Master's program in Cultural Management officially launched at USSH

The participants at the ceremony

The Master's Program in Cultural Management (MPCM) is established to satisfy the need for human resources in the field of cultural management. Based on the study of Vietnamese cultural history and the general exprience in cultural management, combining the theories and lessons of countries in the region and worldwide, the MPCM provides learners with cultural management skills as well as the ability to design, create and provide consulting for cultural management policies at local and national levels. With modern teaching methods and lecturers that are leading historians, culturologists, anthropoligists, etc. the program equips learners with systematic and modern knowledge, allowing them to use the acquired knowledge to solve practical situations that may arise from the rapid and strong development and mutation of cultural affairs.

Dr. Do Thi Huong Thao briefly introduces about the program

Graduates will be able to take up positions at units and organizations dealing with cultural management as well as analyzing, planning and providing consulting about cultural policies. More specifically, learners will be provided with professional knowledge, skills and capability to work at local and central cultural management bodies, research institutes, and international non-governmental organizations.

On behalf of the Vietnamese cultural researchers, Prof.Dr Nguyen Quang Ngoc (Chairman of the VNU Institute of Vietnamese Studies and Development Science) said the study and teaching of culture has always been essential in Vietnam. At Faculty of History, USSH, the Division of Culturology and History of Vietnamese Culture was founded in 1998,  has trained 18 batches of students and is going to develop this minor into an independent major by 2020. Practically speaking, culture has increasingly become a hot issue in Vietnam's modern society. As cultural thinking as well as cultural management thinking has not been able to meet social demands, the introduction of MPCM is especially meaningful. Prof.Dr Nguyen Quang Ngoc believed given the firm foundation of the Division of Culturology and History of Vietnamese Culture, Faculty of History can effectively implement this new program.

Prof.Dr Nguyen Quang Ngoc

Prof.Dr Le Hong Ly (Former President of the Institute of Cultural Studies, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences), in today's context, the concept of culture not only covers advanced and elite cultural phenomena, but extends towards almost every social dimension. Behind cultural phenomena such as the royal seal ceremony at Tran Temple, the buffalo fighting festival and pig slaughter ceremony in Bac Ninh are various political, economic and social implications. Therefore, cultural managers need not only practical experiences but also intensive and trans-disciplinary knowledge provided by the basic sciences, the provision of which is an advantage of USSH in relation to other institutions that offer similar programs.

Prof.Dr Le Hong Ly

At the ceremony, representatives of the cultural management bodies in Vietnam also shared their opinions and remarks about the program.

Assoc.Prof.Dr Le Anh Tuan (Deputy Director General of the Training Department, Ministry of Culture-Sports-Tourism) said as the Vietnamese government has approved the Program "Developing the intellectual cadre for Cultural, Sports, Tourism affairs until 2020", the need for high-quality cultural managers is crucial. He thus highly appreciated the introduction of MPCM by USSH. The Training Deparment, Ministry of Culture-Sports-Tourism commits to support USSH in promoting this new program to relevant and interested government bodies and units.

Assoc.Prof.Dr Le Anh Tuan

At the local level, Deputy Director of Ninh Binh Province's Department of Culture and Sports also confirmed the need to recruit high-quality cultural managers. In his opinion, culture has become an increasingly relevant factor in evaluating a local area's historial sites and natural landscapes. This view was also shared by Dr. Pham Thi Khanh Ngan (Office for Information and Archives, Department of Heritage). In addition, there are processes that require intensive and updated knowledge and understanding of the basic dimensions of social life such as the design of cultural development policies and strategies. For people working in those areas, pursing MPCM at USSH is arguably a viable choice.

MA. Nguyen Cao Tan

Dr. Pham Thi Khanh Ngan

On behalf of the interested student, BA. Nguyen Duc Anh (59th class of Faculty of History, USSH) expressed his gratitude that the Faculty has launched MPCM. He also conveyed his confidence in the lecturers and the learning environment at USSH and confirmed this is a proper destination for learners to advance professional capibility and gain the most expriences for their future career.

BA. Nguyen Dui Anh