Cultural Relics Conservation Technology Program:

Established in 1989, the cultural relics conservation technology major offered by NWU is the earliest undergraduate major of its kind in China’s colleges and universities. Now it has been designated as a national “first-class undergraduate major” construction site, a famous brand major and a characteristic major in Shaanxi Province. It has a long history and a solid discipline foundation, and enjoys a good reputation in the national cultural and museum community. The cultural relics conservation technology major is a significant pillar for the national “double first-class” construction discipline of archaeology in NWU. Now it has important teaching and research platforms such as the Joint Laboratory of Human and Environment “Belt and Road Initiative” for China-Central Asia of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Key Laboratory of Cultural Heritage Research and Protection Technology of the Ministry of Education, the National Experimental Teaching Demonstration Center of Cultural Heritage Conservation Technology, and the Silk Road Science and Technology Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Protection Innovation and Intelligence Introduction Base.

The Cultural Relics Conservation technology Programs offered by NWU-Salento School of Cultural Heritage and Arts pools together the superior discipline resources of NWU and UniSalento in the field of cultural heritage protection and restoration, integrates and innovates Chinese and Western educational concepts and methods, and provides students with globally top-notch theory and practice teaching of cultural relics protection and restoration, aiming at cultivating students with a good mastery of archaeology, chemistry, cultural relics conservation, fine arts and other related knowledge, grasp the basic theories, methods and skills of cultural relics protection and restoration technology, have international vision, innovative thinking and strong competitiveness, and can engage in cultural relics conservation and restoration practice, research and management.

The faculty for this major is composed of teachers from both NWU and UniSalento. NWU faculty primarily come from the School of Cultural Heritage, the Art School, the History School, the School of Information Science and Technology, and the School of Foreign Languages. Over two-thirds of the faculty members hold doctoral degrees, and half have international research or study experience. UniSalento faculty mainly come from the Department of Cultural Heritage at the University of Salento, and all teachers involved in professional course instruction hold doctoral degrees or associate senior titles or higher. The disciplinary distribution and seniority mix of the jointly selected faculty are well-balanced and fully meet the program’s teaching requirements.

Graduates of this program have opportunities to work in cultural and museum institutions, cultural relics administrative departments, and other organizations engaged in cultural relics restoration, conservation, and management. They may participate in cultural relics protection-related planning and implementation in environmental protection, construction, public security, customs, and other departments. They can also engage in teaching and research in universities and research institutions. Leveraging the advantages of the Sino-foreign cooperative education institution, graduates with an international perspective and strong language skills will not only apply to top-tier international or overseas universities for further studies but also participate in international cultural heritage conservation projects or transnational cultural cooperation.

Fine Arts Program:

NWU started to build the fine arts discipline in 1985, and was approved as a master’s degree authorized unit in fine arts in 1999. Its fine arts major has been designated as a provincial “first-class undergraduate major”. This program makes full use of geographical advantages to inherit the artistic value of China’s cultural heritage, especially the artistic quintessence of cultural relics during the Zhou, Qin, Han and Tang periods, and cultivates professionals with both ability and political integrity in art appreciation, cultural relics identification and restoration, art history research, etc.

The Fine Arts Program at the NWU-Salento School of Cultural Heritage and Arts draws the disciplines and resource advantages of China and Italy in the fields of art appreciation, research on art along the Silk Road, cultural relics conservation and restoration, research on ancient Greek and Roman art, etc., and adopts the teaching method of combining theory with practice, so that students can fully master the advanced concepts and research methods of art appreciation and restoration in China and the West, and extensively exposed to other categories of knowledge and skills, equipping students with a wide range of knowledge reserve and practical ability.

The faculty for this program is composed of teachers from both two universities. NWU faculty primarily come from the Art School, the School of Cultural Heritage, the School of Information Science and Technology, and the School of Foreign Languages. Over two-thirds of the faculty members hold doctoral degrees, and half have international research or study experience. UinSalento faculty mainly come from the Department of Cultural Heritage at the University of Salento, and all teachers involved in professional course instruction hold doctoral degrees or associate senior titles or higher. The disciplinary distribution and seniority mix of the jointly selected faculty are well-balanced and fully meet the program’s teaching requirements.

Graduates from this program are equipped for diverse careers. They can pursue art creation and design in fields such as painting, sculpture, graphic design, and illustration. Opportunities also exist in cultural institutions like galleries and museums, working in curation, management, and art restoration. Other paths include teaching and research at universities or art schools, as well as visual design and content production for media, advertising, and film. Leveraging the advantages of the Sino-foreign cooperative education institution, graduates with an international perspective and strong language skills will not only apply to top-tier international or overseas universities for further studies but also enter the international art market, participating in art exhibitions, auctions, and brokerage work.