Applicable only to students admitted during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Conservation of Cultural Heritage

Interdepartmental Program
College of Letters and Science

Graduate Degrees

The Conservation of Cultural Heritage Interdepartmental Program offers the Master of Arts (M.A.) in Conservation of Cultural Heritage and the Master of Science (M.S.) and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in Conservation of Material Culture.

Conservation of Material Culture

Admissions Requirements

Master’s Degree

The Conservation of Material Culture (CMC) M.S. degree is not intended to be a stand-alone, terminal degree and should not be confused with the practice-focused Conservation of Cultural Heritage M.A. degree also offered by the Conservation IDP that trains advanced conservation practitioners. Students entering the CMC Ph.D. degree program may choose to receive the M.S. degree while in progress to the Ph.D. degree.

Advising

The chair of the Conservation of Material Culture IDP serves as the Graduate Adviser, and directs all academic affairs for the doctoral students. At the time of admission to graduate study the Graduate Adviser appoints a provisional faculty advisor for each student. The provisional advisor serves until a permanent adviser is found.

Students are strongly encouraged to identify a co-chair of the doctoral committee from a different UCLA academic unit, reflecting the cross-disciplinary and synergistic nature of the program. One of the co-chairs must have an appointment in the Program.

Areas of Study

The Conservation of Material Culture Program offers eight interdisciplinary major fields. Students are encouraged to develop their research proposal within one of the following fields:

• Influences of History, Culture and Policy on Conservation Practices
• Conservation and Communities
• Conservation & Material Culture Science
• Sustainable Preventive Conservation & Care of Collections
• Cultural Property Forensics
• Advanced Multidimensional Documentation
• Biocultural Heritage Conservation
• Emergency Planning and Managing Disaster Risks of World Cultural Heritage

Additional ad hoc major fields in emerging cross-disciplinary areas of research related to conservation will also be considered.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

Master’s students are required to obtain 40 Units of coursework and 8 units of mentored-research experience (see Field Experience section below), totaling 48 units. Full time graduate students must register for a minimum of 12 units per quarter with all of the courses at the graduate level, with upper level undergraduate courses available by petition. These 12 units consist of a combination of required core courses (28 units) and additional research specific courses (CAEM 290, 12 units) which should be completed by the end of the 2nd year (6th Quarter) of enrollment at UCLA.

Core courses are from the Conservation Program and electives are from other departments as agreed upon with the student’s adviser. The core courses prepare students for the Ph.D. oral preliminary examination by providing foundational theory and research methodology. Interdisciplinary electives further prepare students for the written examination and doctoral research. Electives may be taken in a variety of related departments at UCLA or other UC campuses. Students must petition Graduate Division to count courses completed at other UCs toward the Elective Requirement. Students are encouraged to contact departments to determine when prospective courses will be offered in order to determine their schedule of coursework.

Conservation Program Core Courses (20 units)

• CAEM 211 Science Fundamentals in the Conservation of Materials (4)
• CAEM M215 Cultural Materials Science I: Analytical Imaging and Documentation in the Conservation of Materials (4)
• CAEM M216 Science of Conservation Materials and Methods I (4)
• CAEM 221 Principles, Practice and Ethics in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage Materials (4)
• CAEM M240 Environmental Protection for Museums, Libraries, and Archives (4)

A minimum of 4 units from the following courses:

• CAEM 260 Structure, Properties and Deterioration of Materials: Ceramics, Glass, and Glazes (2)
• CAEM 261 Structure, Properties and Deterioration of Materials: Stone and Adobe (2)
• CAEM 262 Structure, Properties and Deterioration of Materials: Organics (2)
• CAEM 263 Structure, Properties and Deterioration of Materials: Metals (2)
• CAEM 264 Structure, Properties and Deterioration of Materials: Rock Art, Wall Paintings, and Mosaics (2)
• CAEM 265 Structure, Properties and Deterioration of Materials: Organics II (2)

Archaeology Core Course (4 units):

• ARCHAEOL M201C: Archaeological Research Design (4)

Students may petition to take approved doctoral research methods courses in other departments.

Major Field Area Coursework (12):

Students are required to take a minimum of 12 units of graduate courses in other UCLA departments or other UC campuses that are relevant to their research. Common departments include Anthropology, Art History, Architecture and Urban Design, Atmospheric and Ocean Sciences, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Digital Humanities, Earth Planetary and Space Science, Geography, Information Studies, Law, Material Science and Engineering, Philosophy, Public Policy, and World Arts and Cultures. Students may petition to take upper division undergraduate courses.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

The mentored research experience is undertaken within the CAEM 290 (8 unit) course. The aim is to compliment the student’s research and elective courses by introducing them to conservation challenges and helping them gain experience and skills in the field. This requirement may be satisfied by participation in a research project at a museum, conservation, science laboratory, national facility, archaeological project, non-governmental organization, or alternative industries.

Capstone Plan

To receive the M.S. in CMC, students must pass the oral preliminary and written qualifying examinations required for advancement to candidacy in the Ph.D. program, which serve as the master’s comprehensive exam.

