(Heritage Dual Degree 2023-2024)
"I look back fondly on all the new connections with heritage practitioners and emerging professionals I made at BTU and at Deakin, as well as the people I met during the ICOMOS GA 2023 in Sydney and its surrounding events. If you are interested in the broader scale of heritage and how and where it is presented, this degree might be the very best for you — it certainly has been for me!"
(Heritage Dual Degree 2023-2024)
"I would say that my experience in Australia has shaped the way I think about heritage. I believe that when thinking about heritage the first thing to take into consideration are the people connected to that heritage, natural or cultural, tangible or intangible. Heritage is a fundamental expression for the communities and a way to remember and celebrate their shared history.
Taking part in the Dual Degree is an unmissable opportunity. You'll be able to learn so much, and not only university-wise. Living in a country with a different history and culture taught me more than I expected. It was once in a lifetime experience, I am grateful for the people I have met and all the places I was able to see."
(Heritage Dual Degree 2023-2024)
"Participating in the Dual Degree program between Deakin University and BTU has been a privilege and an amazing opportunity.
Immersing yourself in foreign cultures and languages during study exchanges is a unique and important tertiary opportunity, and one I will always be grateful for."
(Heritage Dual Degree 2023-2024)
One of the best things about BTU, Deakin and the Dual Degree is students' diversity and willingness to support and learn from one another. If heritage and museums are to be for everyone and address today's biggest problems, nurturing and enriching that diverse community is essential.
(Heritage Dual Degree 2023-2024)
I am incredibly grateful for every experience the Dual Degree program made possible. Not only have I been able to implement my interests in my academic pursuits, but I have also gained valuable practical skills and made inspiring connections with professionals at all levels and from a variety of backgrounds.
Find out more about Laura's experience of the Dual Degree here.
(Heritage Dual Degree 2023-2024)
The Heritage Dual Degree gave me the chance to study in Europe for 6 months, to experience the culture there and learn about heritage from another perspective, but also mainly to experience life. That was really good because I had this chance to experience life as a “local” and to gauge whether this is a place that I would want to find work and settle in.
We also get degrees from the two universities at the end so that was really attractive.
(Heritage Dual Degree 2021-2022)
My time during the Dual Degree has been quite interesting, to say the least. I have experienced it in a different way and along the way, I have strengthened relationships with the community of heritage students.
During the first trimester at Deakin, the biggest change was the rhythm of online learning. Practically, it has allowed me to be involved in a learning environment with all the resources and tools to freely move back and forth among the themes and topics of the units. With the units of Digital Interpretation and Intangible Cultural Heritage, there was a rich amount of content to examine and explore at different stages of the trimester.
Through my previous experience as a museum professional, I had not been a big user of technology and media strategies. The unit of Digital Interpretation was an exciting opportunity to think and explore further upon communication strategies that contribute to expand museums and enhance exhibition experiences. I enjoyed this unit and the approach to museums from a creative perspective and the imagine possibilities that are facilitated through digital media.
I am looking forward to keep being creative and explore more topics in the next trimester.
(Heritage Dual Degree 2021-2022)
My time in Melbourne has been really enjoyable so far. The course load is light and there’s a lot of online and independent learning. As such I made the decision to live closer to the city so that I could explore more of it. The neighbourhood I live in called Brunswick has a really bohemian vibe and I really find myself fitting in quite nicely.
What I really enjoy most is the everyday small adventures and routines that I have made for myself in this lovely city. I’ve got myself a second hand bike and spend most of my days touring the lovely suburbs and parks, going to farmers and craft markets, op shops (a local name for second hand thrift stores), vintage shops, discovering new cafes, trying all the world cuisine Melbourne has to offer and enjoying the never-ending choices of local arts and music events.
Some of the girls in the dual degree programme are also in the same shared house and we’ve gotten quite close. It’s a really lovely time getting to know them and going for day trips with them as well.
