Conservation and Valorization of Cultural Heritage

The Three-year Degree Course in Conservation and Valorization of Cultural Heritage proposes a path aimed at meeting the need, which is increasingly perceived at national and international level, for professional profiles working with a modern perspective towards the protection, conservation and valorization of Cultural Heritage.

Today the Cultural Heritage’s family is meant as a widespread and common heritage and includes different kinds of assets, starting with those that are traditionally taken into account (archeological, architectural, artistic, archival and books) to the immaterial assets (oral traditions, performing arts, social and ritual practices etc.) up to the most complex aspect of the cultural landscape (with reference to the urban landscape and sedimentation of historical buildings, stratification of anthropic activities in the environment and the shaping of rural landscapes etc.).

In the Euro-Mediterranean Area, the body of Cultural Heritage represents a shared resource, resulting from a mediation among different cultures (that gave rise to unique combinations and syncretic blends of sublime artistic and cultural value) and that, in today’s multicultural society can give life to expressions of cultural integration and interculturalism. Therefore, the commitment is not only that of enhancing the Cultural Heritage, but also that of preserving it through innovative means, also including the concept of digital memory and digitization of the cultural heritage by means of the new computer-based languages and the new media.

Given these premises, the structure of the educational path was designed based on a three-layered structure:

1. It supplies a sound basic training in the main humanities subjects, envisaged by the ministerial sheet (linguistic-literary, historical, demo-anthropological) which equip the student with a good mastery of general scientific methods and contents and that are essential to meet the study of the characterizing activities;
2. The wide offer of characterizing activities is aimed at training graduates who are familiar with the wide range of Cultural Heritage, material and immaterial ones, considered both in their diachronic stratification (from ancient times to contemporary age) and in their large typological variety;
3. With the offer of similar and integrating activities, finally, the educational path is meant to lead the skills supplied by the basic and characterizing disciplines towards the development of professional skills working in a modern perspective of protection, conservation and enhancement of Cultural Heritage according to wide contexts
   • From the one hand, the digital memory applied to World Heritage, namely the enhancement and conservation of the heritage by means of innovative tools, making reference to Web/GIS new languages, the new media and computer-based storage of cultural heritage;
   • From the other hand, the mediation languages and codes among cultural components having heterogeneous historical and geographical origins, namely the interpretation of cultural heritages as a strategic factor for social integration in the aim of promoting intercultural dialogue and integration processes in a multicultural society context.

The graduate in Conservation and Enhancement of Cultural Heritage will also have to know at least one language of the European Union, apart from Italian, and be able to use the main computer tools for data management and online communication in their fields of expertise.

The study path (appropriate to face the decisions related to the two-year period of the second-cycle degree) allows to gain clear professional expertise, being able to work in the first levels of all the sectors included into the study program, specifically in the characterizing subjects of the chosen study path.

Required knowledge for admission

In order to be admitted to the first-degree course the student has to possess a five-year secondary school diploma or any other study title earned abroad, recognized as equivalent. Students possessing only a four-year high school diploma will compulsorily have to make up for the educational gap assigned. In order to be admitted to the degree course in Conservation and Enhancement of Cultural Heritage, the assessment of the starting skill level required takes place through the administration of a special mandatory test which is not selective, which has the main purpose of guiding the student in the choice of the course of study. The test is provided remotely to the newly enrolled students at the time of enrollment in the course of study. The questions of the test will concern the topics included in the program of studies, with particular reference to the historical and literary horizon. Any additional educational debit (OFA) resulting from deficiencies will be filled within the first year of the course, according to the procedures established by the Regulations.

Employment opportunities

The graduates in Conservation and Enhancement of Cultural Heritage will be able to carry out professional activities in public institutions, local agencies, foundations and private companies working in the field of the protection, management, enhancement, and exploitation of the artistic and cultural heritage, such as museums, libraries, archives, galleries and exhibition centers. More specifically, they will be able to collaborate in all activities where museums, exhibitions, exploitation and management of the historical-artistic heritage will be concerned. They will be able to work at the creation of new collections and collaborate with the people in charge of operations of organization and inventory of museums and archives, photo libraries and media libraries. They will also be able to work in the publishing and art market sectors and in the field of cultural tourism, both through public calls for tourist guides and as employees in agencies and other organizations or boards concerned with the exploitation of cultural heritage. Finally, students will be able to work in the field of traditional, multimedia and online publishing activities and with institutions and companies that are interested in the artistic heritage from a variety of perspectives.