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MAFolkloristics and Applied Heritage Studies

Tuition fee €4,000 per year

There are 5 tuition waivers available for top ranked applicants (regardless of citizenship) in 2024.

More information on tuition fees is available at www.ut.ee/tuition.

NB! Applicants who are not citizens of EU/EEA/Switzerland must pre-pay half of the first semester’s tuition-fee after receiving an admission offer.

Application fee €100 one-time

Application fee is non-refundable.
Further information: www.ut.ee/application-fee

More information

ut.ee/folkheritage 

Overview

“Folkloristics and Applied Heritage Studies” is one of the few master’s programmes to offer a specialisation in the study and application of the heritage of crafts. Students develop a solid basis in the study of folklore and critical heritage studies as well as many transferable skills, which enables them to:

  • unpack the process of heritage production and the workings of tradition in the context of cultural diversity and change;
  • act as a mediator between different interest groups in the field of intangible cultural heritage;
  • recognise and ethically apply cultural heritage as a resource in the public and non-governmental sectors, crafts, product design, tourism and various other areas of life.

This programme opened in 2017 with the mission of training specialists, who are well versed in scholarly approaches to folk culture and cultural heritage, and competent to use this expertise creatively in academia and beyond. Heritage has emerged as a key category shaping the ways in which individuals, communities and regional as well as state-level actors relate to the past and imagine the future, while making and re-making themselves in the present. As more states worldwide join the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the need grows for specialists capable of analysing cultural heritage and using it responsibly as a social and economic resource.

The programme is affiliated with the UNESCO Chair on Applied Studies of Intangible Cultural Heritage, established as part of the Institute for Cultural Research in 2019. Only eight UNESCO Chairs dedicated to intangible cultural heritage have been established so far and the UNESCO Chair on Applied Studies of Intangible Cultural Heritage at the University of Tartu is one of them.

The aim of the UNESCO Chair is to conduct research on cultural heritage, prepare students for their future in the field of cultural heritage, and collaborate with heritage professionals near and far. More information about the UNESCO Chair and its activities can be found here.

Why study Folkloristics and Applied Heritage Studies?
• There is a growing need for cultural heritage and policy specialists as more states worldwide join the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
• UT hosts UNESCO Chair on Applied Studies of Intangible Cultural Heritage, one of the eight chairs in the world.
• One of the few master’s programmes in the world to offer a specialisation in the study and application of the heritage of crafts.
• International meetings, autumn and winter schools, guest lectures, internships, exhibitions, cooperation with memory institutions and enterprises allow you to gain practical experience. You will get individual mentoring to develop your academic and professional career.
• After graduation, you can work as a mediator between communities, officials, enterprises, memory institutions, plan and carry out research and business projects related to cultural heritage.

Programme structure

Please see the programme structure in our Study Information System

Career opportunities

Upon completing the programme, students have acquired valuable analytical, writing and communication skills as well as multifaceted practical experiences that they can apply in many areas in the public and non-governmental sectors as well as in business. This programme trains experts in folk culture who are knowledgeable about the functions and application opportunities of tangible and intangible cultural heritage and familiar with processes of cultural policy.

Graduates are capable of guiding the development of the field and acting as mediators between communities, officials, enterprises, memory institutions and other participants in the process of heritage production. They are able to plan and carry out research and business projects pertaining to cultural heritage. As more states worldwide join the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the need grows for such specialists capable of analysing cultural heritage and using it responsibly as a social and economic resource. Graduates also are qualified to continue their studies at doctoral level.

Apply now! Fall semester 2024/25
Application period has ended
Studies commence
2 Sept 2024
Apply now! Fall semester 2024/25
Application period has ended
Studies commence
2 Sept 2024
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