Hi! I am new to this subreddit, so I hope this complies with the rules I looked at. Basically, I am a sophomore in high school and I would love to look into historical preservation as a career. I don't know much about the field, but I know that I have a passion for historical art, and specifically architecture. Are there any paths within this career field that work hands-on with preserving historic art and architecture? I also would love to have the opportunity to study abroad and work within different cultures, if possible. If there are careers like this, I am still at a loss for what college path I will need to take. I know that I will most likely need to get a master's, but most schools do not offer direct (undergrad) historic preservation majors. I am willing to double major/minor in order to do this. I know this is a mess of a post, but any help would be greatly appreciated!
I administered a state historic preservation office (SHPO) for three decades and I served on the Advisory Board for the National Park System (NPS) and as chair of the National Historic Landmark Committee during the Obama administration. I hired many people over the years (including participating in the process at NPS), so I can help address your question. (See my profile here and here.)
I rarely hired historians. NPS regulations require that every SHPO have a historian on staff, but since I fulfilled that requirement, we didn't need another. I would have been delighted to hire another historian, but they were generally ill-prepared for work in historic preservation, so there is a lot you can do.
A double major or a strong minor is a great idea. You need to take coursework that ill allow you to present yourself as someone who understands material culture and the built environment. Many historians are trained to look at the written word, but little else. You will need to rise above that cohort. You need to be able to say that you have taken courses that help you understand how to deal with historic buildings and/or artifacts and landscapes. And you need to be able to say that you know how to assess the significance of historical buildings (and that you can describe them). You need to take courses in architectural history and it would be good for you to have some background in archaeology so that you can at least speak that language - not necessarily that you will be proficient as an archaeologist (although that wouldn't be a bad skill to have!).
If you are near your SHPO, I strongly recommend that you go there to talk with the staff. If you can, I recommend that you volunteer and become familiar with the National Register nomination process. That is the area that SHPOs most need historians - and they are typically ill-prepared to address. If you can graduate with the ability to describe and assess historical buildings, you will be in an excellent position to be hired. Without those abilities, you will not likely be employed.
I once had a high school student volunteer at one my excavations. She did a great job, and she returned the next summer. As she passed through her college career, I began hiring her for summer excavations (she was wonderful at running the field lab). As she moved on to her MA and was nearing completing it, I hired her full time in the office with the condition that she finish her MA. She did just that, and she served my office for many years. That is a success story!
Not to push my work, but you may find this slim volume (2012) of use to you. It may be in your local library. It was a Western, twenty-first-century response to the wonderful slim book by James Deetz, In Small Things Forgotten (1977), dealing with Puritan archaeology and buildings. Both books are designed to give beginning students opportunities to deal with material culture - including historic buildings.
Let me know how I can help.
i am actually in college now for something similar--doing undergrad work in anthropology with the hope to specialize in either historic preservation or underwater archaeology. there are a few different paths that you can take, and which one you go with will really depend on what you want to concentrate on and potentially where you want to go to grad school. also keep in mind that preserving/restoring art and preserving architecture have different skill sets, so there may not be one overarching program for both.
as an example, my current undergrad work is towards an anthropology degree concentrating in archaeology, with a double minor in cartography and museum studies. however, you could go for a degree in history or architecture and still go on to do a master's program in historic preservation; likewise, you could turn an art history or fine arts degree into the foundation for an art restoration career. every college or university will have a full list of courses for their programs, so whether you want to go to someplace like the university of georgia, the university of oregon, clemson, or so on, you will always be able to see what they place their concentrations in and any prerequisites they may have. also, don't be afraid to email an academic advisor for advice! they may not give you a roadmap on exactly what you need to do, but in my experience most are willing to help get you started on building your own.