West Virginia University’s Eberly College of Arts and Sciences is now offering a graduate certificate program in cultural resource management. This interdisciplinary program focuses on the preservation and interpretation of historic and archaeological sites and their role in regional development and heritage tourism.
Cultural resources are those parts of the physical environment, both natural and built, that have cultural value of some kind,explains Associate History Professor Gregory Good, the coordinator of the new certificate program.These resources are frequently historic buildings and artifacts that are important to the public, but they can also include alterations to a natural landscape.
The curriculum of the CRM certificate is based on guidelines outlined by national professional bodies and the National Park Service. Program participants will complete a series of four courses and an internship.
The first class of students in the program will begin in fall 2003, and Good expects between 20 and 25 students to be enrolled. While learning about the historic relevance and preservation of cultural resources, students will also learn about state laws and federal legislation that regulate historic artifacts and how to promote these resources to encourage tourism and local economic development.
Graduates of this program will be able to help preserve historic sites,Good said.They will help interpret those sites for the public, determine why they are important to the nation, and then be able to restore, preserve, and promote the site without inflicting damage.The certificate can be earned separately or as part of related graduate degree programs offered by WVU . Most students will earn a masters degrees in public history, fine arts, park management, or public administration.
Depending on their interests and training, graduates of the program could restore or construct historic buildings, map and interpret prehistoric archaeological sites using geographic information systems, and manage museum collections of artifacts, documents, or oral histories.
The certificate presents a variety of diverse opportunities for graduates,Good said.Im very excited about this new program. It is critical that we educate professionals who can preserve our heritage sites and help promote the economic development of the state based on its heritage.
Instructors will be drawn from the Eberly College, the College of Creative Arts, the Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Consumer Sciences, the College of Law and professionals who will serve as lecturers and internship supervisors.