About

Within this environment, the historic preservationist is chartered to care for material culture represented by landscapes and monuments, as well as architecture in both its high styles and vernacular forms. To be effective, a historic preservationist must be able to work within a broad framework. The foundation of this effort is a clear understanding of the project area's history. Knowledge of history, however, must be supported by an understanding of contributing disciplines and, importantly, tempered by sensitivity to the social needs of the local community, which owns the material remnants and memories of that history.

Historic preservation is a multidisciplinary field that cuts across the design fields, the social sciences and the humanities. Preservationists today must grapple with social, historical and cultural issues in order to work with a broad range of professionals in the public, private and nonprofit sectors. In order to achieve this goal the Graduate Program in Historic Preservation at the University of Maryland draws from the fields of American Studies, Anthropology, Architecture, Historic Preservation, History, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Studies and Planning. The program trains preservation professionals who will be familiar with the different disciplines and approaches that make up contemporary preservation practice.