Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage - from an Independent Study Programme till Specialization Direction

In 1990 the Faculty of Chemical Technology of the Riga Technical University started a new study programme "Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage". Study programme was developed on the basis of the five year engineering study programme "Chemical Technology" and in the beginning was an independent programme just for conservation and restoration students. With the transition to bachelor's and master's study programmes "Conservation and Restoration" programme lost its independence and became as specialization direction in the study programme "Chemistry". That was the reason for extensive and essential changes in the structure and content of the previous study programme. The article analyses such aspects as the compilation of the study programme, its structure and the assigned degrees, their changes with time, conservation and restoration as interdisciplinary and interprofessional specialization, practical training and research work of students and problems connected with their realization, international collaboration in the field of education, reward of teaching staff as well as materials and equipment needed in the teaching process, graduates and their qualification. It is shown that incorporation of specialization study plans in the programme "Chemistry" or "Material Science" as a separate study direction is a more acceptable form for teaching small number of conservation and restoration students. Small number of students and existing model of financing when money follows the student do not stimulate the teaching process and require raising of additional resources