Technical College. Undergraduates may earn the certificate as part of a history major or as a minor supplementing work in a related field such as art history, anthropology, geography, or engineering.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Students will demonstrate the skills necessary for the historian to analyze information and report findings effectively, by recognizing the difference between primary and secondary resources and being able to critically read and analyze their content; by effectively communicating in written and oral media; and by exhibiting satisfactory critical-thinking and synthesis skills. 
  2. Students will demonstrate comprehension of the basic concepts that guide the historian’s work, by understanding: the concepts of historiography and that historical interpretation is not fixed but changes over time; the significance of chronologies and the impact of cause and effect; and the importance and impact of cultural diversity on the past and its relevance in the present. 
  3. Students will demonstrate the ability to translate traditional historical scholarship into media meant primarily for non-academic audiences.