Museology and Conservation of Cultural and Natural Heritage Sites
Source: https://english.spbu.ru/admission/programms/undergraduate/museology-and-conservation-cultural-and-natural-heritage-sites Parent: https://english.spbu.ru/admission/programms/undergraduate
51.03.04 In English and Russian
Level of education Bachelor
Type of instruction Full-time
Duration 4 years
With additional qualification ‘Tour guide’
Programme description
The Bachelor's programme 'Museology and Conservation of Cultural and Natural Heritage Sites (with additional qualification “Tour Guide”)' is the only Russia's collaborative project between Saint-Petersburg University and the State Hermitage Museum for training museum specialists. The curriculum has been developed in accordance with the socio-political priorities for the preservation and revitalisation of cultural heritage in Russia, as outlined in the Strategy for State Cultural Policy until 2030. The programme’s key focus areas include: examination of the museum and tourism sector’s distinctive characteristics in St Petersburg as a cultural capital; mastery of information technologies and methodologies for museum management; acquisition of foundational skills in the ascription and expert evaluation of cultural objects, including their legal and economic dimensions; annual practical training placements at museums and cultural institutions throughout St Petersburg and the Russian Federation. The programme has a dedicated classroom at the State Hermitage Museum’s Restoration and Storage Centre, as well as the inter-museum educational platform ‘Museum Quarter/St Petersburg’ for practical training. A defining feature of the programme is its interdisciplinary approach to curriculum development and delivery.
The additional qualification ‘Tour Guide’ enhances fundamental expertise in theory and history of culture and museology through the acquisition of specialised knowledge in tour guiding, museum pedagogy, and skills for developing tour guide programmes.
Main courses
- History of Art
- History of Material Culture
- History of World Museums
- History of World Culture
- Aesthetics
- History of World Religions
- Theoretical Fundamentals of Museology
- Theory of Art
- Display and Exhibition Work in a Museum
- Documentation of Historical and Cultural Monuments
- Museumification of Cultural Heritage Sites and Objects
- Excursion Work
- Research and Collections Management in a Museum
- Restoration and Preservation of Museum Objects
- Preservation of Cultural Heritage in Russia
- Professional Ethics
Teaching staff
- M. Piotrovsky — SPbU Professor, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Head of the Department of Museology and Heritage Conservation, Director of the State Hermitage Museum, member of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), member of the RAS Presidium. He holds membership in the Russian Academy of Arts, the Presidential Council for Culture and Art, and the Presidential Council for Science and Education. He is also a member of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), the Exhibition Expert Committee of the European Council, and the Presidium of the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO, President of the Russian Union of Museums. Professor has authored over 250 scholarly publications
- O. Lyubeznikov — Candidate of Historical Sciences, specialises in the socio-political history of Russian museology and heritage conservation in 19th-20th century; history of St Petersburg/Leningrad, history of architectural restoration, and biographical studies
- M. Biryukova — Doctor of Cultural Sciences, specialises in the history of international art, contemporary exhibition practices, and auction house operations. She has authored two monographs and eighty research papers, and has participated in five research projects
- A. Mayorov — SPbU Professor, Doctor of History, Head of the Department of Museology at Saint-Petersburg University. Professor Mayorov also leads the Centre for Museology and Tourism established within the SPbU Department of Museology
- A. Nikonova — Candidate of Philosophical Sciences, specialises in cultural theory and history, theory of museology, and cultural heritage preservation. She has participated in six research projects, authored seventy research articles, and co-authored three joint monographs
Our advantages
- The programme has been created and is being implemented in cooperation with the State Hermitage Museum
- Practical training is held in the leading museums of St Petersburg
- Students acquire fundamental knowledge of the humanities and social sciences
- They master skills in the practical implementation of knowledge in the field of museum and exhibition, and museum and educational activities
- They master skills in the practical implementation of knowledge in the field of preservation of cultural heritage
- The programme is unique in that it provides a broad education, which is achieved through a range of courses in different disciplinary areas
- Graduates of the programme receive an exceptional opportunity to apply their knowledge in: expert bureaus; galleries and exhibition rooms; historical, ethnographic and tourist information centres; research and design organisations in the field of culture; government agencies in charge of administration and protection of cultural monuments; and public and private organisations in the tourism business both in Russia and abroad
Career opportunities
Practices at
- Museum and technological internships and practice in guiding tours
- The State Hermitage Museum
- The Popov Central Museum of Communications
- The State Museum of the History of Religion
- The Russian Museum of Ethnography
- Leningrad Defence and Siege Museum
- The State Russian Museum
- The State Museum-Reserve ‘Peterhof’
Professions
- Museum documentation specialist
- Custodian
- Curator of exhibition projects
- Research Worker
- Guide
Organisations where our graduates work
- State Hermitage Museum
- A. Popov Central Museum of Communications
- State Museum of the History of Religion
- State Russian Museum
- Peterhof State Museum-Reserve
- Russian Museum of Ethnography
- State Museum of the History of St Petersburg
- Russian Academy of Sciences’ Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (the Kunstkamera)
- State Memorial Museum of Defence and the Siege of Leningrad