Preserve the past as you build your future. You’ll do that here.

A historic preservation degree provides you with experience in the field while also gaining a broad-based understanding of the larger field of public history. In addition to core classes in the preservation of the built environment, students take breadth requirement courses in various aspects of public history, such as museums, historic sites, and archives.

What You’ll Do

As a historic preservation student at Southeast, you’ll gain incredible real-world learning experience in the only undergraduate historic preservation program in Missouri certified by the National Council for Historic Preservation Education.

  • Work with exceptional faculty who have expertise in museums, historic sites, archives, architectural history, the National Register of Historic Places, and the preservation of the built environment.
  • Develop your own expertise in conducting local history research for museums, historic sites, and preservation organizations.
  • Prepare draft nominations for the National Register of Historic Places.
  • Conduct historic resource surveys for the Cape Girardeau Historic Preservation Commission.
  • Participate in a two-week summer field school studying French Colonial architecture and historic site administration in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri. 

What Can You Do with a Historic Preservation Degree?

At Southeast, a historic preservation degree prepares you for a career and we ensure you have experience on your resume before you even graduate. We have amazing success stories to prove it. Our students gained incredible internships and our alumni are preserving our history at some of the world’s most impressive historic sites and museums:

  • Luther Center in Wittenberg, Germany
  • Shropshire Archives, Shrewsbury, England
  • Shiloh National Military Park
  • Eisenhower National Historic Site
  • Marine Corps University Research Center
  • Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation
  • The Library of Congress
  • Smithsonian Museum
  • Holocaust Museum
  • National Archives, St. Louis
  • Gettysburg National Military Park

More Employment Opportunities of Recent Graduates

  • Architectural Historian, Terracon (Denver)
  • Archivist, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
  • Conner Prairie Interactive History Park
  • Curator, Blount Mansion, Knoxville, TN
  • Curatorial Coordinator, Indianapolis Museum of Art
  • Exhibits SpecialistArchitect of the Capitol
  • Registrar, Museum of Osteopathic Medicine
  • Interpreter, Lincoln Home National Historic Park

Graduate School and Program Opportunities of Recent Graduates

  • University of Pennsylvania
  • Cornell University
  • University of Kansas
  • University of Massachusetts, Amherst
  • Ball State University
  • University of Kentucky
  • Middle Tennessee State University
  • St. Louis University
  • Savannah College of Art and Design

Historic Preservation (BS) Degree Map

Explore the courses you'll need to complete your degree.

Outcomes & Careers

  • 85%

    Successful Outcomes Rate

    Students graduating with degrees from the Department of History and Anthropology report being employed or furthering their education six months after graduation.

  • $57k

    Archivist

    According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the mean annual salary for archivist is $57,500.

  • $59k

    Curator

    According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the mean annual salary for a curator is $59,130.

  • $69k

    Historian

    According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the mean annual salary for a historian is $68,690.

What You'll Study

Degree Map

As a historic preservation major, you’ll learn to analyze and document the built environment through course work and unique hands-on learning opportunities. You’ll complete a minimum of 120 credit hours to complete this degree, including the general education requirements and at least 39 senior division hours.

Required Courses

  • GH315 Historiography (3) 
  • HP007 Professional Portfolio Review (0) 
  • HP100 Introduction to Historic Preservation (3) 
  • HP200 Introduction to Techniques of Local History (3) 
  • HP450 Problems in Historic Preservation (3) 
  • HP585 History of American Architecture (3) 
  • HP588 Legal and Economic Principles of Historic Preservation (3) 
  • US105 American History I (3) 
  • US107 American History II (3) 

Public History Breadth Requirement:

Choose 6 hours from:
  • HP405 Archives and Special Collections Studies (3) 
  • HP410 Museum Studies (3) 
  • HP420 Historic Site Administration (3) 

History Breadth Requirement:

  • 9 hours of EH, GH, US, WH 200-500 level or approved departmental UI courses, of which 3 hours MUST be 400-500 level. 

HP Electives: Choose 9 hours

  • HP540 Topics in Historic Preservation (3) 
  • HP552 Historic Preservation Field School (3) 
  • HP575 Collections Management (3) 
  • HP580 History of American Building Materials and Techniques (3) 
  • HP589 Historic Preservation-Based Economic Revitalization (3) 
Students may also choose an HP topics course or an additional HP Breadth Requirement course

Internship: 9 hours

  • HP500 Historic Preservation Internship I (3) 
  • HP501 Historic Preservation Internship II (6) 
  • HP502 Historic Preservation Internship III (9) 

Choose 6 hours:

