Cultural Studies

bachelor's programme
  • Length of study: 4 years (8 semesters), full-time study
  • Professional field: Sociology, anthropology and cultural sciences
  • Bulgarian
  • Qualification: Bachelor in Cultural Studies
    Bachelor in Cultural Studies and teacher of Psychology and Philosophical disciplines in secondary schools.
  • AddressSofia 1113 125, Tsarigradsko Shose Blvd. Block 1, floor 4; room 408; 02 870 63 26
  • Administrative Assistant:Angelina Chipeva | chipeva@phls.uni-sofia.bg

Led by:

The BA students of Cultural Studies receive a multidisciplinary education in the different fields of culture, its complexity, communicative potential, traditions and values.

The degree programme of Cultural Studies trains experts in the field of governance, administration and management of culture, cultural policies, marketing and advertising of cultural products, organization of cultural events, cultural expertise and analysis, as well as in the field of research of cultural processes.

General information

The knowledge and skills acquired in the bachelor’s degree are in three main areas:
• Cultural history with emphasis on Bulgarian cultural history and history of cultural forms in European and Balkan contexts. Special focus is the issues around cultural heritage, as well as the dynamics of contemporary culture in the contexts of European integration and globalization, on the one hand, and nationalist projects and military conflicts, on the other. This set of courses aims at developing skills for contextualization of cultural phenomena, analytical description of their interconnectedness, and understanding and reconstruction of their specific historical meanings.
• General theoretical and methodological training. It offers a systematic body of knowledge, including basic concepts and their relations; methodological schools and theories of culture; intellectual systems and forms of critical and cultural reflection. This set of courses also introduces basic concepts of “neighboring” disciplines (semiotics, anthropology, theory of religion, philosophy, sociology). It develops the ability for independent analytical and heuristic thinking, analysis of cultural phenomena, as well as basic research skills.
• Applied learning. It develops knowledge and skills in the management and administration of culture, cultural policies and institutions, legal issues of culture, structure and functioning of the market for cultural products, etc. A range of practical skills are developed in the fields of strategic planning and operational management, project management, planning and organizing cultural events and others. An integral part of this block of disciplines is the internship in external cultural organizations.

Professional competences

The degree programme Cultural Studies awards the following professional qualifications:
• Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Studies;

The graduates in Cultural Studies find jobs in public and private cultural institutions, organizations, and foundations, non-governmental organizations, media, advertising and PR agencies, cultural industries, cultural tourism agencies and in a wide range of companies, where creativity, flexibility and good communication skills are needed.

Career opportunities

The Department develops the students’ competitiveness on the job market through internships, which are a mandatory component of the curriculum. During their internship, students work in a partner organization for a certain period of time. The internships introduce students to the daily management of institutions and organizations; planning and organizing cultural events; preparation and implementation of projects, etc. In certain cases, the internships can take place in the Department as part of internal projects, which develop students’ research competencies, as well as their skills for organizing academic and cultural events.
Among the partner organisations that host internships are municipal and state institutions, media, non-profit organizations, galleries, museums, community centers, tour operators, research institutes, publishing houses, and others. In addition, students majoring in Cultural Studies participate in the project “Student Internships” of the Ministry of Education and Science.
As a result of the targeted efforts of the Department to expand the practical and professional scope of the education in Cultural Studies, the degree programme has a positive image among potential employers, who are often proactive in providing internships or recruiting employees.