What Is a Thesis?

A Master’s Thesis is a clear, well-researched, substantial argument in support of a

position on a question of general interest in the field of historic preservation. It is not a
dissertation but a demonstration of a capacity to deal convincingly with a subject at a
professional level.

A thesis prepared in satisfaction of the degree requirements for the Master of Science in
Historic Preservation must address a topic with a clear relationship to the field of historic
preservation and building conservation. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the field
these topics will overlap with other fields. But the argument must be about the
“preservation question”, clearly formulated in the thesis presentation defense.

A successful thesis will demonstrate professional proficiency in the basic skill of historic
preservation, the ability to read the expression of historic architecture and artifacts for
what they mean. It will support its understanding of the meanings of its building and
artifacts with a thorough and accurate understanding of the history they reveal. It will
demonstrate a capacity to judge at a professional level the appropriateness of means
proposed for preservation by, planning, design or conservation. The final submission
for the thesis project should be of sufficient quality to merit academic presentation or
publication.

Objectives of a Thesis
The thesis is an opportunity to examine a sizeable topic for a period of time long enough
to master it. By the time a thesis is completed, the student will have had time to come to
an understanding about the topic, clearly express the argument about it, and support the
thesis position convincingly with information and authority. The thesis will, among other
things, demonstrate mastery of the processes of research.

Thesis Topics

A thesis topic must also clearly identify the polemical nature of the research and analysis
you will conduct. A thesis is not a report on a subject matter which has been
conclusively studied by others (although you may draw on such material in support of
your own work). A common test of the value of a thesis topic is that it will expand
“knowledge” in the field either by modifying conventional thinking on a subject or by
introducing new ideas into the preservation discourse. Topics in each of the sectors are
normally differentiated by their subject matter. Interdisciplinary work that bridges over
sector limits is strongly encouraged.
As a preliminary guide, the following list describes subject categories which might
normally define the work of one sector from that in another:

History/Theory
• History of architecture
• History of cities and planning
• History of technology
• History and theory of historic preservation

Design
• Issues in the reading of expression
• The theory of appropriate design
• The role of historic preservation in the design process
• The appropriateness of particular proposals for restoration, adaptive use,
infill or new design

Planning
• Preservation planning
• Preservation legislation
• Preservation finance and development

Conservation
• Architectural conservation
• Materials analysis and treatment
• Building systems performance and renewal

History Sector
History sector theses are explorations of the history revealed by buildings and artifacts to
be preserved. These might include historical analyses of architecture, urbanism and
landscape form; analyses of the works of individual architects, planners and builders;
analyses of building types, or building techniques and materials; and of related subjects
which provide a foundation and rationale for preservation work. Theses may also
critically analyze historic and theoretical approaches to historic preservation and
restoration work. When questions of preservation policy touch upon the subject of the
research project, they should be considered and analyzed. If access to the necessary sites
and sources can be gained, projects outside the United States can be pursued in thesis
research.

2
Design Sector
A design thesis in historic preservation is a thoroughly researched analysis of a design
issue or issues evident in the expression of one or more significant historic buildings,
landscapes or districts, written and illustrated with appropriate graphics by the writer and
demonstrating theoretical insight about expression and appropriate design. The analysis
will be expected to reflect, among other things, an ability to read the expression of the
work considered - as an old building, as a new one or as a combined work - for what can
be learned from it, and the implications of that reading for any decision to preserve it and
for any proposed work that may affect it. With special permission, qualified design
sector students may develop and present original design work to demonstrate the
implications of their thesis.

Planning Sector
A preservation-planning thesis consists of one of the following:

• Research focused on the history of cities, evolution of neighborhoods and urban

functions, the development of ideas and techniques for physical planning.

• Practical and constitutional problems that arise from aesthetic legislation,

including historic neighborhood designation and/or complimentary contextual
zoning districts and the resulting economic and social impacts, such as rising
property values and displacement of tenants;

• City or region-wide issues confronting the liaison between historic preservation

and low income and moderate housing, transportation facilities, commercial
revitalization, conservation and corridors;

• Examination or development of specific legislative policies and financial

arrangements that affect the preservation of historic areas, such as application of
Community Development funds or Economic Development funds to preservation
projects, the re-investment policies of banks and inner-city historic areas;

• Analysis or development of a specific planning tool and its application to a given

preservation problem, such as case studies in the use of zoning as urban design
control or the use of Environmental Assessment procedures for regional
preservation projects, or the use of Transfer of Development Right (TDR) for
farmland and preservation;

• Research in population statistics, survey methods and historical materials as

background support for new methods and procedures used to set the standards for
historic districts and contextual zoning and their boundary designations.

