Universities and higher education in Brazil
Encyclopedia
Brazil
adopts a mixed system of public and private funded universities. Usually public funded universities offer the best quality education, and they are 100% financed by the government
. Public universities can be federally funded (all universities with acronyms in Portuguese
starting with "UF" are federal universities), or financed by State governments (such as USP
, Unicamp
and Unesp in the State of São Paulo
). A list of federal universities of Brazil can also be checked, as well as a list of all universities by State (List of universities in Brazil).
In some of the Spanish and English colonies in the Americas, institutions of higher learning denominated universities were established as early as the 17th century. Nevertheless, with respect to level of education, such institutions were similar to the most important Jesuit colleges in colonial Brazil, particularly those located in the cities of Salvador and Rio de Janeiro, which likewise offered liberal arts courses in Latin, Greek, philosophy and theology. Upon graduating, students had the option of either becoming priests or continuing their studies in Europe, usually at the University of Coimbra in Portugal
. After the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1759, other religious orders such as the Benedictines and Carmelites
were encharged with education in Brazil, alongside "aulas-régias" funded by the Portuguese Crown. In 1792, the Escola Politécnica was founded in Rio de Janeiro. Following the arrival of D. João VI and the royal court, other schools of higher learning, although not formally called "universities", were founded in Brazil, including those specialized in civil and military engineering such as the Academia Real de Marinha (1808) and Academia Real Militar (1810). Two medical faculties were also established, the Academia Médico-Cirúrgica in Salvador (1808) and the Academia Médico-Cirúrgica in Rio de Janeiro (1809). In addition, other technical courses in the fields of botany, chemistry, geology, mineralogy and economy were created. Shortly after independence from Portugal, under the reign of D. Pedro I, faculties of law were founded in São Paulo
(1827) and Olinda
(1827). Many of those institutions served as nuclei that subsequently developed into modern Brazilian universities, i.e. the Federal University of Bahia, the Federal University of Pernambuco
, the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and the University of São Paulo
.
The Brazilian university system nowadays reflects world standards and some of Brazil's universities appear among the 500 best in the world. The University of Sao Paulo
is for instance the first Ibero-American institution in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings
's top-200 (Position 178 in the World)..
and the European Union
's Bologna process
. The following are rough comparisons:
Comparing the former European national systems, the Brazilian "Bachelor" would be equivalent to the old German "Diplom", to the Italian "Laurea"; or to the French "Bac 5 ans".
(B.A.) or Bachelor of Science
(B.S.) in the United States
. Brazilian and American Master's and Doctoral degrees are roughly equivalent.
In order to enter university in Brazil, candidates must undergo a public open examination called "Vestibular", which usually lasts 1–2 days and takes place once a year. Some universities may run Vestibular twice a year, for two yearly intakes instead of only one. This option is popular with private universities, while public universities usually run Vestibular only one time every year (in November, December or January). Universities offer a limited number of places, and the best qualified candidates will be seleted for entrance. Vestibular consists of a long examination on high school subjects, including Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, Geography, Literature, Portuguese language, and a foreign language, usually English
. Since public universities are totally free of charge, competition at the Vestibular is usually fierce for a place in a public university.
Recently some universities in Brazil started accepting students according to performance during school and a new entrance examination was designed by the Education Ministry and adopted by most public universities, ENEM (which stands for Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio). Both ENEM and "Vestibular" will co-exist in the future.
Below a summary of the grading systems:
Usually the lowest passing grade in Brazil represents a 6 or a 7 (6 or 7 out of 10 / 60% or 70% / a "C" or a "D"), but some universities adopt a 5 or 50% as the minimum passing grade.
Universities are free to choose their grading system.
is fierce. Public universities will usually run courses all-day long, while private universities will offer a mix of all-day long and night-only courses. The latter is increasingly a popular way for working people to complete higher education in Brazil. Some public universities have lately introduced some night-only courses, whereas some day-courses may still be required.
