Historic Preservation and Conservation Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Historic Preservation and Conservation maps to BLS occupations averaging about $82,362, with roughly 3,790 workers nationwide in those roles. Median program completion runs near 59%; median in-state published tuition is about $10,458.
Key Statistics
Historic Preservation and Conservation: what the data shows
Common questions about historic preservation and conservation degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a historic preservation and conservation degree?
A Historic Preservation and Conservation program is classified under NCES CIP 00.3012 in the 00.0030 field family (00.30).
IPEDS counted 450 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of historic preservation and conservation degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 00.30 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Accounting and Computer Science (CIP 00.3016)
- Anthrozoology (CIP 00.3034)
- Behavioral Sciences (CIP 00.3017)
- Biological and Physical Sciences (CIP 00.3001)
- Biopsychology (CIP 00.3010)
- Classical and Ancient Studies (CIP 00.3022)
- Climate Science (CIP 00.3035)
- Cognitive Science (CIP 00.3025)
- Computational Science (CIP 00.3030)
- Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature (CIP 00.3036)
- Cultural Studies/Critical Theory and Analysis (CIP 00.3026)
- Digital Humanities and Textual Studies (CIP 00.3052)
- Dispute Resolution (CIP 00.3028)
- Earth Systems Science (CIP 00.3038)
- Economics and Computer Science (CIP 00.3039)
- Environmental Geosciences (CIP 00.3041)
- Geobiology (CIP 00.3043)
- Geography and Environmental Studies (CIP 00.3044)
- Gerontology (CIP 00.3011)
- History and Language/Literature (CIP 00.3045)
- History and Political Science (CIP 00.3046)
- Holocaust and Related Studies (CIP 00.3021)
- Human Biology (CIP 00.3027)
- Human Computer Interaction (CIP 00.3031)
- Intercultural/Multicultural and Diversity Studies (CIP 00.3023)
- International/Global Studies (CIP 00.3020)
- Linguistics and Anthropology (CIP 00.3047)
- Linguistics and Computer Science (CIP 00.3048)
- Marine Sciences (CIP 00.3032)
- Maritime Studies (CIP 00.3029)
- Mathematical Economics (CIP 00.3049)
- Mathematics and Computer Science (CIP 00.3008)
- Medieval and Renaissance Studies (CIP 00.3013)
- Museology/Museum Studies (CIP 00.3014)
- Natural Sciences (CIP 00.3018)
- Nutrition Sciences (CIP 00.3019)
- Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution (CIP 00.3005)
- Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (CIP 00.3051)
- Science, Technology and Society (CIP 00.3015)
- Sustainability Studies (CIP 00.3033)
- Systems Science and Theory (CIP 00.3006)
How long does it take to get a historic preservation and conservation degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 00.3012 in our file:
- 7 Master's (43.8% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
- 9 Doctorate (56.2% of IPEDS total)—varies by program
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What do you learn in historic preservation and conservation?
O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Complex Problem Solving, Speaking, Writing, Critical Thinking, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.
What degree do you need?
For Conservation Scientists (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a historic preservation and conservation degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Historic Preservation and Conservation to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Conservation Scientists | 25,590 | $67,950 |
| Forestry and Conservation Science Teachers, Postsecondary | 1,310 | $100,830 |
| Forest and Conservation Workers | 5,630 | $43,680 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a historic preservation and conservation degree worth it?
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $10,458 and median net price is $16,874.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Historic Preservation and Conservation and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$10,458 Median In-State Public
$59,804 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Historic Preservation and Conservation majors are, on average, $10,458 for in-state public colleges, and $59,804 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Historic Preservation and Conservation programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
450 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Historic Preservation and Conservation from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Historic Preservation and Conservation.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas A&M University-College Station | TX | 59,099 |
| 2 | The University of Texas at Austin | TX | 42,100 |
| 3 | University of Arizona | AZ | 40,769 |
| 4 | University of Florida | FL | 34,102 |
| 5 | Texas Tech University | TX | 32,446 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Historic Preservation and Conservation programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edgecombe Community College | NC | $2,640 |
| 2 | Colorado Mountain College | CO | $2,700 |
| 3 | College of Southern Nevada | NV | $4,110 |
| 4 | Salt Lake Community College | UT | $4,257 |
| 5 | Salish Kootenai College | MT | $4,311 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Historic Preservation and Conservation programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California State University-San Bernardino | CA | $5,918 |
| 2 | Belmont College | OH | $5,919 |
| 3 | Jefferson Community and Technical College | KY | $6,058 |
| 4 | Snow College | UT | $6,071 |
| 5 | Edgecombe Community College | NC | $6,073 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Historic Preservation and Conservation programs.