Whilst we do not spend a lot of time in campus, when we do it tends to be quite memorable. I remember the most fun I had was during a lesson in the intangible cultural heritage course where some researchers were brought in to talk about the heritage of childhood and play. They had a touching presentation on documenting children’s play and private worlds that have resulted due to the corona pandemic. They also were very sweet and showed us some of the toy collections they had and let us relive our childhood by playing with them for awhile. I also had the rare opportunity of being exposed to Australia ICOMOS through a mentorship program and a field trip at a rail workshop and museum. I am looking forward to observing the professional field in heritage in Melbourne through my mentor.
What is the role of Heritage professionals?
This is one of the questions we ask ourselves the most when we are in the heritage field, and today we want to share with you what our #HeritageDualDegree Alumni Bisrat shared with us on the topic.
"We are working with the local people wherever we go. We have to know that they are the experts, and we are just helpers".
Bisrat, who currently works with @Unesco #Ethipia as an intern, started the #HeritageDualDegree at #BTU in the World Heritage Studies' Masters Degree, and in 2020 he made his exchange at Deakin, where he went deep on the importance of communities. For him, communities are the base of #Heritage.
Watch this clip of Bisrat, and stay tuned for his full interview: https://www.instagram.com/p/CTz08eKlDAj/
Meet Isabelle Rupp (@isabelle_cr ).
She is Austrian-American and grew up in different countries like the USA, Jordan, Sudan, Germany and France. She is a citizen of the world!. Isabelle studied an undergraduate degree in Anthropology and Classics in the United States and was working in South Korea for a year.
In 2019, she entered the Master of Arts in World Heritage Studies at #BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg. She was one of five selected from 2020 to pursue the dual program in heritage in Germany and Australia. She travelled to Melbourne in March 2020 and experienced the first wave of #COVID19 there with her BTU colleagues.
After this experience in Deakin, museum-related classes are her favourite, and her idea of Heritage has been expanded, as she now has a perception of the Asia-Pacific region.
(Heritage Dual Degree 2023-2024)
"If you're interested in broadening your understanding of culture and academic learning in the heritage and museum field, the dual degree offers an excellent opportunity. It allows you not only to experience different university atmospheres but also diverse cultures, people, educational atmospheres, and societies. It's more than just studying; it's about immersing yourself in diverse experiences."
(Heritage Dual Degree 2023-2024)
I am incredibly grateful for every experience the Dual Degree program made possible. Not only have I been able to implement my interests in my academic pursuits, but I have also gained valuable practical skills and made inspiring connections with professionals at all levels and from a variety of backgrounds.
Find out more about Laura's experience of the Dual Degree here.
(Heritage Dual Degree 2023-2024)
The Heritage Dual Degree gave me the chance to study in Europe for 6 months, to experience the culture there and learn about heritage from another perspective, but also mainly to experience life. That was really good because I had this chance to experience life as a “local” and to gauge whether this is a place that I would want to find work and settle in.
We also get degrees from the two universities at the end so that was really attractive.
"I remember an experience that brought me closer to heritage. During my Bachelor studies in architecture, I made an exchange semester to Indonesia. This university in Indonesia taught completely different subjects in the field of architecture than my German university. I gained an incredible insight into their traditional concepts and building techniques. In a study project, I even had the chance to design my own building that combined modern and traditional concepts. This experience with the tangible and intangible aspects brought up my passion and interest for vernacular architecture and heritage at all.
I think a master’s degree in Heritage is a great add-on to a bachelor’s degree in architecture. I decided to go in this direction after my experience in Indonesia." - Sarah
"At #BTU, I most liked about my diverse and hardworking colleagues, where I felt no discrimination or any kind of unrest. Being a large, colorful and warm family was the most inspiring and significant aspect of my study." - Levent
“The Dual Degree Programme is the opportunity to be immersed in a nurturing, challenging and immeasurably rewarding educational framework. The combination of the World Heritage and Cultural Heritage curricula has allowed me to more fully comprehend the scope of heritage and the practical tools available for its protection. The cross-cultural learning environment has prompted me to critically reflect on the field, and to have a more heightened awareness of diverse perspectives and cultural contexts which inform it. Most significantly, the programme has fostered my pre-existing passions and interests, inspired me to discover new possibilities in the expanded field, and given me the confidence and vision to approach my future career in a more innovative and creative capacity.”
