--- title: Is a Historic Preservation and Conservation degree worth the debt? cip: 3012 source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release) sourceId: src:doe:college-scorecard:field-of-study:2026-06-10 --- # Is a Historic Preservation and Conservation degree worth the debt? Leading with the **Master's**, across **4** colleges (4 of 4 programs report earnings): - **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $42,922 ($41,378 at 2 years) - **Median federal debt:** — (federal loans only) - **Debt-to-earnings:** — **How to read this:** these are MEDIANS across college programs, measured **1–2 years after completion** (early career, graduates only) — NOT lifetime earnings, and NOT comparable to a college's 10-years-after-entry figure. They cover **federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report**; small programs are suppressed. A field median is not a prediction of your outcome, not causal (who enters a field differs by field), and **not a "best majors" ranking** — earnings are one dimension of worth. Verify by field at the official College Scorecard (https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/). ## By degree level | Level | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt | Debt/pay | Colleges | Programs reporting | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Master's | $42,922 | — | — | 4 | 4/4 | ## Where a Master's in this field reports the highest early-career pay Reflects who enrolls and where, not causal program quality. | College | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt | | --- | --- | --- | | Columbia University in the City of New York (NY) | $50,313 | — | | Savannah College of Art and Design (GA) | $46,327 | — | | Clemson University (SC) | $39,517 | — | | Eastern Michigan University (MI) | $33,929 | — | RECORDED College Scorecard figures + one DERIVED ratio (debt-to-earnings). Informs and compares; not advice on what to major in. Each college's full record: `/education/`. Structured data: `/education/fields/historic-preservation-and-conservation.jsonld` · `/education/fields/historic-preservation-and-conservation.json`