College of Charleston: School of the Arts

Bachelor in Historic Preservation and Community Planning

Offered through the Department of Art and Architectural History, this program’s interdisciplinary curriculum gives students the flexibility to take coursework in historic preservation, architectural and urban design, planning, and architectural and urban history.

Major Requirements

Credit Hours: 40+

In addition to completing the requirements for this major, students must also complete the degree requirements specified in the Academic Regulations section of this catalog.

Courses within this major may also satisfy general education requirements. Please consult the Liberal Arts and Sciences General Education Requirements for more information.

Required Courses

• History of American Architecture
• American Vernacular Architecture and Material Culture
• Introduction to Historic Preservation
• Researching Historic Properties
• Digital Methods & Communications for Preservation & Community Planning
• Preservation Planning Studio
• Internship

or

• Archaeology Internship

or

• Field Internship

or

• Practicum
• Urban Planning

or

• Town and Country Planning

or

• Community Planning for Preservationists

Senior Seminar or Bachelor’s Essay

Complete one of the following options:

Option 1 (3 credit hours)

• Senior Seminar

Option 2 (6 credit hours)

• Bachelor’s Essay in Historic Preservation

Option 3 (6 credit hours)

• Bachelor’s Essay

Complete 6 credit hours from the following:

• Introduction to Architecture
• The City as a Work of Art

or

• American Urban History
• The History of Land Design
• Society and Culture of Early Charleston
• History of Land Design
• Building Pathology
• Urban Design Studio
• Architectural Studio Design
• Cultural Landscape Studio
• Preservation Law and Economics

Complete 9 credit hours from the following:

• Introduction to Archaeology
• Archaeology of North America
• Historical Archaeology
• Field School in Archaeology
• Islamic Art and Architecture
• Art and Architecture of South Asia
• Art and Architecture of China
• Art and Architecture of Japan
• Addlestone Seminar on the Arts and Culture of the Lowcountry
• Renaissance and Baroque Architecture
• Roman Public Art and Architecture
• Traditional Design and Preservation in Charleston
• History of American Interiors
• 18th and 19th Century Architecture
• Modern Architecture
• The Architecture of Memory: Museums, Memorials, Monuments
• Drawing I
• Introduction to Film Photography
• Introduction to Classical Archaeology
• Urban Economics
• Reading the Lowcountry Landscape
• Geographical Information Systems
• American Ethnic History: 1607 to the Present
• Native American History
• African American History to 1865
• African American History since 1865
• Women in the United States
• History of South Carolina
• History of South to 1865
• History of South since 1865
• History of Science and Technology
• Colonial America, 1585-1763
• History of the United States: Civil War and Reconstruction, 1845-1877
• History of the United States: Cold War America, 1945 - Present
• Heritage Preservation and Environmental Conservation
• Drawing Charleston 
• Special Topics in Historic Preservation
• Conservation of Historic Materials
• History of American Interiors
• Special Topics in Historic Preservation
• Global Issues in Historic Preservation
• Historic Preservation Law
• Historic Preservation Economics
• Independent Study Historic Preservation
• Current Topics in Hospitality and Tourism Management
• Urbanization and Urban Geography
• Urban Government and Politics
• Principles of Real Estate
• Real Estate Market Analysis
• Introduction to Urban Studies

Note: 

Honors students can take the alternative course of HONS 168 in lieu of ANTH 202.

Notes:

No more than 12 credit hours from HPCP 290 may be applied towards the program requirements.

No more than 12 credit hours from HPCP 340 may be applied towards the program requirements.

No more than 6 credit hours from HPCP 410 may be applied towards the program requirements.

Coursework Meeting Major Requirements Excluded from the Major GPA Calculation

None. All courses that may apply toward completion of course requirements within the major apply toward the major GPA calculation.

Architecture

In the simplest terms, an architect is a licensed professional who designs and organizes spaces, and conceives and plans the construction of buildings, for the purpose of human occupancy or use. Architects may conceive and design offices, houses, skyscrapers, ships, landscapes, and even entire communities.

With the right experience, they are qualified to teach at the secondary level in a college or university setting. They may also assist communities or companies in transition to more sustainable and carbon-neutral living environments through research and philanthropy. They work together with contractors and project managers on construction projects and oversee communication with clients and design teams.

Architects at all levels of experience must also stay up-to-date with design trends, technology, new products, and materials, and constantly work to remain educated about changes within the industry. While traditional competencies like planning, design, rendering and planning remain essential, skills like programming, coding, data mining, and knowing how to build a spreadsheet have become an expected part of a modern architect’s skill set.

Some of the areas of architecture overlap, and some fields stand alone, but all are vital to our society.

• Landscape Architecture
• Industrial Architects
• Commercial or Public Architects
• Residential Design Architects
• Restoration Architects
• Architectural Historians

Urban Design

Urban design can be described as a mix of city planning, landscape design, and architecture. It involves planning and designing nearly every aspect of a city. Some of the things that urban designers incorporate into their plans may include buildings, streets, landscaping, public transportation systems, and public parks.

Part of an urban designer’s job is to make the cities and towns he/she’s working on the look and feel aesthetically pleasing. This can be done by adding or updating public parks and paying special attention to things like landscaping details and street furniture. Street furniture refers to the various items on streets that are placed there for the comfort and convenience of pedestrians. Although most modern urban designers won’t usually help design and plan completely new cities and towns, they will often help improve existing cities and towns. City officials often call upon urban designers when a city’s population increases and the current resources and amenities simply aren’t enough.