3
Conservation Sector
A conservation thesis can address a variety of problems, but it must include some direct
interaction of the student and historic architectural materials in the laboratory. It can be
oriented toward a specific structure, material, technique, or some simple combination of these.
Students with advanced scientific training may alternatively work on the development of new
analytical research methods or innovative product formulations for the building conservator.

The student should demonstrate (through the thesis itself) an understanding of sampling
techniques, physical and chemical methods of materials analysis, and data handling.
Most theses should be supplemented by fieldwork or by historical research directly
related to the topic.

Thesis Advisors and Readers

Generally, one thesis adviser from among the Historic Preservation faculty is assigned to
each thesis student. Students are strongly encouraged to speak with the faculty, to
determine which faculty member might be most appropriate to review their work.
Students may request that a specific faculty member will be their advisor. Advisors will
review the student’s independent work on a regular basis and will be principally
responsible for grading the thesis. Advisors must be faculty of the Historic Preservation
Program, or in special instances, faculty of the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning
and Preservation not specifically associated with the Historic Preservation Program.

In addition to the advisor, students should request the input of other faculty members as
“Readers.” Their role will be similar to the advisor although they may consult less
frequently with the student and will not be responsible for determining the final grade.
Readers do not require an official affiliation with the University. All readers must be
approved by the thesis advisor. Two readers are usually used for the thesis jury in the
spring. They should be identified by the student by the start of the second semester.

Readers may also be professionals in the field with particular expertise in the thesis topic,
and do not necessarily have to be faculty at the GSAPP. Students should consider and
contact potential readers as soon as possible; if there are no student suggestions, one will
be assigned from among the faculty after the December review.

4
Getting A Thesis Topic Approved

Proposals
Substantial thesis proposals must be submitted to the Historic Preservation office at the
end of the student’s second semester. Students are encouraged to discuss their thesis
topic with a member of the faculty prior to the end of that semester.

Proposals must include the following:

• Topic: identify the subject of your thesis, defining its scope so as to demonstrate
that it is a topic that can be adequately treated within the allotted time. Briefly
assess the existing literature on your topic, demonstrating that you are familiar
with major, existing work in the area you propose to explore.

• Justification: why does your particular topic merit exploration?

• Research methods to be followed.

• Resources to be consulted: libraries, data banks, drawings, documents, buildings,

people, etc.

• Proposed thesis advisor

Thesis Topic Reviews

Throughout the student’s third semester, thesis students enrolled in Thesis I must meet
with their advisers on a regular basis. During the semester, students will be required to
make two short presentations to the collected Historic Preservation faculty and fellow
students.

At the first of these, students will present, at least, their thesis topic, their research
methods and the relevance to the subject to the field. At the second of these
presentations, students will present their revised topics, their anticipated conclusions,
research to date and a review of the specific content they anticipate for the thesis
document. The thesis must be approved by the collected faculty following the thesis
review in order for the student to be permitted to register for Thesis II.

5
Thesis Timeline

The schedule for the coming year is presented in the front of this booklet. You will
receive updated announcements from the Historic Preservation Office during the year.

Second semester: First year students receive Thesis Guidelines and are requested to think
about thesis topics. Summer internships may (but do not have to) form the basis for thought
about a particular topic. Students register for “Thesis I” for one credit for the third (fall)
semester.

Third Semester: Students should identify a thesis topic and advisor to the Historic
Preservation Office; those without one will be assigned an advisor. Each student must
meet with the thesis advisor throughout the semester to discuss the research and format of
the thesis, the lines of investigation, the bibliography and other matters.

A special thesis review will be held on a Saturday in early October, and all students and
faculty will be in attendance. Each student will make a brief (5 minute) presentation, laying
out the thesis question and an outline of how work will proceed. Discussion from the
faculty for 15 minutes will provide general comments to each student.