Thesis Plan

None.

Time-to-Degree

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
M.S.	6	6	9

Doctoral Degree

Advising

The chair of the Conservation of Material Culture IDP serves as the Graduate Adviser, and directs all academic affairs for the doctoral students. At the time of admission to graduate study the Graduate Adviser appoints a provisional faculty advisor for each student. The provisional advisor serves until a permanent adviser is found.

Students are strongly encouraged to identify a co-chair of the doctoral committee from a different UCLA academic unit, reflecting the cross-disciplinary and synergistic nature of the program. One of the co-chairs must have an appointment in the Program.

Major Fields or Subdisciplines

The Conservation of Material Culture Program offers eight interdisciplinary major fields. Students are encouraged to develop their research proposal within one of the following fields:

• Influences of History, Culture and Policy on Conservation Practices
• Conservation and Communities
• Conservation & Material Culture Science
• Sustainable Preventive Conservation & Care of Collections
• Cultural Property Forensics
• Advanced Multidimensional Documentation
• Biocultural Heritage Conservation
• Emergency Planning and Managing Disaster Risks of World Cultural Heritage

Additional ad hoc major fields in emerging cross-disciplinary areas of research related to conservation will also be considered.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

Doctoral students are required to obtain 40 Units of coursework and 8 units of mentored-research experience, totaling 48 units. Full time graduate students must register for a minimum of 12 units per quarter with all of the courses at the graduate level, with upper level undergraduate courses available by petition. These 12 units consist of a combination of required core courses (28 units) and additional research specific courses (CAEM 290, 12 units) which should be completed by the end of the 2nd year (6th Quarter) of enrollment at UCLA.

Core courses are from the Conservation Program and electives are from other departments as agreed upon with the student’s adviser. The core courses prepare students for the oral preliminary examination by providing foundational theory and research methodology. Interdisciplinary electives further prepare students for the written examination and doctoral research. Electives may be taken in a variety of related departments at UCLA or other UC campuses (see Transfer of Credit section below). Students are encouraged to contact departments to determine when prospective courses will be offered in order to determine their schedule of coursework.

Conservation Program Core Courses (20 units):

• CAEM 211 Science Fundamentals in the Conservation of Materials (4)
• CAEM M215 Cultural Materials Science I: Analytical Imaging and Documentation in the Conservation of Materials (4)
• CAEM M216 Science of Conservation Materials and Methods I (4)
• CAEM 221 Principles, Practice and Ethics in the Conservation of Cultural Heritage Materials (4)
• CAEM M240 Environmental Protection for Museums, Libraries, and Archives (4)

A minimum of 4 units from the following courses:

• CAEM 260 Structure, Properties and Deterioration of Materials: Ceramics, Glass, and Glazes (2)
• CAEM 261 Structure, Properties and Deterioration of Materials: Stone and Adobe (2)
• CAEM 262 Structure, Properties and Deterioration of Materials: Organics (2)
• CAEM 263 Structure, Properties and Deterioration of Materials: Metals (2)
• CAEM 264 Structure, Properties and Deterioration of Materials: Rock Art, Wall Paintings, and Mosaics (2)
• CAEM 265 Structure, Properties and Deterioration of Materials: Organics II (2)

Archaeology Core Course (4 units):

• ARCHAEOL M201C: Archaeological Research Design (4)

Students may petition to take approved doctoral research methods courses in other departments.

Mentored Research Experience

The mentored research experience is undertaken within the CAEM 290 (8 unit) course. The aim is to compliment the student’s research and elective courses by introducing them to conservation challenges and helping them gain experience and skills in the field. This requirement may be satisfied by participation in a research project at a museum, conservation, science laboratory, national facility, archaeological project, non-governmental organization, or alternative industries.

Major Field Area Coursework (12 units)

Students are required to take a minimum of 12 units of graduate courses in other UCLA departments or other UC campuses that are relevant to their research. Common departments include Anthropology, Art History, Architecture and Urban Design, Atmospheric and Ocean Sciences, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Digital Humanities, Earth Planetary and Space Science, Geography, Information Studies, Law, Material Science and Engineering, Philosophy, Public Policy, and World Arts and Cultures. Students may petition to take upper division undergraduate courses.

Individual Study and Research Courses

• CAEM 596 courses may be established by faculty for students to conduct individual study or research
• CAEM 597 Preparation for PhD Qualifying Examination
• CAEM 599 PhD Dissertation and Preparation
• CAEM 290 This course designation us used to obtain credit for internships

Transfer of Credit

Students with a Master’s degree from a recognized conservation program may petition to replace required core courses with elective courses from other UCLA departments or UC campuses that are relevant to their research while still fulfilling the 28-unit requirement. They may also petition to have up to 12 units (3 graduate level courses) from their prior degree recognized towards the PhD degree requirement. Grades in the courses must be a B or higher.

Teaching Experience

We strongly encourage students to gain teaching experience during at least one quarter in their second to fourth year.

