Dig into a rewarding and in-demand career with Portland State’s undergraduate certificate in Cultural Resources Management. The work of preserving and promoting historic properties, including archaeological sites, historic structures and other culturally significant places, on public and private lands is critical — so critical, in fact, that demand for qualified professionals is expected to increase dramatically in the next decade.
With our certificate, you will learn how to identify, document, interpret and manage cultural resources; better understand preservation laws and how they apply to your work; and learn appropriate strategies for engaging and consulting with Indigenous communities, descendant groups and other communities.
You will also hone professional skills needed for any career, including communication, teamwork and collaboration.
Our certificate offers:
- Two tracks to tailor the certificate to your interests and strengths
- Hands-on coursework and opportunities for fieldwork
- Community-based learning experiences with Tribes, governmental agencies and private firms
Whether you are ready to take the first step toward a career in cultural resources and heritage management or you are already in the field and looking to advance your career, you are in the right place. PSU’s certificate equips you with the credentials needed to make an immediate impact in cultural resource programs for Native American Tribes, federal and state agencies and the private sector.
The Pacific Northwest is a hotbed for cultural resource management work, given our abundance of federal lands and federally funded infrastructure projects. PSU’s Portland location gives you unparalleled access to the agencies and private firms that need trained cultural resources technicians and specialists.
You’ll have the opportunity to make the certificate your own with two tracks: Cultural Resource and Heritage Management, which has a greater emphasis on policy and regulation, or Archaeology Technician, which has a technical emphasis on archaeological skills in geology, geography, and anthropology.
Within each track, you can tailor the certificate to your interests and strengths with electives in Indigenous Nations Studies, Environmental Science and Management, Geology, Geography and History.
Our faculty are experts in environmental archaeology, cultural resource management, Tribal heritage management, and public education and outreach — and bring their experience into your classes. Coursework goes beyond the classroom, and you will have plenty of opportunities to practice field, lab and public archaeology skills, and participate in summer field schools or internships.
Over the next 10 years, the U.S. cultural resource industry is projected to add 11,000 new full-time positions, according to a report in the journal Advances in Archaeological Practices.
State, federal, Tribal and local laws mandate that qualified professionals conduct some level of cultural resources work whenever cultural resources may be impacted by a development or infrastructure project or environmental restoration. With expanding federal infrastructure spending and a shortage of skilled practitioners, the need for well-trained cultural resources professionals is more critical than ever.
With PSU’s certificate, you will graduate with the knowledge and skills to land a job with a federal agency like the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the National Forest Service or the National Park Service, Tribal governments, state preservation offices, private cultural resource management firms — of which there are several in the area — or environmental consulting firms.
The Cultural Resources Management certificate is a perfect complement to a major in anthropology, environmental science or studies, geology, geography, history or Indigenous Nations Studies.