Another thesis review will be held on the first Saturday of December, at which time the
student will offer a ten-minute presentation of the first semester’s work for “peer review”.
Again, all the faculty and fellow students will be present; the faculty will participate in a
general discussion of the direction of the thesis.

Fourth Semester: Students are registered for the 6-credit Thesis II and should be meeting
regularly with a faculty advisor. In Thesis II, chapter sheets must be submitted in the
course of the semester.

Thesis Review Day is held just after Spring Break. Thesis drafts are due in the Historic
Preservation Office at least two weeks prior to Thesis Review Day. Include enough copies
to circulate to your advisor and all readers. All students will be required to present their
written thesis to their adviser and readers, or to a committee of faculty assigned by the
department to review their work. Students will be required to defend their thesis content
and conclusions at the hour-long review session. The day of the review (typically a
Saturday), each student is scheduled for a one-hour session with the advisor and reader(s),
and the thesis is presented and defended against questioning. This is not an opportunity
for Power Point presentations, but a discussion. Comments by the readers/advisors are to
be addressed and incorporated into the final version of the thesis.

A final, revised thesis is submitted for grading and is due prior to exam week. Copies of
the thesis that will be given to Avery Library must meet all requirements for archival
settings, and are to be submitted to the Historic Preservation Office by the day before
graduation.

6
Format of the Thesis

The thesis will take one of several forms, depending on the topic. These forms will range
from a largely written to a largely graphic presentation (including various combinations).
The form each thesis will take is to be determined by each student, in consultation with his
or her advisor, as described above.

General Requirements for the Written Thesis

• Paper: ACID FREE, white, 8-1/2” x 11”, at least 20 lb. weight.

• Borders: At least 1” on top, right side and bottom margins; 1-1/2” ON LEFT
MARGIN.

• Spacing: All text double-spaced. Footnotes, endnotes and bibliography are

singled spaced with double spaces between citations. Quotations of more than 8
lines are indented 10 spaces and single-spaced in block form.

• Illustrations: Graphs and other diagrams will be drawn in black ink; other
illustrations may be black and white or color photographic prints printed using the
highest quality resolution possible. Illustrations may be interspersed in the text or
put in an appendix. Glossy photographic paper may be used if it is certified acid-
free.

• Page Numbering: Must be consecutive from first page of text. Prefatory material
that precedes the text, such as title page, page of acknowledgements, preface, etc.,
are numbered in lowercase Roman numerals (i, ii, iii, etc.), with the number omitted
from the title page.

• Photocopying: Typed material, line illustrations and, where permitted, copies of

photographs, if copied onto at least 20 lb. bond as specified above.

• Color Copying: Copies should be made on acid free 20 lb.bond only.

General form for footnotes, bibliography and other elements may vary from thesis to
thesis, BUT MUST BE CONSISTENT WITHIN ANY ONE THESIS.

For standard form, consult a recognized manual such as Kate Turabian’s Manual for
Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations.

ONE ORIGINAL, UNBOUND, BOXED COPY of the thesis is to be submitted to the

department. This copy will then be submitted to Avery Library for binding and will
become part of the Library’s permanent archives. You will be asked to sign a
“Permission to Copy” so that the librarians can permit other scholars to make
photocopies of portions of your thesis.

7
The title page will carry the following information, in the format shown on the
following page.

FULL TITLE OF THESIS

(in capital letters)

Your Full Name

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree

Master of Science in Historic Preservation

Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation

Columbia University

(month and year of degree)

8
Specifications by Sector

History
Authors of history theses must complete a substantial and original research essay. The
length should be determined by the number of pages necessary for presenting the argument
clearly, concisely and coherently. The thesis should be comparable to a major article
published in a scholarly journal, such as the Journal of the Society of Architectural
Historians or The Winterthur Portfolio. Illustrations contributing to the clarity and
documentation of the argument should be included. It will contain the following elements
in the order listed below:

• Abstract 1 page (w/author, title, adviser)

• Title page
• Table of contents
• List of illustrations, giving full sources of each illustration
• Text (by chapters) with illustrations and footnotes; endnotes may follow each
chapter
• Bibliography
• Appendices (optional)

Planning

For a written thesis, the format should follow that described above. However, the student
and the advisor may decide upon an alternative format.

