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MA Sustainable Built Heritage

Consider the environmental value of built heritage and address issues of sustainability in conservation

Year of entry: 2025 (September)

Length

1 year full-time,
2 years part-time,
3 years part-time

Start date

September 2025 (semester dates)

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Develop your knowledge of the heritage sector and engage with creative solutions in sustainable conservation through policy and practice.

You'll combine a critical study of the heritage sector with case studies of built environments, including visits and workshops. Explore best practice approaches in sustainable conservation. Consider the role of policy making, and how we might develop solutions to current issues in the preservation of built heritage.

Enhance your learning through a curated placement with one of our heritage and sustainability partners, including York Conservation Trust and York Civic Trust. Gain relevant, hands-on experience that will inform your assessment and equip you with a range of skills for your future career.

5th in the UK

and 20th in the world, according to the QS World University Rankings by Subject, 2023

Course content

Through a combination of academic studies, experience-based learning and dissertation research, this course provides you with a thorough understanding of the built environment and sustainability concerns facing the heritage sector:

  • Semester 1 - two cores and one option module
  • Semester 2 - three core modules
  • Summer Semester - 60 credit dissertation

Modules

Core modules

Option modules

You will choose one option module from examples including:

You'll also have the opportunity to choose options from our full module catalogue. Examples may include:

Some option modules combinations may not be possible. The option available to you will be confirmed after you begin your course.

Our modules may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff, and in line with Department/School academic planning.

Dissertation

You'll complete an 8,000-word dissertation on your research.

You will receive support, advice and guidance from your dissertation supervisor throughout your project. The range of expertise of our staff means we can provide you with guidance on a wide range of topics. You will have one-to-one meetings with supervisors across the Summer Semester.

The York approach

Every course at York is built on a distinctive set of learning outcomes. These will give you a clear understanding of what you will be able to accomplish at the end of the course and help you explain what you can offer employers. Our academics identify the knowledge, skills, and experiences you'll need upon graduation and then design the course to get you there.

Students who complete this course will be able to:

  • Demonstrate an applied, systematic, in-depth understanding of essential disciplinary knowledge of built heritage and sustainability, an awareness of its breadth and its relevant academic, professional and socio-economic contexts
  • Engage critically with current debates and advanced scholarship in research and practice within built heritage and sustainability
  • Inform decision-making in complex and unpredictable situations by assessing and applying sustainability theories and methodologies to diverse problems or forms of data relating to built heritage
  • Confidently synthesise research findings and key scholarly debates, and communicate (through a variety of forms and media) to peers, public or professional audiences in such a way that demonstrates an ability to consider and adapt to their respective needs
  • Demonstrate originality in rigorous and imaginative independent inquiry, using advanced research skills, and a clear contribution to the work of a team
  • Demonstrate a critical understanding of the legislative, policy and theoretical frameworks that have an impact on built heritage and sustainability and how they are applied in practice in the UK and internationally
  • Demonstrate a critical awareness of sustainability assessment approaches that relate to built heritage and of expertise in mediating diverse opinions relating to the future of the historic built environment
  • Critically evaluate the diverse methods used to engage the public to decision-making as it relates to built heritage and sustainability.

Fees and funding

Annual tuition fees for 2025/26

Study modeUK (home)International and EU
Full-time (1 year) £11,200£25,900
Part-time (2 years)
This is the year 1 fee. Fees for future years are subject to confirmation.
£5,600£12,950
Part-time (3 years)
This is the year 1 fee. Fees for future years are subject to confirmation.
£3,733£8,633

Students on a Student Visa are not currently permitted to study part-time at York.

For courses which are longer than one year, the tuition fees quoted are for the first year of study.

  • UK (home) fees may increase in subsequent years (up to a maximum of 2%).
  • International fees may increase in subsequent years in line with the prevailing Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate (up to a maximum of 10%).

Fees information

UK (home) or international fees? The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you're classed as a UK (home) or international student. Check your fee status.