Even though public universities offer the best quality education as well as research, there is a continued complaint from those institutions that they are underfunded. Private universities tend to have better and newer infrastructure (e.g. buildings and campi) than public funded instituons, even though these also tend to be smaller when compared to the ones from public universities.
There are currently over 2600 public and private universities between distributed throughout Brazil, this number is growing increasingly more time with the proper education / university that the country is experiencing.
, IME
and of FGV
. ITA (Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica) is a college sponsored by the Brazilian military, and whose graduates often are later employed at the Brazilian Aerospace Industry and by Embraer
. IME (Instituto Militar de Engenharia
) is the Army's older equivalent. FGV (Fundação Getúlio Vargas
) is a foundation/think tank offering Management and Economics courses, and is recognized as being one of the finest institutions nationwide.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
adopts a mixed system of public and private funded universities. Usually public funded universities offer the best quality education, and they are 100% financed by the government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
. Public universities can be federally funded (all universities with acronyms in Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
starting with "UF" are federal universities), or financed by State governments (such as USP
University of São Paulo
Universidade de São Paulo is a public university in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. It is the largest Brazilian university and one of the country's most prestigious...
, Unicamp
Universidade Estadual de Campinas
Universidade Estadual de Campinas is one of the three public universities of the Brazilian state of São Paulo, along both USP and UNESP....
and Unesp in the State of São Paulo
São Paulo (state)
São Paulo is a state in Brazil. It is the major industrial and economic powerhouse of the Brazilian economy. Named after Saint Paul, São Paulo has the largest population, industrial complex, and economic production in the country. It is the richest state in Brazil...
). A list of federal universities of Brazil can also be checked, as well as a list of all universities by State (List of universities in Brazil).
History of higher education in Brazil
See in depth history of Brazilian science on main article Brazilian science and technologyBrazilian science and technology
Brazilian science and technology have achieved a significant position in the international arena in the last decades. The central agency for science and technology in Brazil is the Ministry of Science and Technology, which includes the CNPq and Finep...
In some of the Spanish and English colonies in the Americas, institutions of higher learning denominated universities were established as early as the 17th century. Nevertheless, with respect to level of education, such institutions were similar to the most important Jesuit colleges in colonial Brazil, particularly those located in the cities of Salvador and Rio de Janeiro, which likewise offered liberal arts courses in Latin, Greek, philosophy and theology. Upon graduating, students had the option of either becoming priests or continuing their studies in Europe, usually at the University of Coimbra in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. After the expulsion of the Jesuits in 1759, other religious orders such as the Benedictines and Carmelites
Carmelites
The Order of the Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel or Carmelites is a Catholic religious order perhaps founded in the 12th century on Mount Carmel, hence its name. However, historical records about its origin remain uncertain...
were encharged with education in Brazil, alongside "aulas-régias" funded by the Portuguese Crown. In 1792, the Escola Politécnica was founded in Rio de Janeiro. Following the arrival of D. João VI and the royal court, other schools of higher learning, although not formally called "universities", were founded in Brazil, including those specialized in civil and military engineering such as the Academia Real de Marinha (1808) and Academia Real Militar (1810). Two medical faculties were also established, the Academia Médico-Cirúrgica in Salvador (1808) and the Academia Médico-Cirúrgica in Rio de Janeiro (1809). In addition, other technical courses in the fields of botany, chemistry, geology, mineralogy and economy were created. Shortly after independence from Portugal, under the reign of D. Pedro I, faculties of law were founded in São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
(1827) and Olinda
Olinda
Olinda is a historic city in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco, located on the country's northeastern Atlantic Ocean coast, just north of Recife and south of Paulista...