“Considering that we were the first batch of students to be given the opportunity to be a part of the dual-degree programme, we took the opportunity in a heartbeat! The most enticing aspect of this was the complimentary study modules, which struck a perfect balance between tangible-intangible, euro-centric and value based aspects of heritage studies. While academia was a huge motivation to be a part of the dual-degree, the added perks of being in another country/continent and to be able to experience both life and heritage through different perspectives was extremely alluring. The flexibility in choosing the study modules allowed me to mould it to suit my needs.
Since BTU and Deakin is the hub of many World Heritage related activities, it was very accessible to be part of several significant heritage fraternity discussions and conferences, which imbibed a sense of belonging. As an intern at Port Arthur Historic Sites and Management Authority (PAHSMA) I was able to put my academic learning’s into practice at one of the most breath-taking locations in Australia. All said and done, the individuals who have been a part of the dual-degree journey were the ones who made it so remarkable. Cottbus being a small town has its many perks, a strong student community is one of them, allowing us to learn, appreciate and bond over innumerable multi-cultural gatherings; while Deakin beckons you to experience Australia through exploration.”
“My time at both BTU and Deakin University as part of the Dual Degree was the most incredible and life changing experience. I chose to pursue this programme because I am passionate about World Heritage and saw the potential for this programme to put me ahead of others in gaining a career in heritage. Coming from a background of archaeology, I have always had a passion for history and was really looking to enhance my understanding of cultural heritage management. This has been my academic focus for the duration of the degree especially this year, when writing my Master‘s dissertation on the management of the serial World Heritage property, the Australian Convict Sites.
Living and studying in at BTU in Germany for 7 months really opened my eyes to the diversity in cultural heritage practice. Through meeting so many students from all over the World with a passion for heritage I have made lifelong friends and began to understand just how complex heritage is.
As part of my experience in the Dual Degree, I also attended the ICOMOS 2017 General Assembly and learnt a great deal about international heritage pratice. As a result, I am currently a guest, co-editing an upcoming issue of ICOMOS Australia’s journal Historic Environment. This is a result of all the connections I made as part of the Dual Degree.”
“The dual degree programme was such an amazing other level to an already fascinating degree. Being part of the Cultural Heritage programme at Deakin University meant access to a wealth of expertise, rich class discussions and absorbing field visits. I also managed to secure a place on the ICOMOS mentoring programme which is offered annually and really gets under the skin of heritage legislation in Victoria, heritage impact assessments and conservation management plans. I also secured some awesome voluntary positions at 3 amazing World Heritage sites in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales; Port Arthur, Tasmania; and Shark Bay, Western Australia. Being part of the programme meant it was possible for me to experience urban, cultural, natural, marine and intangible world heritage values, which have rounded and expanded my enthusiasm and love of the field even further.”
“World Heritage Studies at BTU and Cultural Heritage at Deakin make a perfect match – you really get the best of two worlds. Cottbus’ trump card is its international environment, which allows you to challenge your worldviews and think about heritage from a variety of new perspectives, focusing on the more material aspects of cultural and natural heritage. Australia on the other hand gives you the opportunity to engage with fields such as intangible heritage and heritage interpretation. In addition to that, the opportunity to obtain two degrees and to spend half a year in the beautiful city of Melbourne really adds the icing on the cake.”
“As a career driven person, world-renowned heritage programmes, universities and lecturers was an unmissable opportunity. I am extremely thankful the Dual Degree is no ordinary Master’s degree as the first year alone has given me more experience than I ever thought possible! The constant support of a close knit (but huge) community of friends and lecturers has made living and learning abroad possible and incredibly exciting!”