Graduation Rates
59.36% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)
57.43% Average Graduation Rate
144 Institutions Reporting
43.88% - 71.16% Interquartile Range
Graduation/completion rates for Historic Preservation and Conservation programs across institutions.
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 00.30 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Accounting and Computer Science CIP 00.3016
- Anthrozoology CIP 00.3034
- Behavioral Sciences CIP 00.3017
- Biological and Physical Sciences CIP 00.3001
- Biopsychology CIP 00.3010
- Classical and Ancient Studies CIP 00.3022
- Climate Science CIP 00.3035
- Cognitive Science CIP 00.3025
- Computational Science CIP 00.3030
- Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature CIP 00.3036
- Cultural Studies/Critical Theory and Analysis CIP 00.3026
- Digital Humanities and Textual Studies CIP 00.3052
- Dispute Resolution CIP 00.3028
- Earth Systems Science CIP 00.3038
- Economics and Computer Science CIP 00.3039
- Environmental Geosciences CIP 00.3041
- Geobiology CIP 00.3043
- Geography and Environmental Studies CIP 00.3044
- Gerontology CIP 00.3011
- History and Language/Literature CIP 00.3045
- History and Political Science CIP 00.3046
- Holocaust and Related Studies CIP 00.3021
- Human Biology CIP 00.3027
- Human Computer Interaction CIP 00.3031
- Intercultural/Multicultural and Diversity Studies CIP 00.3023
- International/Global Studies CIP 00.3020
- Linguistics and Anthropology CIP 00.3047
- Linguistics and Computer Science CIP 00.3048
- Marine Sciences CIP 00.3032
- Maritime Studies CIP 00.3029
- Mathematical Economics CIP 00.3049
- Mathematics and Computer Science CIP 00.3008
- Medieval and Renaissance Studies CIP 00.3013
- Museology/Museum Studies CIP 00.3014
- Natural Sciences CIP 00.3018
- Nutrition Sciences CIP 00.3019
- Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution CIP 00.3005
- Philosophy, Politics, and Economics CIP 00.3051
- Science, Technology and Society CIP 00.3015
- Sustainability Studies CIP 00.3033
- Systems Science and Theory CIP 00.3006
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 00.3012 in the survey year used in our extract (16 total across levels below).
- 7 Master's (43.8% of IPEDS total)
- 9 Doctorate (56.2% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $82,362. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Historic Preservation and Conservation graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Conservation Scientists | $90,227 | 25,590 |
| Forestry and Conservation Science Teachers, Postsecondary | $89,673 | 1,310 |
| Forest and Conservation Workers | $44,912 | 5,630 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$68,226 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Historic Preservation and Conservation majors is $68,226.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Historic Preservation and Conservation majors.
Occupations by Share
3,790 2023 Workforce
The number of Historic Preservation and Conservation graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Historic Preservation and Conservation by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Historic Preservation and Conservation in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Historic Preservation and Conservation.
Age distribution for Historic Preservation and Conservation degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Gender distribution data is not available for this degree program.
Gender distribution of Historic Preservation and Conservation degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Race and ethnicity distribution data is not available for this degree program.
Racial and ethnic distribution of Historic Preservation and Conservation degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Historic Preservation and Conservation are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Historic Preservation and Conservation.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Historic Preservation and Conservation field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Historic Preservation and Conservation majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Historic Preservation and Conservation majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Historic Preservation and Conservation majors.
About
Historic Preservation and Conservation
In 2023, 450 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Historic Preservation and Conservation.
CIP Code
00.3012 - Historic Preservation and Conservation
What the data shows
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $82,362. The largest mapped role by headcount is Conservation Scientists (25,590 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $10,458 in-state at public colleges and $59,804 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.