Course content is based mostly on case studies and information meetings with cultural heritage professionals.

General teaching modules are common for all students and provide the knowledge and skills essential for the position of curator, both from an administrative and scientific perspective. Specialty teaching modules provide the knowledge, skills and methods specific to each one of these specialties: archaeology, archives, historical monuments and inventory, museology, scientific, technical and natural heritage. Added to this training course are in-depth thematic seminars that complete the issues raised in the teaching modules.

An important place is given to the continuation of the trainee curators' research projects. In this context, a framework agreement drawn up between the Inp and the University paris 1 Panthéon -Sorbonne allows student-curators to pursue their doctoral-level studies taking into account the knowledge and skills already acquired within the Inp.

Teaching instruction involves almost 300 participants coming from State administrative and cultural heritage services, local authorities, academics and private sector professionals.

Internships

The training course is completed by four work placements of different nature and duration placing the students in professional situations to allow them to fulfill their tasks – project design, guidance, project management – which will be entrusted to them once they commence their professional duties.

- Internship in cultural administration | 1 month
- Internship in cultural heritage specialties | 5 months
- Internship abroad | 7 weeks
- Internship interdisciplinary practice programme | 1 month 

After the training

Graduate heritage curators for the State and the City of Paris are officially employed and assigned to their respective administrations. For State heritage curators, the choice is made according to the list of jobs on offer. Applicants must produce a written demand addressed to the employer-services through the general director of cultural heritage and after a signed approval by the director of the Inp.

Graduate heritage curators for local authorities are registered on a territorial curatorial reserve list. This registration is valid for one year and may be renewed twice at the request of the party concerned during the month preceeding the end of the first and second registration year.

Registration on the reserve list does not guarantee recruitment, graduates must contact local and regional authorities that declare job vacancies.

After recruitment by a local authority or a public establishment belonging to a local and regional government authority, applicants are appointed trainee-curators for a period of six months by territorial authorities with the right to nominate curators for certain permanent posts.

Full-time employment of trainee-curators is set by decision of territorial authorities on completion of the work placement and particularly in light of a written report established by the president of the Centre national de la fonction publique territoriale (State Civil Service).