The interdisciplinary academic master's degree project in Tourism and Heritage is linked to the Tourism program of the Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP). This is the first graduate program in this field of study in the state of Minas Gerais. In the country, there are only six academic master's degrees and four doctoral degrees, besides three professional master's degrees.
The program has already been approved by the Technical and Scientific Council of Higher Education (CTC-ES) of the interdisciplinary sector of Capes, but there is still another step: the approval by the Chamber of Higher Education of the National Council of Education (CES/CNE). The board will decide on the authorization and recognition of the program. Only after the homologation of the result by the Minister of Education, the program can start with the implementation of the collegiate.
The program coordinator, Maria do Carmo Pires, professor of the Department of Tourism, highlights the relationship between UFOP and the theme of the master's degree, since the University is located in a region recognized for its cultural and natural heritage. "This proposal to create a graduate program in Tourism and Heritage, the first in the interdisciplinary area at UFOP, is based on the assumption of needing to think about the relationship and the uses of cultural assets that constitute our heritage through Tourism as an alternative to the cities of Minas Gerais considered 'historical'.
The new program aims to train qualified people for professional practice and teaching, research and extension activities in the interdisciplinary field, focusing on the relationship between tourism and heritage and their conditions of sustainability. It aims to make these professionals able to develop research focused on knowledge and appreciation of the region's heritage and its importance to tourism, in addition to training students, enabling them to develop the skills needed to operate in the labour market, ensuring quality and effectiveness in managing tourism in a sustainable way for the preservation of heritage.
Therefore, professor Maria do Carmo Pires affirms that the Master's Program brings to the Region of Inconfidentes a contribution to the diversification of the local economy. "Despite the great potential and the existence of programs aimed at regional development through tourism, the cities of Minas Gerais have not yet managed to get rid of the economic dependence linked to the mining sectors," she says.
Initially, the program will count on 14 professors from different departments: Tourism, Museology, Law, and Education and Technology, the last one from the Center for Open and Distance Education (Cead) Twenty annual vacancies will be offered.
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