Urban designers typically work in large or architecture firms. Real estate developers will also usually work with urban designers as well. In some cases, city governments will also retain individual urban designers also.

Landscape Design

Landscape designers use the environment as their canvas, typically beginning with a blank slate and ending with a functional and beautiful outdoor space for people to enjoy. This profitable career allows you to design landscapes for homes, businesses, parks, and malls.

Service is also important, as landscape designers work closely with clients to develop a design plan specific to that person's wants and needs. Once specific landscape elements are selected, drawing up a plan can be a snap using CAD (computer-aided design) software (although the traditional method of sketching designs with pencil and paper works just as well).

A landscape designer prepares project estimates, designs projects using CAD (computer-aided design) software - or by hand, works with installation crews to achieve total customer satisfaction, and meets with clients at their properties, and manages client accounts.

Building Conservation

Building conservators advise on and promote the conservation of historic buildings, structures, and areas of historic, architectural, or artistic importance and interest. They work to provide long-term treatment and care for buildings and promote the preservation and enhancement of historic structures. They also work in regeneration projects that can result in community, economic, and environmental benefits.

Conservators oftentimes survey historic sites and buildings in order to determine their significance in the community. They assess and recommend buildings and areas for conservation and present conservation issues to planning and development groups locally and nationally. They work to develop policies and strategies for building conservation and provide consultations for homeowners who are seeking to conserve parts or all of their historic structures.

Museum Studies/Interpretation

Museum archivists appraise, process, catalog, and preserve permanent records and historically valuable documents. Curators oversee collections of artworks and historic items and may conduct public service activities for an institution. Museum technicians and conservators prepare and restore objects and documents in museum collections and exhibits.

Archivists authenticate and appraise historical documents and archival materials, preserve and maintain documents and objects, create and manage a system to maintain and preserve electronic records, organize and classify archival records, and safeguard records by creating film and digital copies.

Curators, museum technicians, and conservators typically acquire, store, and exhibit collections, select the theme and design of exhibits, design, organize, and conduct tours and workshops for the public. They also attend meetings and civic events to promote their institution and plan and conduct special research projects.

Museum interpreters provide historical information for museum and gallery exhibit visitors. A Museum Interpreter will assist with marketing and promoting museum and exhibit programs and events, coordinate the activities of volunteers, seasonal staff, interns, and other personnel, engage visitors by designing and giving presentations.

Historic Real Estate

The buying and selling of historic properties require a unique perspective of the historic landscape and the real estate market.

Real Estate Agents act as intermediaries between buyers and sellers, prepare documents like contracts, purchase agreements, closing statements, deeds, and leases, arrange for title searches in order to establish clear property titles, inspect properties and arrange for maintenance if needed, appraise properties, review plans for new construction with clients, and locate and appraise undeveloped areas for building sites. Historic property real estate includes all of these things but from the perspective of preservation.

Students interested in pursuing employment in the real estate market for historic properties should understand the historic preservation tax incentives for property owners. It is also helpful to have research and documentation experience, along with experience in building conservation techniques and the history of the built environment.

Historic Property Management

Historic property management combines preservation maintenance with modern systems management. Learn how to read your building, search for solutions, and then care for the building envelope by maintaining its historic materials. Explore how to balance the environmental needs of the building with its users. Understand the impacts on historic properties of pest management practices and mechanical building systems—HVAC, plumbing, fire, security, and lighting. Discuss how to train in-house staff and when to hire a specialist to identify a problem or a contractor to handle a specific task.

• A seasoned property management professional who proactively addresses property needs efficiently and effectively manages all aspects of maintenance and minor capital improvement projects.
• Focused on customer service and will be sensitive to interpersonal dynamics and relationships with building tenants and users.
• An experienced negotiator of both residential and commercial property leases.
• Organized in order to thoroughly, efficiently, and accurately process invoices, produce reports, collect rent, issue and manage contracts with vendors, consultants, and contractors.
• Able to efficiently and simultaneously focus upon strategic planning and goal setting in addition to the completion of both day-to-day tasks and unexpected emergencies.
• Team-oriented in achieving organizational goals.

Preservation Policy

Students seeking to pursue occupations in preservation law and policy should be familiar with federal and state preservation laws. Policymakers work with federal/state organizations to draft or amend laws pertaining to preservation standards.

National Park Service

Employees of the National Park Service can work in a variety of fields related to preservation, archaeology, and cultural resource management. The National Park Service seeks to answer the questions, “What is important in our history?” and “What parts of our past can we preserve for the future?” Within the Park Service, there are many different roles for preservationists, archaeologists, architects, curators, historians, landscape architects, and cultural resource managers. Roles may include:

• Designating historic sites in the federal, state, and privately-owned property spheres.
• Documenting historic sites through the compilation of site histories, photographs, oral histories, etc.
• Physical preservation of sites, including stabilization, rehabilitation, restoration, and reconstruction.

Preservationists in the National Park Service operate using the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for preservation, archaeology, etc. They should understand how to view cultural landscapes and the built environment through preservation.

Federal/State/Local Government