Conservation

A conservation thesis must include a written text, following the format described above.
Because of the technical nature of the subject matter, the student should emphasize
readability, especially with regard to the interested non-scientist.

In addition, experimental and/or fieldwork must be presented in a separate section. Here

the style should be that of a technical writer, using scientific terminology to convey a
precise picture of the methodology and design of the investigation, and of the nature of
the materials and apparatus used (specific names of products and manufacturers must be
cited). This section must be accompanied by an appropriate graphic presentation in the
form of photographs, graphs, tables, spectra, radiographs, etc.

Design

Students in the design sector make three submissions in the course of preparing the
thesis. The first thesis proposal is a short description of the issues to be addressed in the
project, along with a description of the architectural project and a schedule for

9
completion of the third semester research and programming phase. It is due two weeks
prior to the third semester.

The second submission, the thesis program document, is due at the end of the third
semester, and is required for course credit in Thesis I. It should be a typed and bound
document, loosely following the guidelines for other written theses in preservation. The
length is variable, but it should include, at minimum, the following sections:

• Abstract (1 page) with title, author, thesis adviser

• Title sheet
• Table of contents
• Outline of statement of thesis topic – theoretical issues, project description,
purpose, etc.
• Description and current status of building or site
• Bibliography
• List of documents, drawings and appendices
• Design program, master plan or projected uses to be explored
• List of critics, consultants, etc.
• Schedule for completion of design phase components

The thesis program document contains background research and other material
supporting the design project to be executed during the fourth semester, including both a
“program” for uses of space allocations, and a feasible schedule for completing all design
work during the Spring semester.

The third and final submission to be made at the end of the Thesis II semester, consists of
both a jury presentation of drawings and other visual material (typically in the final week
of the term), and the submission of the final thesis document, consisting of both written
material from the program document and drawings, reduced to a format which the
Library can store, retrieve and produce. This format should be 8-1/2” x 11” and may
consist to reduced prints, slides, photographs of drawings and models, and other reduced
or folded graphic material, in addition to any written material.

The final presentation of the preservation design thesis should be of professional quality
(what a good architectural firm would present to a client), in a format and medium to be
decided by the student and the advisor. Among the possible formats for the presentation
are large boards, illustrated reports, models and slide presentations. Whatever format is
chosen, the entire presentation must be visually coherent and easy to read. The
presentation should include all materials (reports, photographs, drawings, models)
necessary to completely understand the design proposal and the process by which it was
reached.

10
Special Topics/Alternative Media

Occasionally, the director and faculty will also consider proposals from individuals or
small groups of students on a range of topics, which may be presented in alternative
media (e.g., computer programs, slide tapes, films videos) with the following stipulations:

• Individual or group members must be proficient in the subject matter and media;
• The process of arriving at a synthesis (e.g., a finished film) is fully documented
• A member of the faculty has agreed to serve as an advisor to the project.

Joint Degree Programs

Historic Preservation/ Urban Planning (MSUP/ MScHP)

Master of Science degree in Historic Preservation and Master of Science degree in

Urban Planning.

• Three-year program.
• Ninety points are required for graduation, 14 of which are thesis credits
• The thesis must be a document combining historic preservation and urban
planning issues and must satisfy the requirements of both Programs.
• A thesis defense is required by the Urban Planning Program and the
Historic Preservation Program. The defense may occur at the same time,
but advisors and readers from both disciplines must be present.
• Students register for the 1-point “Thesis Preparation” in Urban Planning
the spring of their second year. In their final year, they register in the fall
semester for 3 points of Urban Planning Thesis and 1 point of Historic
Preservation Thesis. The spring of the final year, register for the 3 point
Urban Planning Thesis II and the 6-point Historic Preservation Thesis II.

Historic Preservation/ Architecture (MSc HP/ M.Arch)

Master of Science degree in Historic Preservation and Master’s degree in

Architecture.

• Four-year program.
• One hundred and thirty-four points are required for graduation.
• Both a written document and drawings must be presented to satisfy the
requirements of both Programs.
• In the Fall semester of the fourth year, joint degree candidates register for
Historic Preservation Thesis I and in the Spring semester for Thesis II.
• Separate thesis reviews are carried out by the separate programs.

11