Find out more information about tuition fees and how to pay them.

Funding information

Discover your funding options to help with tuition fees and living costs.

We'll confirm more funding opportunities for students joining us in 2025/26 throughout the year.

If you've successfully completed an undergraduate degree at York you could be eligible for a 10% Masters fee discount.

Funding opportunities

Chevening Scholarships

We are pleased to work with Chevening Scholars to offer funding for our Masters programmes. Chevening Scholarships provide one year of fully-funded postgraduate study in the UK for international (including EU) students. The scholarships are open to early and mid-career professionals who have the potential to become future leaders.

Living costs

You can use our living costs guide to help plan your budget. It covers additional costs that are not included in your tuition fee such as expenses for accommodation and study materials.

Teaching and assessment

You’ll work with world‐leading academics who’ll challenge you to think independently and excel in all that you do. Our approach to teaching will provide you with the knowledge, opportunities, and support you need to grow and succeed in a global workplace.

Teaching format

You'll be taught through a combination of lectures, workshops, seminars and site visits.

There is plenty of one-on-one guidance with staff and leading external experts in the conservation and heritage sector.

Teaching location

You will be based on Campus West.

About our campus

Our beautiful green campus offers a student-friendly setting in which to live and study, within easy reach of the action in the city centre. It's easy to get around campus - everything is within walking or pedalling distance, or you can always use the fast and frequent bus service.

Assessment and feedback

You will be assessed by a variety of methods, including: 

  • Essays
  • Report writing
  • Project proposals
  • Dissertation

Careers and skills

This course is for students who want to work in the conservation, heritage and sustainability sectors. Potential employers will value the experience you'll gain on your placement. Our graduates have gone on to work in a variety of industries and professions. The course also prepares you for doctoral research.

Career opportunities

  • Planning officer
  • Conservation officer
  • Heritage site management
  • Chartered surveyor

Transferable skills

  • High level of written and oral skills
  • Data analysis
  • Communication
  • Problem-solving
  • Teamwork
  • Project management
  • Time management

Entry requirements

Typical offer
Undergraduate degree 2:2 or equivalent in a Archaeology or a related subject such as Architecture, Planning, Surveying, History, Geography, Anthropology, Politics or any relevant subject.
Other qualifications and experience Mature students or those with less conventional qualifications but with relevant professional experience and enthusiasm for this field will be considered. To find out if your professional experience or qualifications are appropriate, please contact the Course Director.
Other international qualifications Equivalent qualifications from your country

Additional requirements

You will need to submit examples of written work with your application. Please see our guidance on submitting written work.

English language

If English isn't your first language you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability. We accept the following qualifications:

Minimum requirement
IELTS (Academic and Indicator) 6.5, minimum 6.0 in each component
Cambridge CEFR B2 First: 176, with 169 in each component
Oxford ELLT 7, minimum of 6 in each component
Duolingo 120, minimum 105 in all other components
LanguageCert SELT B2 with 33/50 in each component
LanguageCert Academic 70 with a minimum of 65 in each component
Kaplan Test of English Language 459-494, with 426-458 in all other components
Skills for English B2: Merit overall, with Pass with Merit in each component
PTE Academic 61, minimum 55 in each component
TOEFL 87, minimum of 21 in each component
Trinity ISE III Merit in all requirements

For more information see our postgraduate English language requirements.

If you haven't met our English language requirements

You may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language courses. These courses will provide you with the level of English needed to meet the conditions of your offer.

The length of course you need to take depends on your current English language test scores and how much you need to improve to reach our English language requirements.

After you've accepted your offer to study at York, we'll confirm which pre-sessional course you should apply to via You@York.

Applying

You can apply and send all your documentation online. You don’t need to complete your application all at once: you can start it, save it and finish it later.

Apply for this course

Next steps

Contact us

Get in touch if you have any questions

Dr Louise Cooke, Course Director

Learn more

Department of Archaeology

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