(1827). Many of those institutions served as nuclei that subsequently developed into modern Brazilian universities, i.e. the Federal University of Bahia, the Federal University of Pernambuco
Federal University of Pernambuco
The Federal University of Pernambuco is a public university located in Recife, Brazil, and established in 1946. UFPE has 70 undergraduate courses and 175 postgraduate courses. As of 2007, UFPE had near 35,000 students and about 2,000 professors. The university has three campuses: Recife, Vitória...
, the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and the University of São Paulo
University of São Paulo
Universidade de São Paulo is a public university in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. It is the largest Brazilian university and one of the country's most prestigious...
.
The Brazilian university system nowadays reflects world standards and some of Brazil's universities appear among the 500 best in the world. The University of Sao Paulo
University of São Paulo
Universidade de São Paulo is a public university in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. It is the largest Brazilian university and one of the country's most prestigious...
is for instance the first Ibero-American institution in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings
Times Higher Education World University Rankings
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings is an international ranking of universities published by the British magazine Times Higher Education in partnership with Thomson Reuters, which provided citation database information...
's top-200 (Position 178 in the World)..
Degrees
- Undergraduate degrees — in Brazil called "graduate" degrees (graduação):
- Bachelor'sBachelor's degreeA bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
(bacharelado): varying between 3 to 6 years of full time studies for completion. Enables individuals to act as professionals in a certain area (e.g., lawyerLawyerA lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, economistEconomistAn economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
, physicianPhysicianA physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
). - LicentiateLicentiateLicentiate is the title of a person who holds an academic degree called a licence. The term may derive from the Latin licentia docendi, meaning permission to teach. The term may also derive from the Latin licentia ad practicandum, which signified someone who held a certificate of competence to...
(licenciatura): varying between 3 to 4 years of full time studies for completion. Enables individuals to act as elementary or secondary school teachers in a certain area (e.g., licensed teacher of Math, of English, of Biology). - Technology (tecnologia): varying between 2 to 3 years of full time studies for completion. Shorter, more specific professional courses aimed at providing highly specialized knowledge in a shorter amount of time (e.g., technologist on agribusiness, technologist on tourism management).
- Graduate degrees — in Brazil called "postgraduate" degrees (pós-graduação):
- "Lato sensu postgraduate" degrees: represent a specialization in a certain area, and take from 1 to 2 years until completion. A lato sensu degree is not a door opener for the later pursue of a doctoral degree. If the person is interested in a PhD, a strictu sensu master's degree should be taken instead (see below). MBA programs in Brazil are classified as lato sensu programs.
- "Stricto sensu postgraduate" degrees: enable the individual to pursue an academic career. In a chronological order:
-
-
- Master's degreeMaster's degreeA master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
(mestrado): one to two years of full time studies for completion. Often serves as additional qualification for those seeking a differential on the job market, or for those who want to pursue a PhD. A stricto sensu master's degree in management is the equivalent of a full time MBA in North America. - Doctoral degree / PhDPHDPHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
(doutorado): 3-4 years for completion. Usually used as a stepstone for an academic life. - Postdoctoral degree (pós-doutorado): usually denotes excellency on a field of knowledge.
- Master's degree
-
Brazil—Europe
There is no formal treaty between the Brazilian Ministry of EducationMinistry of Education (Brazil)
The Ministry of Education , MEC, is a Brazilian government ministry.Functions of this ministry: national education policy, early childhood education, elementary education, secondary education, higher education, youth and adult education, among other teachings Taking their proper decisions so that...
and the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
's Bologna process
Bologna process
The purpose of the Bologna Process is the creation of the European Higher Education Area by making academic degree standards and quality assurance standards more comparable and compatible throughout Europe, in particular under the Lisbon Recognition Convention...
. The following are rough comparisons:
- the European First Cycle would correspond to the Brazilian undergraduate degrees of bachareladoBachelor's degreeA bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
, licenciaturaLicentiateLicentiate is the title of a person who holds an academic degree called a licence. The term may derive from the Latin licentia docendi, meaning permission to teach. The term may also derive from the Latin licentia ad practicandum, which signified someone who held a certificate of competence to...
