Master of Science in Architecture Heritage Conservation

1 Years On Campus Masters Program

University of Arizona

Program Overview

The Master of Science in Architecture (MS.Arch) – Heritage Conservation at the University of Arizona is a STEM-designated, research-focused graduate degree that prepares students to investigate and conserve the built environment through architectural, historical, cultural, archaeological, and materials-based research. It is suited to students from architecture and other academic backgrounds who want to develop specialized expertise in heritage conservation through research methods, archival investigation, technical analysis, and an original master’s project or thesis.

Curriculum Structure

Semester 1: Students establish their research foundation through ARC 597A Architectural Research Methods and ARC 599 MS.Arch Colloquium, while completing 500-level electives that can be selected to support their Heritage Conservation research interests. The research-methods component develops approaches to questions and problems in the built environment, while the colloquium introduces current research, writing, and practice in architecture and related fields.

Semester 2: Students move into ARC 900 Research Seminar, where they develop and execute individual research that can contribute to their eventual thesis or master's project. Additional graduate-level electives allow students to build the theoretical and technical knowledge needed for their selected Heritage Conservation research topic.

Semester 3: The final stage centers on ARC 909 Master's Report or ARC 910 Master's Thesis, enabling students to synthesize their research into an original scholarly project. For Heritage Conservation, this research can address preservation of the built environment through perspectives including architecture, anthropology, archaeology, art history, history, landscape architecture, and materials science.

Focus areas: Heritage conservation, preservation of the built environment, architectural history and theory, cultural resources, archival research, materials, historic properties, sustainability, and research-based conservation practice.

Learning outcomes: Students develop skills in theory development, problem characterization, archival research, documentation, technical analysis, research execution, synthesis, and interpretation of the built environment, with Heritage Conservation emphasizing the environmental, cultural, and economic dimensions of preservation.

Professional alignment (accreditation): STEM designation: The MS.Arch is designated as a STEM graduate degree. Professional accreditation: The MS.Arch itself is a research degree rather than the NAAB-accredited professional architecture degree; UArizona identifies the separate M.Arch as its NAAB-accredited professional degree.

Reputation (employability rankings): Most Hired-From: CAPLA reports that its architecture programs, including the B.Arch, M.Arch and MS.Arch, were ranked #8 among public architecture schools in DesignIntelligence's 2019–2021 “Most Hired-From” ranking. The university also reports QS recognition based partly on employer reputation and graduate employability, although this is a university-level rather than MS.Arch-specific ranking.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The MS in Architecture – Heritage Conservation at the University of Arizona is built around applied research, allowing students to develop practical skills in archival research, documentation, fabrication, digital design, analysis, and the investigation of the built environment. The MS.Arch begins with a common foundation in research methods and then develops an individual research project through a research seminar, culminating in an original master’s project or thesis; the Heritage Conservation concentration is supported by faculty expertise and the distinctive cultural and architectural resources of the Sonoran Desert.

Students can apply these research and technical skills through the program’s specialized facilities and resources:

