MSc World Heritage Management & Conservation
Dublin, Ireland
DURATION
1 up to 2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
EUR 22,600 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* full time non-EU fee per year - € 22600; EU fee per year - € 9330 | part time non-EU fee per year - € 11300
Introduction
The UCD Masters Programme in World Heritage Management & Conservation has been conceptualized to address the skills and knowledge required to help heritage managers in solving heritage conservation and management problems, enabling them to directly contribute to the Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals
- The only World Heritage Management course in Ireland and one of the first of its kind in the world.
- A multidisciplinary programme, the course recognises that heritage encompasses the natural, cultural, tangible, intangible and moveable.
- An innovative programme, we strive to demonstrate the shared challenges faced by heritage locally, nationally and internationally and provide practical training on how to address them.
- Visit Ireland's most iconic World Heritage Site, Bru na Boinne.
Vision and Values Statement
Heritage managers play a significant role in planning site management, ensuring sustainability, contributing to sustainable development and transforming the function of heritage in the life of the community. The UCD Masters Programme in World Heritage Management & Conservation is aimed at students who wish to develop their knowledge and skills to excel at managing cultural and natural heritage sites and protected areas. We value motivated students who show a commitment and enthusiasm for tackling conservation challenges and recognise their responsibility as global citizens.
As a multi-disciplinary subject, heritage studies incorporate a wide diversity of heritage resources valued differently by many stakeholders. At UCD we recognise heritage encompasses natural, cultural, tangible, intangible and moveable assets that face many challenges. A key issue in the management of these resources is that cultural and natural features are treated separately even though they face similar challenges and are functionally interlinked. Our unique programme strives to account for these interlinkages in the management of cultural and natural heritages by removing dichotomy and considering them holistically. In doing so we can welcome students from diverse backgrounds and offer you the skills and expertise needed to deal with heritage management and conservation as a whole.
This innovative programme demonstrates the shared challenges to heritage conservation locally, nationally and internationally and provides practical training in how to address them. Furthermore, in recognition of the fact that the importance of heritage is interpreted through how it is valued, we also provide training in how to recognise stakeholders, collate and accommodate their perspectives and mediate and resolve conflict where stakeholders have conflicting interests.
This will be achieved through the use of in-depth globally sourced case studies, national and international field trips (COVID-19 restrictions allowing) and classroom-based training with visiting speakers enabling students to observe best practices in heritage management. Our interactive and supportive learning environment will encourage students to develop their capacity for critical thinking, problem-solving, project management and teamwork. The assessment strategy is designed to replicate real-life scenarios and include tasks such as role play, compiling or evaluating management and communication plans, using maps and IT software to assist in inventorying and monitoring as well as critically assessing sustainability at heritage sites.
Ideal Students
Who should apply?
Full-Time option suitable for:
- Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
- International (Non-EEA) applicants currently residing outside of the EEA Region. Yes
Part-Time option suitable for:
- Domestic(EEA) applicants: Yes
- International (Non-EEA) applicants currently residing outside of the EEA Region. No
The UCD MSc World Heritage Management & Conservation program is designed to accommodate applicants with a variety of academic qualifications including Archaeology, Architecture, Arts, Agriculture, Biology, Business, Geography, Engineering, Economics, and Law. We normally have a diverse group of students with a wide range of experience in different areas of cultural and natural heritage, which creates a dynamic class.
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Please note that UCD offers a number of graduate scholarships for full-time, self-funding international students, holding an offer of a place on a UCD graduate degree programme. For further information please contact our Admissions team!
Curriculum
What modules can I take?
Stage 1 - Core
- ARCH41010 Heritage Marketing & Management
- ARCH41030 Conflict Resolution & Heritage
- ARCH41240 Heritage Management Challenges
- ARCH41250 Nature & Culture: A bridge
- ARCH41390 Masters Dissertation
- ARCH41410 Presenting & Managing Heritage
Stage 1 - Option
- ARCH41340 GIS, Cultural Heritage, and Spatial Thinking
- ARCH41380 Urban Histories and Heritages
- LAW42040 Culture, Heritage, and Human Rights
Program Outcome
- Define heritage and explain the concepts associated with its management and conservation, including sustainability, authorized heritage discourse, serialization, conceptualizations of community, and indigeneity amongst others.
- Demonstrate the benefits of viewing cultural and natural heritages holistically.
- Describe the difference between heritage interpretation and communication and devise an effective communication plan for a heritage site drawing on different mechanisms for dissemination.
- Critically assess the implementation of the policy and legislation associated with heritage management and conservation nationally and internationally.
- Use a risk management methodology to Identify and evaluate solutions for key threats to heritage affecting its sustainability including climate change, tourism, development and exploitation, conflict and looting.
- Discuss the challenges faced by heritage managers around project management, heritage economics, marketing, and human resources.
- Develop and apply practical skills to create and implement an appropriate management plan for heritage sites, including stakeholder identification, collection, collation, and integration of conflicting heritage values, devising effective boundaries and buffer zones, and strategies for monitoring.
- Formulate research questions and design and undertake research to address them using appropriate data collection. Locate, synthesize, and critically review scientific information and data to produce an original professional document that communicates findings and ideas clearly and effectively.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
Careers & Employability
Graduates are building successful careers in the inter-disciplinary field of heritage protection, management, and research in Australia, Canada, China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the European Union, Ethiopia, Georgia, India, Mexico, Uganda, the U.K., and the USA.
Employers include national authorities, international organizations, and in the private sector. Graduates have secured positions in World Heritage properties, National Parks, Botanic Gardens, and Museums, in senior government positions, and positions in education. Examples of roles graduates have obtained include world heritage and protected area manager, heritage officer and education officer, civil servant, natural resources manager, and positions in heritage consultancy firms and research and international conservation agencies.