  • AG440 Precision Agriculture (3) 
  • AN181 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (3) 
  • AN182 Introduction to Archaeology (3) 
  • AN382 Archaeology: Method and Theory (3) 
  • AR284 Photography Fundamentals (3) 
  • CM126 Computer Assisted Drafting (3) 
  • DS104 Exploring Interior Design (3) 
  • DS220 Design Communications (3) 
  • IU314 GeoInfo Science Today (3) 
  • MG301 Principles of Management (3) 
  • MK301 Principles of Marketing (3) 
  • TH101 Acting for Non-Majors (3) 
  • UI351 Public Opinion (3) 
Choose 3 hours:
  • AH511 American Art (3) 
  • DS206 History of Interiors II (3) 
  • IU306 Perspectives of Urban Design (3) 
  • TH351 Costume Design I (3) 
  • TH395 Period and Style (3) 
  • UI337 Issues in Modern Architecture (3) 
  • UI339 North American Indians (3) 
  • UI340 Housing Perspectives (3) 
  • UI341 Victorian Studies (3) 
  • UI401 American Cultural Landscapes (3) 
  • UI446 Civil Rights Movement (3) 
  • UI508 African Americans During Segregation and Jim Crowe (3) 
  • US360 Women in American History (3) 
  • US420 African Americans During Slavery (3) 
  • US524 American Rural History (3) 
  • US525 American Urban History (3) 
  • US530 African American Experience (3) 
Additional Requirements - 3 hours in the history of the designed environment:
  • AN182 Introduction to Archaeology (3) 
  • AN382 Archaeology: Method and Theory (3) 
  • DS206 History of Interiors II (3) 
  • GG180 Cultural Geography (3) 
  • IU306 Perspectives of Urban Design (3) 
  • HP552 Historic Preservation Field School (3) 
  • HP580 History of American Building Materials and Techniques (3) 
  • HP589 Historic Preservation Based Economic Revitalization (3) 
  • OS120 Introduction to Urban Studies (3) 
  • UI337 Issues in Modern Architecture (3) 
  • UI340 Housing Perspectives (3) 
  • UI401 American Cultural Landscapes (3) 

Some requirements may be fulfilled by coursework in major program.

  • Social and Behavioral Sciences – 6 hours
  • Constitution Requirement – 3 hours
  • Written Communication – 6 hours
  • Oral Communication – 3 hours
  • Natural Sciences – 7 hours (from two disciplines, one to include a lab)
  • Mathematics – 3 hours
  • Humanities & Fine Arts – 9 hours (from at least two disciplines)
  • Additional requirements – 5 hours (to include UI100 for native students)
  • Civics examination

Freshman Year    

Fall Semester (13 Hours)     
  • UI100 (1)
  • EN100 (3)
  • HP100 (3)
  • US105 (3)
  • General Education (3)
Spring Semester (15 Hours)     
  • HP200 (3)
  • US107 (3)
  • General Education (3)
  • General Education (3)
  • General Education (3)

Sophomore Year    

Fall Semester (15 Hours)  
  • Group A Interdiscip Skills (3)
  • General Education (3)
  • General Education (3) 
  • General Education (3)
  • General Education (3)
Spring Semester (15 Hours)    
  • GH315 (3)
  • Group A Interdiscip Skills (3)
  • General Education (3)
  • General Education (3) 
  • General Education (3)

Junior Year    

Fall Semester (14 Hours)    
  • EH/GH/US/WH200-599 (3)
  • HP410 or HP420 (3)
  • HP Elective (3)
  • Elective (3)
  • Elective (2)
Spring Semester (15 Hours)     
  • HP405 or elective (3) 
  • HP450 (3)
  • HP Elective (3)
  • Group B Cultural Perspective (3)
  • Elective (3)
Summer Internship (9 Hours)
  • HP500/501/502 (9)

Senior Year    

Fall Semester (12 Hours)     
  • EH/GH/US/WH200-599 (3) 
  • HP410/HP420 or Elective (3)
  • HP585 (3)
  • Elective (3)
Spring Semester (12 Hours)  
  • EH/GH/US/WH200-599 (3) 
  • HP007 (0)
  • HP588 (3)
  • HP Elective (3)
  • Elective (3)

NOTE: summer field school is an option; meets HP Elective requirement. 

Degree requirements for all students: a minimum of 120 credit hours, completion of the General Education program, and completion of 39 senior division hours (300-599). Refer to the Undergraduate Bulletin or Degree Works for additional graduation requirements for your program. 

A minimum 2.0 GPA in the major and overall are required to graduate with a BS degree. 

Become a Redhawk.

Do more than dream about the future. Take the first steps to make it all happen.

Accelerated Master’s Degree

Southeast offers an accelerated master’s degree for current students. You can get both undergraduate and graduate credit for some 500 level courses, meaning you can graduate with a master's degree sooner.

Alumna

"The program is very hands-on and you really learn practical skills as opposed to just sitting and listening to lecture after lecture. The professors are passionate about what they teach, and you leave the classroom genuinely feeling like you learned something that you will carry forward with you in life."

Kelsey Barnett

Kelsey Barnett, wearing a blue shirt, khaki pants, and a hat, smiles beside the sign for the Eisenhower National Historic Site.

Getting the Job

Your education is just one piece to launching an extraordinary career. Once you’ve mastered the material, you still have to find the job you want, make the right connections, sell your knowledge and experience—and if all this is giving you anxiety, don’t panic. SEMO’s Career Services office is here to help you with the next step. They’ll provide the expertise and support you need, so you’re landing your dream job in no time.

Location
Office Location
Carnahan Hall 311E
Mailing Location
One University Plaza, MS 2960
Cape Girardeau, Missouri 63701