Written and Oral Qualifying Examinations

Academic Senate regulations require all doctoral students to complete and pass university written and oral qualifying examinations prior to doctoral advancement to candidacy. Also, under Senate regulations, the University Oral Qualifying Examination is open only to the student and appointed members of the doctoral committee. In addition to university requirements, some graduate programs have other pre-candidacy examination requirements. What follows in this section is how students are required to fulfill all of these requirements for this doctoral program.

All committee nominations and reconstitutions adhere to the Minimum Standards for Doctoral Committee Constitution.

Oral Preliminary Examination

The Oral Preliminary examination encompasses the body of knowledge in the Conservation of Material Culture at the level equivalent to that required for a Master’s degree. It may be taken prior to completing all required coursework. Students must choose four out of five subjects for the exam. The exams are thirty minutes each and are typically administered on the same day, each administered by two faculty/instructors associated with the Program.

The 5 subjects are:

1. Chemistry and Properties of Material Culture
2. Environment and Environmental Deterioration of Material Culture
3. Conservation Methods and Materials (polymers, chelating agents, solvents, inorganic mineral consolidants, etc.)
4. Documentation and Characterization of Material Culture
5. Conservation Principles and Ethics

The oral preliminary examination is graded by members of the examiners as: Pass, No Pass.

Pass: Excellent performance, suitable for PhD

No Pass (Fail): Unsatisfactory for MS

Submit Oral Preliminary Examination Request Form with the subjects to be examined six weeks prior to the exam. Students are encouraged to take the exam by the end of Quarter 6. Students who have Master’s degrees and feel prepared to take their oral preliminary exams early may do so. It is expected that students who do not pass the oral preliminary exam will retake it within a three-month period.

The Oral Preliminary Examination can only be taken twice.

Written Examination

The following is a description of the standard Written Examination model, but students and their advisers may agree upon an alternate model for the written exam. They may also adjust the standard model by changing the number of questions, expanding the examination time, or changing the criteria for the essays and bibliographies.

The written examination consists of a take home examination, typically of four research questions based on four different topics relevant to the student’s doctoral research. The topics are agreed upon in advance between the student and advisers. They may develop six questions, four of which will be selected by the advisers for the exam. Each research question is answered in the form of a fully cited review paper of approximately 2000-2500 words excluding references, notes and captions. The paper should include an abstract, an introductory paragraph, the main body and conclusions, up to four figures or tables (optional), and 15-20 references. One purpose of this exam is for students to create a bibliography on their research topic and build on the literature with their own knowledge and perspectives.

The standard time frame for the written exam is 480 hours (20 days) for completing the four papers. All papers are submitted together at the end of day 20 (completion of 480 hours). The written examination is graded by members of the doctoral committee as Pass, No Pass.

Pass: Excellent performance, suitable for PhD

No Pass (Fail): Unsatisfactory for MS

The Written Examination can only be taken twice. It is expected that students who do not pass the written exam will retake it within a three-month period.

University Oral Qualifying Examination

A dissertation prospectus must be submitted to the doctoral committee members two to four weeks before the exam. Students will need to complete Archaeology M201C or another approved doctoral research methods course in order to develop the prospectus. The prospectus should be a minimum of 8,000 to 10,000 words and include a timeline, research design, and an innovative bibliography that represents a diversity of approaches to examining the research subject.

The nature and content of the University Oral Qualifying Examination are at the discretion of the doctoral committee. The exam is a review of the student’s prospectus. The student’s presentation should convey to the doctoral committee that the prospectus is a meritorious proposal for a PhD.

The committee’s decision to advance a student to candidacy or allow the student to repeat all or part of the oral qualifying exam, or to disqualify the student, is based on the student’s overall record at UCLA as reflected in coursework, examinations, and the student’s research ability and productivity.

Advancement to Candidacy

Students are advanced to candidacy (ATC) upon successful completion of the written and oral qualifying examinations. Normative time for advancement to candidacy is six quarters.

Doctoral Dissertation

Every doctoral degree program requires the completion of an approved dissertation that demonstrates the student’s ability to perform original, independent research and constitutes a distinct contribution to knowledge in the principal field of study.

The program requires the completion of an approved dissertation that demonstrates the student’s ability to perform original, independent research, that constitutes a distinct contribution to knowledge in the principal field of study. It is expected that students will file their dissertation within 15 quarters.

Final Oral Examination (Defense of the Dissertation)

The final oral examination, or viva voce, takes place only after all other degree requirements have been met. In this exam, doctoral candidates demonstrate to their committee satisfactory command of all aspects of the work presented, including original thought, performance of independent research that constitutes a distinct contribution in response to a need in the field of material culture conservation and other related subjects, if applicable.

Time-to-Degree

The normative time-to-degree (TTD) for the Ph.D. degree from the time of admission to the program is 15 quarters. The maximum time-to-degree is 18 quarters.

DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
Ph.D.	6	15	18

Academic Disqualification and Appeal of Disqualification

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for academic disqualification from graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing academic disqualification of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.