Specialist Certificate in Cross-Cultural Conservation and Heritage

The Specialist Certificate in Cross-Cultural Conservation and Heritage is designed as a knowledge exchange program and draws on the Centre for Cultural Material Conservation’s extensive industry and community partnerships to combine traditional and contemporary approaches to the preservation of cultural objects across a range of cultural settings. The Specialist Certificate focusses on the conservation of cultural material as a foundation for broader understandings of the significance of culture as a source of identity, social cohesion and sustainable development. The Program provides students from diverse cultural and professional backgrounds with the opportunity to benefit from the expertise held by fellow students and their communities, and from Indigenous experts in Australia and other cultural leaders in the Asia-Pacific region. The Specialist Certificate is designed for practicing museum and heritage workers to gain access to and expertise in contemporary and traditional approaches to conservation, for Indigenous students seeking entry to graduate study and for a range of professionals seeking to work with Indigenous communities. The Specialist Certificate is a pathway to further study in the Postgraduate Certificate in Arts (Cultural Material Conservation) and Master of Cultural Materials Conservation.

Students who complete the Specialist Certificate in Cross-Cultural Conservation and Heritage should:

• Be able to apply cross-cultural skills and methods to the identification and resolution of problems within complex changing social contexts in the cultural materials conservation and affiliated professions.
• Have developed a cross-cultural and interdisciplinary understanding and approach to the identification and resolution of conservation and heritage issues in diverse contexts.
• Have developed an independent approach to different knowledge systems that uses rigorous methods of enquiry and appropriate theories and methodologies that are applied with respect for ethical values across community and professional understandings of cultural materials conservation.
• Have a firm grasp of what constitutes effective cross-cultural communication as part of a shared teaching and learning experience.

The course is a part-time 25-point certificate comprising 2 level 9 subjects (12.5 points):

1. Issues in Cross-Cultural Preservation
2. Cross-Cultural Assessment and Treatment

Core Subjects

1. In order to be considered for entry, applicants must have completed:
• a statement of intent in seeking entry; and
• a three-year undergraduate degree in any discipline, or equivalent; or
• at least five years of documented professional experience in cultural conservation, cultural heritage and related professional and cultural fields, which demonstrates the capacity to successfully undertake the course.
Meeting these requirements does not guarantee selection.

2. In ranking and/or assessing applications, the Selection Committee will consider:
• prior academic qualification and performance;
• the personal statement of intent; and, if relevant
• professional experience.

3. The Selection Committee may seek further information to clarify any aspect of an application in accordance with the Student Application and Selection Procedure.

4. Applicants are required to satisfy the university’s English language requirements for postgraduate courses. For those applicants seeking to meet these requirements by one of the standard tests approved by the Academic Board, performance band 6.5 is required.

Students must attend all sessions of the course unless a specific exemption is granted by the program coordinator.

For the purposes of considering requests for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this course are articulated in the Course Description, Course Objectives and Generic Skills of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

After the completion of this course, students are eligible to receive 25 credit points toward the following courses;

• Master of Cultural Material Conservation
• Postgraduate Certificate in Arts (Cultural Material Conservation Specialisation)
• Master of Arts and Cultural Management
• Postgraduate Diploma in Arts (Arts and Cultural Management)
• Master of Art Curatorship

he Melbourne Experience enables our graduates to become:

• Academically excellent:
• have a strong sense of intellectual integrity and the ethics of scholarship
• have in-depth knowledge of their specialist discipline(s)
• reach a high level of achievement in writing, generic research activities, problem-solving and communication
• be critical and creative thinkers, with an aptitude for continued self-directed learning
• be adept at learning in a range of ways, including through information and communication technologies
• Knowledgeable across disciplines:
• examine critically, synthesise and evaluate knowledge across a broad range of disciplines
• expand their analytical and cognitive skills through learning experiences in diverse subjects
• have the capacity to participate fully in collaborative learning and to confront unfamiliar problems
• have a set of flexible and transferable skills for different types of employment
• Leaders in communities:
• initiate and implement constructive change in their communities, including professions and workplaces
• have excellent interpersonal and decision-making skills, including an awareness of personal strengths and limitations
• mentor future generations of learners
• engage in meaningful public discourse, with a profound awareness of community needs
• Attuned to cultural diversity:
• value different cultures
• be well-informed citizens able to contribute to their communities wherever they choose to live and work
• have an understanding of the social and cultural diversity in our community
• respect indigenous knowledge, cultures and values
• Active global citizens:
• accept social and civic responsibilities
• be advocates for improving the sustainability of the environment
• have a broad global understanding, with a high regard for human rights, equity and ethics

• Develop strong research and research production skills.
• Ability to contextualise complex knowledge and synthesis this into effective communication.
• Commitment to professional and academic ethics and excellence
• Collaborative and teamwork skills through working with fellow students
• A capacity to critically investigate, modify and adapt new ideas and approaches
• Contribute to debates about culture and its significance.