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The Academy of Heritage

For the 21st time, we invite you to join the Heritage Academy’s postgraduate programme. Run by the International Cultural Centre and the Krakow University of Economics, the programme offers a modern curriculum in cultural asset management and the promotion of cultural heritage. Classes at the Heritage Academy are taught by experts from Poland’s most dynamic cultural institutions. Applications for the 2026/2027 academic year will remain open until 25 September.

The postgraduate programme run by the ICC and the Krakow University of Economics prepares graduates for modern work in cultural institutions and for the wise management of heritage resources, both tangible and intangible. The Heritage Academy offers 300 hours of classes and 16 weekend sessions. Practical sessions, seminars, lectures and fieldwork are led by qualified staff. These are individuals specialising in the creation and organisation of exhibitions, the management of large museums and collections, the conservation of works of art and the protection of cultural heritage.

The Heritage Academy’s modern programme

The Heritage Academy’s postgraduate programme covers topics that enable students to expand their knowledge of the most pressing issues, such as the use of AI tools in the cultural sector, the protection of cultural heritage in the event of a crisis or war, as well as the legal aspects of the restitution of lost or illegally exported works of art in Poland and Europe. Participants in the Heritage Academy programme have the opportunity to learn about how cultural institutions operate, studying their funding and management systems. They can also gain an “insider’s view” of the workings of museums, cultural centres and galleries, as well as selected contemporary conservation projects.  

During the 21st edition of the Heritage Academy, as every year, there will be study visits to cultural institutions, field workshops held at historic sites, and a study trip dedicated to the topic of cultural heritage management. This academic year will also provide an opportunity to take part in Open Lectures, organised as part of the study programme.

Price: 2900 pln perm term

Teaching wise heritage management since 2001

The MCK Heritage Academy has been running its postgraduate programme since 2001. Since then, 20 intakes have taken place, with over 450 participants. The main aim of the programme is to prepare graduates for modern work in cultural institutions and for the wise management of both tangible and intangible heritage resources. The Heritage Academy programme is aimed at employees of cultural institutions, tour operators, heritage conservation services, teachers, museum professionals, as well as owners of historic buildings and investors.

Graduates of the Academy of Heritage include. Paulina Cius-Górska (Director of the Upper Silesian Ethnographic Park in Chorzów), Marcin Dawidowicz (Mazovian Voivodeship Conservator of Monuments), Michal Dębowski (Municipal Conservator of Monuments in Szczecin), Monika Gubala (Director of the Department of Culture and National Heritage in the Office of the Marshal of the Małopolska Region), Dorota Janiszewska-Jakubiak (member of the ICC Program Council), Dr Piotr Oleńczak (Director of the Office of Decorations and Appointments at the Chancellery of the President of the Republic of Poland), Dr. Katarzyna Palubska (ICOMOS – International Council on Monuments and Sites), Zygmunt Sabik (Deputy Director of the International Centre for Training and Research on Heritage in Danger, Wrocław).

Staff

dr Michał Wiśniewski
Head of the Education Centre Academy of Heritage, Lecturer at the Academy of Heritage
PhD Wojciech Bałus
Institute of Art History of the Jagiellonian University
dr Dorota Białek-Kostecka
Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow
PhD Marek Ćwiklicki
Prof. UEK, Krakow University of Economics
Maria Dankowska, PhD
Łódź University of Technology
PhD Piotr Dobosz
Faculty of Law and Administration of the Jagiellonian University
Maciej Gnela, MA
Krakow University of Economics
Piotr Górajec, MA
deputy director of the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace at Wilanów
Dr Katarzyna Góralczyk
Doctor of security studies, researcher at the Faculty of History and Cultural Heritage at the Pontifical University of John Paul II
Paweł Jaskanis, MA
Director of the Museum of King Jan III’s Palace at Wilanów
Alicja Knast, MA
Director of the National Gallery in Prague
PhD Piotr Krasny
Art historian, researcher of the history of early modern art
PhD Andrzej Matlak
Faculty of Law and Administration of the Jagiellonian University
Ambrose Mituś, PhD, Prof. UEK
Prof. UEK
Monika Murzyn-Kupisz, PhD, prof. UJ
Prof. UJ
dr Michał Niezabitowski
Krakow historian, museologist
Przemysław Nocuń, PhD
Institute of Archaeology of the Jagiellonian University
Katarzyna Plebańczyk, PhD
Faculty of Management and Social Communication of the Jagiellonian University
Marcin Poprawski, PhD
Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań
Prof. Jacek Purchla
Art historian and economist
Andrzej Siwek, PhD
PhD in architecture and urban planning
Prof. Wojciech Szafrański
Doctor of legal sciences, professor at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań
Marek Świdrak, MA
Art historian and lawyer
Prof. Krzysztof Surówka
Head of the Department of Public Finance at the Krakow University of Economics
Prof. Bogusław Szmygin
Lublin University of Technology
Prof. Stanisław Waltoś
Faculty of Law and Administration of the Jagiellonian University
Grzegorz Zajączkowski, MA
Engineer, programmer
Dominik Ziarkowski, PhD, Prof. UEK
Assistant professor at the Department of Tourism at the Krakow University of Economics

Programme / theme blocks

The state and heritage
International determinants of the protection and promotion of cultural heritage

Dissonant heritage – selected issues in the field of art history

History of artistic and conservation doctrines

Theory and methodology of monument conservation in Poland

Theory and methodology of archaeological works in Poland

Legal and organisational foundations for the protection of cultural heritage in Poland
Copyright

Restitution of cultural goods

Financing tasks in the cultural sector

Contemporary functioning of the art market in Poland

Meetings with representatives of selected cultural institutions

Legal and economic conditions for the operation of museums and cultural institutions in Poland

Museology and collecting

Educational programmes in cultural institutions

Marketing of cultural heritage objects

Public relations in cultural institutions

New media and promotion of cultural heritage

Heritage and tourism

Basics of organisation and management in a public institution
Cultural activities in the light of the Polish legal system

Public finance

Public procurement

Strategic management in a cultural institution (audit and management control)

Tasks and competences of local government in the field of culture and art

Practical application of the act on the protection of monuments by public administration bodies

The role of spatial planning and real estate development in the process of cultural landscape protection

Revitalisation of cultural heritage and financing of conservation works

How to apply

The studies last two semesters and include 16 weekend meetings consisting of lectures, exercises and diploma seminars covering 274 teaching hours.

Classes are conducted in a stationary form in Krakow.

 

They take place on Saturdays and Sundays, on average once a month.

 

In addition, a trip covering 30 teaching hours will be carried out. This is a total of 304 teaching hours of classes.

Cost of one semester of studies: PLN 2,900 (possibility of paying in installments).

 

After registering, you must pay a non-refundable deposit of PLN 200 within a week, by which the fee for the first semester will be reduced.

1. Fill out the application form

2. Attach the appropriate documents: a copy of your higher education diploma, CV and 3 photos

3. Send the form along with the documents to: w.marchewczyk@mck.krakow.pl

4. Pay the recruitment fee Acceptance limit: maximum 25 people. The order of applications counts. MCK reserves the right not to launch the course in the event of an insufficient number of applications.

 

Wiktoria Zajdel-Marchewczyk

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