Heritage Conservation Research: The Heritage Conservation concentration develops skills in archival research, documentation, and recording of historic buildings, sites, districts, and landscapes, connecting research methods with practical preservation work.
Research Projects & Thesis: Students establish an individual research project after the common research-methods foundation and complete an original master’s project or thesis, providing substantial experience in independent architectural research.
Southwestern Field Context: The Desert Southwest provides a distinctive laboratory for heritage conservation, with the region offering diverse cultures, architectural styles, and landscapes for investigation. The university also identifies access to federal heritage conservation and historic preservation projects through the Desert Southwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit.
Materials Lab: The Fred R. & Olga K. Pace Materials Lab provides a 9,000-square-foot professional-quality environment for exploring, modeling, fabricating, and testing design ideas using wood, metal, concrete, ceramics, glass, and other materials.
Digital Fabrication: CAPLA’s Materials Labs include CNC tools, robotics, laser equipment, 3D printers, and woodworking tools, supporting both digital and analog fabrication work.
Model Lab: The Model Lab provides students with access to woodworking tools, laser cutters, and 3D printers, with 24/7 access available after completing the required safety requirements.
Digital & Technical Research: The MS.Arch curriculum specifically develops technical skills in materials, archival research, fabrication, digital design, instrumentation, simulation, and analysis, giving Heritage Conservation students a research-oriented technical foundation.
Computer Facilities: CAPLA provides state-of-the-art computer facilities as part of the academic environment supporting its architecture programs and applied research.
Collaborative Studio Environment: CAPLA describes its School of Architecture as a creative, collaborative, and engaged studio/lab community, while student organizations facilitate cross-disciplinary activities, service projects, professional events, and local projects.
Heritage Conservation Faculty: Students receive program-specific academic guidance from faculty such as Clare Robinson, Associate Professor of Architecture and MS Arch Faculty Advisor for the Heritage Conservation concentration, whose expertise includes heritage conservation, architectural history and theory, and urban design.
Drachman Institute: CAPLA’s Drachman Institute supports interdisciplinary research on the built environment and community-focused work, creating opportunities to connect architectural research with broader built-environment issues.

Progression & Future Opportunities

The MS Architecture with a Heritage Conservation concentration is designed for students seeking research-oriented careers involving historic preservation, cultural resources, and the built environment. Graduates can apply their specialized design-research expertise in architecture firms, building-related organizations, and historic preservation settings, including national and state parks; the program also supports internships, externships, professional-practice preparation, and connections with professionals in the Tucson community.

Career opportunities: Architecture research specialist, historic preservation specialist, architectural researcher, cultural-resource/historic-preservation professional.

Career preparation: CAPLA encourages MS Architecture students to participate in internships and externships, while professional practice and communications courses and CAPLA’s Job Interview Fair provide preparation for entering the profession.
Professional connections: Students can access professional, entrepreneurial, and technological resources across the University of Arizona and the Tucson community. CAPLA faculty and students are also active in the Arizona/Tucson chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council, providing professional connections and resources related to sustainable design and research.
Heritage conservation expertise: The Heritage Conservation concentration is supported by faculty expertise in architectural design, campus architecture, heritage conservation, and architectural history and theory; Clare Robinson serves as the MS Architecture faculty advisor for Heritage Conservation.
Employment outcomes: The University of Arizona states that MS Architecture graduates are readily placed in their areas of expertise, including architecture firms, building technology manufacturers, general contracting firms, and national/state/provincial parks. The university does not publish a separate MS Architecture Heritage Conservation employment rate or salary figure on the official program pages reviewed.
Salary information: A program-specific graduate salary figure is not stated on the official MS Architecture career-outlook page, so no separate salary number is provided.
Research progression: The MS Architecture is a STEM-designated graduate degree focused on applied research in architecture and the built environment, with students developing an individual research project culminating in an original master's project or thesis.
Long-term professional value: Unlike the University of Arizona’s M.Arch, which is explicitly described as NAAB-accredited, the MS Architecture is presented by CAPLA as a research degree rather than a professional architecture licensure degree. Therefore, students seeking architectural licensure should distinguish the MS Architecture from the NAAB-accredited M.Arch pathway.
Additional specialization: After the MS Architecture, students can continue developing expertise through CAPLA’s Graduate Certificate in Heritage Conservation, which focuses on historic preservation and heritage conservation of the built environment and can also be combined with graduate degrees.

Further Academic Progression: Graduates can pursue further research or doctoral-level study in architecture, architectural history, heritage conservation, preservation, planning, or related built-environment disciplines. Within the University of Arizona, students can also pursue the Master of Architecture/Master of Science in Architecture Dual Degree when seeking both the NAAB-accredited professional architecture qualification and a research specialization such as Heritage Conservation.