Join the preeminent community for preservation
Cutting-edge resources. Connected faculty. Celebrated guests and world-renowned events. Experience it all from the heart of the most prominent example of adaptive reuse in the U.S., Savannah's celebrated National Historic Landmark District.
The location to match your education
Widely regarded as the most distinctive built environment in higher education, SCAD has revitalized nearly 60 historic buildings in Savannah, including the nation's oldest extant railroad depot and Georgia's first hospital. As a preservation design student, you will pursue your degrees at a century-old Georgia railroad building that now serves as a state-of-the-art home for the program.
Premium tools always at your fingertips:
- Computer lab equipped with AutoCAD, Autodesk Revit, Autodesk 3ds Max, ArcGIS, JRC 3D Reconstructor, and Adobe Creative Cloud
- Faro Focus and Next Engine 3D laser scanners
- 3D printer for rapid prototyping
- Two Olympus SZX7 stereo-zoom microscopes
- Minolta colorimeter
- Model shop equipped with tabletop machines, hand-operated machines, and laser cutters
- Conservation lab for testing materials, analyzing restoration treatments, and experimenting with new techniques
- Restoration workshop and outdoor work pavilion
"SCAD provided a living laboratory to pursue my passion for economic development in the context of historic preservation. SCAD helped prepare me for my career working on community revitalization throughout Iowa."
Michael Wagler | B.F.A., historic preservation, 2004 | Main Street Iowa State coordinator, Iowa Economic Development AuthorityA range of restoration recognitions
Our professors will encourage you to pursue opportunities to present research and earn scholarship recognition — to great effect. Since 2004, SCAD has the most scholarly presenters of any preservation program in North America, with preservation design students representing SCAD at local, national, and international conferences.
Recent student awards include:
- George Stout Grant Scholar, American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works
- Student Paper Competition winner, National Council for Preservation Education
- Mildred Colodny Diversity Scholar, National Trust for Historic Preservation
- Ambassadors Award, Vernacular Architecture Forum
Events to keep you inspired
SCAD hosts renowned design professional at lectures, class visits, signature events like SCAD deFINE ART, and rotating speaker events like the School of Building Arts Lecture Series. These events give you the opportunity to expand your professional network, join portfolio reviews, and chat with the world's foremost preservation design minds.
Guidance from the industry’s best
At SCAD events, you will connect with an impressive roster of industry leaders, honored guests, and alumni mentors offering insight and expertise on preservation design around the globe. Recent guests include:
- John Fowler, executive director | Advisory Council on Historic Preservation
- Andrew Potts, executive director | United States Committee of the International Council of Monuments and Site
- Susan West Montgomery, vice president | National Trust for Historic Preservation
- Lisa Craig, chief of historic preservation | City of Annapolis, Maryland
- Bonnie Burnham, president and CEO | World Monuments Fund
- Michelle Magalong, chair | Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in Historic Preservation
- Donovan Rypkema, principal | PlaceEconomics
Discover more SCAD events on our calendar
Learn in a world-class museum
Enjoy access to the SCAD Museum of Art, Savannah's premier contemporary art museum. A work of art in and of itself, the museum incorporates the oldest surviving antebellum railroad depot in the U.S. into its award-winning design and serves as a teaching museum where you can attend academic classes, film screenings, gallery talks, lectures, and workshops with renowned visiting artists.
Visit the SCAD Museum of Art
Make your SCAD experience even more unforgettable
We encourage students to spend a quarter or more exploring university locations in Atlanta or Lacoste, France. In these new contexts, students explore the value of heritage and the range of preservation practices around the globe — experiences that help students form their approach to preservation design and professional goals.
View our locations
Take the first step to becoming a preservationist
We'll tell you everything you need to know about landing your dream job in preservation design. Just request more information from SCAD, and let us do the rest.