The field of cultural industries disciplines in Iran is quiet. The number of people who choose these fields for higher education has never been large; but this figure has been on a downward trend ever since 1394 (2015/16).
Tourism in 94 had the highest number of students among cultural industries fields, but with a sharp decline in 1401 (2022/23) it became the second field, behind cinema. Cinema, despite a decline of about 5,000 students, is now the leading cultural industries field in terms of student numbers.
Music and video game fields have seen the smallest declines. Even so, video games in 94 had fewer than 1,000 students, and this number is essentially too small for its growth or decline to be of much note. After these two fields, animation has seen the smallest decline.
For many people, cultural industries fields are imagined as taste-based disciplines that require practical experience and skill more than education. Also, because of a credentialist outlook in some segments of society and a serious view of the job market for university fields, cultural industries fields are not considered a priority. This is especially so in conditions where economic and livelihood challenges threaten people.
For more information on the state of education and research in the cultural industries, you can consult the education and research status map .
See the original infographic (Persian)
Machine-translated from Persian by Namafar; the Persian original is authoritative. Read the original in Persian