What makes a Cultural Heritage Expert?: Bridging the Gap between Higher Education and Professional Practice in Greece

Abstract

Abstract Although the professional sector of heritage in Greece has experienced profound transformations, in recent years, due to the ongoing financial crisis, another key shift that calls for serious consideration is the (implicit and/or explicit) requirement for heritage professionals to manage a variety of tasks associated with different scientific fields. In the wake of these developments, Greek universities have begun to reconfigure their role in knowledge production. The article presents an in-depth examination of postgraduate programs in cultural heritage offered by Greek universities and how they relate to emerging agendas in the professional sector of heritage in Greece. This twofold investigation (a) demonstrates that most postgraduate programs currently put a surplus of emphasis on instrumentalism, professional experience, and the coverage of a wide range of module topics and (b) explains the reasons why this triad in academic education also forms the dominant vision for the heritage workforce of the twenty-first century.