Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore, the organization that protects, promotes and maintains the Florence cathedral complex, has launched an Executive Master’s course in Cultural Heritage, managed in partnership with Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Europe’s most important Catholic university founded in Milan in 1921 and the only university in Italy with campuses all over the country, in Milan, Piacenza, Cremona, Brescia and Rome.
Starting January 2018, the one-year, full-time program will be taught entirely in English, attracting students from all over the world. Tuition will take place in the Studium Florentinum, a campus within the cathedral complex in piazza Duomo where the ancient Florence academy was established in 1321.
The master’s programme is aimed at graduates and young professionals wishing to gain a solid grounding in cultural heritage and tourism management. Heritage management and cultural tourism are fast growing niche markets, hence the new master’s program will provide transferable skills for careers in government agencies, private corporations, international organizations, NGOs, foundations, museums, galleries and academia. Candidates must hold a bachelor’s degree and be proficient in English.
Consisting of a theoretical approach combined with more practical professional experience, students will study introductory upgrade web-based courses in e-learning mode followed by 420 hours of core courses focusing on art history and cultural heritage; management; and creativity, innovation and tourism. Candidates will be offered an internship tailored to their cultural background and professional aspirations in a range of leading Florentine partner businesses, including Salvatore Ferragamo, Starhotels, Pitti Immagine and The Florentine.
This specialist higher education study pathway is designed to help participants boost competitive skills as well as develop creativity and innovation combined with a in-depth knowledge of cultural heritage, so that the students’ work stands out in an increasingly standardized world. At the same time, students learn how to manage and administer the symbols of a civilization and how to apply the method they learn in the very heart of Florence, whatever profession they choose in the future.
Merit-based scholarships are available.
For more information, visit www.ucscinternational.it or email cultural.heritage@unicatt.it.
