Preservation Officer Overview

Required Education and Training To Become a Preservation Officer

Best Schools to become a Preservation Officer in U.S. 2024

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA

In-State Tuition:$63,468
Out-of-State Tuition:$63,468
Admission Rate:12%
Graduation Rate:92%
Total Enrollment:48,945

CUNY Hunter College

New York, NY

In-State Tuition:$6,930
Out-of-State Tuition:$14,880
Admission Rate:48%
Graduation Rate:56%
Total Enrollment:22,970

SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Syracuse, NY

In-State Tuition:$7,070
Out-of-State Tuition:$19,830
Admission Rate:70%
Graduation Rate:71%
Total Enrollment:1,976

University of California-Irvine

Irvine, CA

In-State Tuition:$11,564
Out-of-State Tuition:$41,636
Admission Rate:21%
Graduation Rate:87%
Total Enrollment:35,937

CUNY Queens College

Queens, NY

In-State Tuition:$6,930
Out-of-State Tuition:$14,880
Admission Rate:69%
Graduation Rate:56%
Total Enrollment:17,001

Virginia Commonwealth University

Richmond, VA

In-State Tuition:$12,472
Out-of-State Tuition:$33,728
Admission Rate:91%
Graduation Rate:65%
Total Enrollment:28,082
Preservation Officer Job Description:
  • Research, analyze, record, and interpret the past as recorded in sources, such as government and institutional records, newspapers and other periodicals, photographs, interviews, films, electronic media, and unpublished manuscripts, such as personal diaries and letters.

Required Skills and Competencies To Become a Preservation Officer

Job Duties for Preservation Officers

  • Conduct historical research as a basis for the identification, conservation, and reconstruction of historic places and materials.

  • Conserve and preserve manuscripts, records, and other artifacts.

  • Gather historical data from sources such as archives, court records, diaries, news files, and photographs, as well as from books, pamphlets, and periodicals.

Technologies and Skills Used by Preservation Officers

Data base user interface and query software

  • Microsoft Access
  • Structured query language SQL

Information retrieval or search software

  • Archival databases
  • Smithsonian Institution digital archives

Presentation software

  • Microsoft PowerPoint

Basic Skills

  • Reading work related information
  • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem

Problem Solving

  • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it

Current Job Market and Opportunites for a Preservation Officer

Additional Resources To Help You Become a Preservation Officer

FAQs About Becoming a Preservation Officer