, and tecnologia. While a Brazilian "Bachelor" takes 3 to 6 years for completion, as well as usually a written monograph or a final project, European "Bachelors" can complete their degree in 3 years, after which they may enroll on a 1 or 2-year-long "Master's degree" in the Bologna processBologna processThe purpose of the Bologna Process is the creation of the European Higher Education Area by making academic degree standards and quality assurance standards more comparable and compatible throughout Europe, in particular under the Lisbon Recognition Convention...
. - the Second Cycle in the Bologna processBologna processThe purpose of the Bologna Process is the creation of the European Higher Education Area by making academic degree standards and quality assurance standards more comparable and compatible throughout Europe, in particular under the Lisbon Recognition Convention...
would correspond to Brazilian Master's and "lato sensu postgraduate" degrees. - the Third Cycle in the Bologna processBologna processThe purpose of the Bologna Process is the creation of the European Higher Education Area by making academic degree standards and quality assurance standards more comparable and compatible throughout Europe, in particular under the Lisbon Recognition Convention...
would be equivalent to the Brazilian Doctoral degree.
Comparing the former European national systems, the Brazilian "Bachelor" would be equivalent to the old German "Diplom", to the Italian "Laurea"; or to the French "Bac 5 ans".
Brazil—USA
Brazilian Bachelor's degrees could be compared to a four-year Bachelor of ArtsBachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
(B.A.) or Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
(B.S.) in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Brazilian and American Master's and Doctoral degrees are roughly equivalent.
Vestibular (University entrance examination)
For in depth information on Vestibular see VestibularVestibular
The Vestibular is a competitive examination and is the primary and widespread system used by Brazilian universities to select their students. The Vestibular usually takes place from November to January, right before the start of school year in February or March, although certain universities hold...
In order to enter university in Brazil, candidates must undergo a public open examination called "Vestibular", which usually lasts 1–2 days and takes place once a year. Some universities may run Vestibular twice a year, for two yearly intakes instead of only one. This option is popular with private universities, while public universities usually run Vestibular only one time every year (in November, December or January). Universities offer a limited number of places, and the best qualified candidates will be seleted for entrance. Vestibular consists of a long examination on high school subjects, including Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, Geography, Literature, Portuguese language, and a foreign language, usually English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. Since public universities are totally free of charge, competition at the Vestibular is usually fierce for a place in a public university.
Recently some universities in Brazil started accepting students according to performance during school and a new entrance examination was designed by the Education Ministry and adopted by most public universities, ENEM (which stands for Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio). Both ENEM and "Vestibular" will co-exist in the future.
Grading system
There is a myriad of grading systems in Brazil, of which the most popular are:- Percentage point grading system (range 0–100%)
- Scale grading system: ranges from 0 to 10 (rationals), being 0 the worst and 10 the best grades respectively
- Stage grading system: usually uses letters ranging from A (best) to E (worst)
Below a summary of the grading systems:
-
- - "A": 90–100% (Excellent)
- - "B": 80–89% (Very good)
- - "C": 70–79% (Good)
- - "D": 60–69% (Satisfactory)
- - "E": < 50% or < 60% (Failing grade)
Usually the lowest passing grade in Brazil represents a 6 or a 7 (6 or 7 out of 10 / 60% or 70% / a "C" or a "D"), but some universities adopt a 5 or 50% as the minimum passing grade.
Universities are free to choose their grading system.
Exams
Exams are conducted by the professors and are decentralized, meaning that every professor is responsible for scheduling, applying and scoring exams. In contrast to some other countries, there is no equivalent in Brazil of centralized university departments in charge of scheduling and grading exams.Public and private universities
Public universities usually offer the best quality education, and therefore competition during the VestibularVestibular
The Vestibular is a competitive examination and is the primary and widespread system used by Brazilian universities to select their students. The Vestibular usually takes place from November to January, right before the start of school year in February or March, although certain universities hold...
is fierce. Public universities will usually run courses all-day long, while private universities will offer a mix of all-day long and night-only courses. The latter is increasingly a popular way for working people to complete higher education in Brazil. Some public universities have lately introduced some night-only courses, whereas some day-courses may still be required.
