Identifying Factors Involved in Choosing the Subject of Handwoven Carpets for Higher Education

Carpet making in Iran plays an important role in creating job opportunities and increasing the country’s foreign exchange revenues. One of the fundamental and comprehensive programs that can guarantee the survival, expansion and extension of this art and craft is higher education. The course for carpets was first introduced in Iran’s higher education centers in 1375 (1996). Students can apply for a bachelor degree by competing in general examinations. Others can apply for undergraduate diploma in the Inclusive Applied Science University and the Islamic Azad University. In the present research, efforts have been made to study the motives of students studying for an undergraduate diploma in the Inclusive Applied Science University (the higher education center of the Fars Agricultural Jihad Organization) in the years 1381 (2002) and 1382 (2003) and to identify factors that lead students to choose the topic of carpets as a university course. The results of the research show that the strongest factor leading to this choice is primarily personal characteristics (interests, tendencies and experiences), secondly social and family factors (social values and living atmosphere), followed by economic factors (achieving an income and employment).