Normally a UK 2:1 honours degree or its international equivalent.
We may also consider your application if you have relevant professional experience; please contact us to check before you apply.
Please ensure your personal statement addresses the following points:
Architectural conservation: why and how are you interested in it? Please explain your specific interests within this broad field.
How do you envisage that the programme will support your future ambitions in career and life?
Which aspect of the advertised MSc Architectural Conservation programme description, or which other considerations, made you decide to apply for the programme?
For 2020 entry we accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified*:
IELTS: total 6.5 (at least 6.0 in each module)
TOEFL-iBT (including Special Home Edition): total 92 (at least 20 in each module). We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
PTE Academic: total 61 (at least 56 in each of the "Communicative Skills" sections)
CAE and CPE: total 176 (at least 169 in each module)
Trinity ISE: ISE II with distinctions in all four components
For 2021 entry we will accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified*:
IELTS: total 6.5 (at least 6.0 in each module)
TOEFL-iBT (including Special Home Edition): total 92 (at least 20 in each module). We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
CAE and CPE: total 176 (at least 169 in each module)
Trinity ISE: ISE II with distinctions in all four components
*(Revised 21 February 2020 to remove PTE Academic from 2021 entry requirements. Revised 21 April 2020 to include TOEFL-iBT Special Home Edition in 2020 and 2021 entry requirements.)
Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, PTE Academic or Trinity ISE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.
Our highly regarded Architectural Conservation programme is more than 40 years old; it is the longest-established graduate historic preservation programme in the UK.
Whether you are approaching the field from an architectural, historical, geological or other viewpoint, this programme will guide you through the foundations and challenges of this important means of nurturing cultural and national identity.
You will benefit from learning on our historic campus (located in Edinburgh’s World Heritage Site), and from the wealth of academic and intellectual activities associated with an internationally-renowned university.
You will be part of the Scottish Centre for Conservation Studies (SCCS), a specialist teaching and research unit that provides the depth of expertise and resources that ensures this programme is recognised by the Institute of Historic Building Conservation.
Volunteering opportunities are also available through our partnerships with relevant organisations, allowing you to flex your skills in a practical setting.
The programme is assessed through individual written papers, group projects, presentations, and report writing. An intensive overseas field trip (optional; normally to Germany) will give you the chance to explore conservation issues in another setting. Following the taught courses, you will research and write a dissertation of around 14,000–15,000 words on an aspect of architectural conservation.
Find out more about compulsory and optional courses
We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.
This programme aims to provide students with the broad base of knowledge and skills necessary to embark on a career in one of the many professional sub-disciplines of historic preservation, ranging from heritage management to conservation architecture.
Crucially, your qualification will be extremely well regarded thanks to its recognition by the Institute of Historic Building Conservation, the UK’s official organisation of architectural preservation professionals.
