Academia, 1931-2002 and undated

This series consists of coursework, research notes, teaching and administrative materials, correspondence, and architectural drawings related to William Murtagh's education from grammar school through the completion of his doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania. Also included are materials documenting his teaching experience at several universities, including Columbia University, the University of Maryland, and the University of Hawaii. The series is divided into several main sections: primary and secondary education, postsecondary education, and teaching and professional career. Arrangement within each section is chronological by institution, and then alphabetical by topic.

Course notes, research notes, bibliographies, and drafts of papers comprise the bulk of material documenting Murtagh's postsecondary education, primarily at the University of Pennsylvania. Arrangement of course materials is by course number and then by course title; arrangement of research files is alphabetical by topic. Murtagh's dissertation, Moravian Architecture, was transferred to Series IV: Writings and placed under "Moravian Architecture and Town Planning."

Course syllabi, bibliographies, lecture notes, general information about historic preservation programs in the United States, and administrative materials comprise the bulk of materials documenting Murtagh's academic teaching career as well as his position as director of the historic preservation programs at Columbia University and the University of Hawaii. Materials pertaining to Murtagh's association with Preservation Institute: Nantucket are included under its umbrella organization, the University of Florida. Arrangement is chronological by institution and then alphabetical by subject. Courses and lectures that were a result of Murtagh's position at the National Trust for Historic Preservation are located either under Series VI: Speeches and Lectures or Series VII: Conferences and Workshops.