University training and research in cultural heritage management in Mexico

In the last twenty years in Mexico, there has been a process of professionalization of the agents that develop management practices of cultural heritage that occurs from the generation of university training programs and scientific and humanistic research. The purpose of this paper is to present the results of an exploratory study, whose purpose is to analyze the development and configuration of research and professional training in cultural heritage management. For this, a mixed methodology (quantitative / qualitative) was used, applying the techniques of documentary analysis, content analysis, and open interviews to identify and characterize the university curricula related to cultural heritage and the various research groups that develop academic production on that. Forty-six public and private higher education institutions from twenty-five states of the Mexican Republic were considered. It is concluded that there is a trend in the growth of research with diversification of themes and their academic products. Similarly, the academic offer has had constant growth and is focused on developing professional skills related to work practices. This process is outlined by the governments cultural, educational, and scientific policies that have contributed to outlining the professional profile of the agents that manage cultural heritage.