Cultural Heritage is a broad spectrum, encompassing tangible, intangible, and natural heritage: the built environment, monuments, works of art, and artifacts borne of human expression and creativity; the history, customs, traditions, and languages of communities as an expression their identities; the natural landscapes, biodiversity, and geodiversity in the environment.

VIU programs address the many aspects of Cultural Heritage, providing students and participants with the opportunity to engage in the academic discourse related to Cultural Heritage, through a critical examination of the issues, including preservation and restoration, (sustainable) heritage tourism, the impacts of globalization, policy issues and governance of cultural organizations, and also training in the use of digital technologies in research, and in the preservation and management of sites and artefacts of universal value, and the means to improve accessibility to them. The interdisciplinary field draws from many disciplines including history, philosophy, anthropology, economics, management, architecture, urban planning, history of art, and history of architecture.