Careers

CAREER INFORMATION OVERVIEW

CAREER INFORMATION INTERVIEWS

See also the article, “Careers for Historians: Architectural Historians,” from the North Carolina Museum of History.

SURVEY OF PROFESSIONAL CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY

The following information, maintained by the architectural history department, is intended to provide an overview of professional academic careers in architectural history outside academia based on a continuing review of the most recent position announcements in the field and information provided by employers.  Comments or career opportunity information may be sent to Dr. Tom Gensheimer at tgenshei@scad.edu.

The present data was compiled July 2022 from 315 position listings published July 2021 through June 2022.

Trends in Number of Advertised Positions 2000-2022:

Current Distribution of Positions by General Categories of Employment:

Note: The five general categories listed here are described below.

Preservation planning and administration: 32.3 percent of listings
Historical research and evaluation: 59.3 percent of listing
Historical site management and curatorship: 1.3 percent of listings
Historic foundation administration: 6.5 percent of listings
Main Street program administration: 0.6 percent of listings

Trends in Position Distribution 2000-2019:

Current Geographic Distribution of Positions (July 2022):

Northeast: 22.8 percent of listings
Southeast: 27.9 percent of listings
Midwest: 15.8 percent of listings
West: 21.9 percent of listings
Southwest: 10.7 percent of listings

Trends in Geographic Distribution 2000-2022:

Education Requirements
A degree in architectural history is applicable to all position announcements employed in this survey. Nearly half of the announcements specifically named a degree in architectural history, usually along with other related disciplines; the remainder named an unspecified degree in a relevant field. The minimum education requirement was a bachelor’s degree but most listings state a preference for a graduate degree. The majority of listings in preservation planning and administration and in historical research and evaluation conformed with U. S. Department of the Interior definitions contained in 36CFR61. This specifies a master’s degree in an appropriate discipline or alternatively, a bachelor’s degree plus two years of relevant experience. Most listings in these categories stated a preference for a graduate degree and additional experience.

Skills and Specialized Knowledge
See individual descriptions of career categories.

Salaries
Following are averages of salary ranges as listed in position announcements, excluding additional benefits, rounded to the nearest $500. The upper salary level listed in such announcements may represent qualifications exceeding the minimum requirements specified for the position.

* Positions requiring a B.A. in architectural history or a related field and minimal experience: $42,000-$75,000.
* Positions requiring an M.A. in architectural history or a related field or a B.A. plus two years of relevant experience (36CFR61), M.A. frequently preferred. Most positions specify an additional two to three years of experience: $39,500-$89,000.
* Positions requiring or preferring an M.A. in architectural history or a related field with a minimum of three to five years of experience: $50,000-$103,000.
* Positions requiring an advanced degree and more than five years of experience: $56,000-$170,000.

General Categories of Employment

In broad terms, most non-academic positions in architectural history can be grouped into one of the following five categories.

1. Preservation Planning and Administration
This employment category is similar to Main Street management listed below and is interrelated with the following historical research and evaluation category. Professionals in the present field are primarily concerned with the planning and administration of preservation programs, providing technical support to the community and attending public meetings. Positions in this category are typically more office based and require more interpersonal skills than the following category.

Principal employers are state and local government agencies, including historic preservation offices and nonprofit organizations.

Duties include:

* development and implementation of historic preservation and historic zoning programs
* identifying and evaluating historic resources
* processing applications for historic property designation
* Providing technical assistance to the community and attending public meetings
* coordinating government programs with community groups

Skills and experience:

* writing and communication skills, especially interpersonal skills
* organizational skills, computer database management
* ability to interpret architectural plans and surveys
* knowledge of federal and local regulations

2. Historical Research and Evaluation
This field is the counterpart to preservation planning and administration, above. It involves completing field surveys, conducting research and completing the reports reviewed by state and local government agencies. Compared to preservation planning and administration this field is less office oriented, requiring more on-site work and travel.

Principal employers are architectural firms, cultural resource firms and government agencies.

Duties include:

* site investigation and documentation
* archival research on historic structures
* writing reports and applications for historic designation
* ensuring compliance with federal and local regulations
* often includes some travel

Skills and experience

* research and writing skills
* photography skills
* surveying/rendering skills
* knowledge of federal and local regulations

3. Historic Site Management and Curatorship
This field is analogous with museum curatorship but often includes aspects of historical research and evaluation, above and/or historic foundation management and administration, below.

Principal employers are local governments or private, nonprofit organizations.

Duties include:

* management of volunteers and staff
* development of educational programs
* research and documentation
* collections management
* public presentations

Skills and experience:

* museum experience/knowledge of museum practices
* documentation and research skills
* knowledge of history and historic furnishings
* public speaking skills
* supervisory skills

4. Historic Foundation Management and Administration
Positions in this field are rarely entry level and generally require experience in nonprofit organization administration coupled with a background in architectural history. In many cases duties include those of historic site management as well.

Principal employers are historic foundations.

Duties include:

* fundraising
* coordination of events
* budget management
* editing/publishing of foundation literature
* management of volunteers and staff

Skills and experience:

* strong writing, oral communication and interpersonal skills
* nonprofit fundraising experience
* supervisory experience

5. Main Street Management
Professionals in this field implement and manage downtown revitalization and preservation programs known as Main Street programs. These programs are assisted by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, National Main Street Center. In addition to sharing many of the activities in the preservation planning and administration category, Main Street managers are also involved with marketing and fundraising.

Principal employers are nonprofit organizations.

Duties include:

* identifying and evaluating historic resources
* processing applications for historic property designation
* coordinating revitalization plans with business organizations
* marketing downtown assets to new business interests
* Providing technical assistance to the community

Skills and experience:

* strong writing, oral communication and interpersonal skills
* knowledge of Main Street program practices
* nonprofit management experience
* supervisory experience
* knowledge of federal and local regulations