The 2nd cycle degree programme in Science for the conservation-restoration of cultural heritage aims to train "Conservation scientists", further developing their solid background in technical and scientific subjects with further knowledge in historical, artistic and archaeological fields and allowing them to participate in the design, implementation and monitoring of cultural heritage diagnostics, conservation and restoration processes based on the specialist skills acquired in the fields of property characterisation, material composition, deterioration and ancient production techniques of cultural heritage and the development of new materials and methods of intervention and diagnosis. This knowledge will allow conservation scientists to collaborate with other restoration professionals, plan strategies for the correct conservation and restoration of cultural heritage and establish appropriate measures to slow down the deterioration process.
The study programme covers four semesters; during the first two, students are introduced to the applications of the various chemical, analytical, physical, biological, mineralogical methods for the diagnosis, study and characterisation of the deterioration phenomena of cultural heritage. The final semester is dedicated to the preparation and production of the final examination. Based on the knowledge acquired during the first year of the programme, the first semester of year II focuses on the knowledge of computing methods for the documentation and cataloguing of cultural heritage and the principles underlying the various restoration operations applied to different types of works of art. It also introduces the main management principles applied to museum collections and sites of archaeological interest, allowing conservation scientists to contextualise their potential role in and contribution to such institutional situations.