Even though public universities offer the best quality education as well as research, there is a continued complaint from those institutions that they are underfunded. Private universities tend to have better and newer infrastructure (e.g. buildings and campi) than public funded instituons, even though these also tend to be smaller when compared to the ones from public universities.
There are currently over 2600 public and private universities between distributed throughout Brazil, this number is growing increasingly more time with the proper education / university that the country is experiencing.
Niches of excellence
Brazil presents some niches of excellence in higher education, both public and private. Some of those niches, in spite of being recognized nationwide, are not recognized as universities and often do not appear on official universities rankings. The best known examples are of ITAIta
Ita or ITA may refer to:* Itá, Paraguay* ITA Software, Inc., a travel industry software firm* Italian language, from its ISO 639-2 language code* Italy, from its ISO 3166-1 country code* Aeta, an ethnic group in the Philippine Islands...
, IME
IME
-IME:* Institute of Management Education,* IME, Hayatabad Peshawar, PhD and MS Faculty-Organizations:* Institution of Mechanical Engineers, British engineering society...
and of FGV
FGV
FGV can refer to:*Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat Valenciana, a Spanish railway company.*Fundação Getúlio Vargas, a Brazilian think tank....
. ITA (Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica) is a college sponsored by the Brazilian military, and whose graduates often are later employed at the Brazilian Aerospace Industry and by Embraer
Embraer
Embraer S.A. is a Brazilian aerospace conglomerate that produces commercial, military, and executive aircraft and provides aeronautical services....
. IME (Instituto Militar de Engenharia
Instituto Militar de Engenharia
The Instituto Militar de Engenharia is an engineering university maintained by the Brazilian Army with Federal support. IME is the oldest and one of the best ranked engineering schools in Brazil, according to the Ministry of Education of that country...
) is the Army's older equivalent. FGV (Fundação Getúlio Vargas
Fundação Getúlio Vargas
Fundação Getulio Vargas is a Brazilian higher education institution founded on December 20, 1944. It offers regular courses of Economics, Business Administration, Law, Social Sciences and Information technology management...
) is a foundation/think tank offering Management and Economics courses, and is recognized as being one of the finest institutions nationwide.
See also
- Undergraduate education in Brazil
- Graduate degrees in Brazil
- Bachelor's degree in Brazil
- CNPq (National Council for Scientific and Technological Development)
- Lattes PlatformLattes PlatformThe Lattes Platform is an information system maintained by the Brazilian Government to manage information on science, technology and innovation related to individual researchers and institutions working in Brazil.It is named after a Brazilian physicist, Cesar Lattes, and it is maintained by the...
(database for indexing Brazilian research and researcher CVs) - Brazilian science and technologyBrazilian science and technologyBrazilian science and technology have achieved a significant position in the international arena in the last decades. The central agency for science and technology in Brazil is the Ministry of Science and Technology, which includes the CNPq and Finep...
- Ministry of Education (Brazil)Ministry of Education (Brazil)The Ministry of Education , MEC, is a Brazilian government ministry.Functions of this ministry: national education policy, early childhood education, elementary education, secondary education, higher education, youth and adult education, among other teachings Taking their proper decisions so that...
- Coordenadoria de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível SuperiorCoordenadoria de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível SuperiorCoordenadoria de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior is a government agency linked to the Brazilian Ministry of Education in charge of promoting high standards for post-graduate courses in Brazil....
(CAPES) - INEP (National Institute for Research in Education)
- Education in BrazilEducation in BrazilEducation in Brazil is regulated by the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Education, which defines the guiding principles for the organization of education programs...
External links
- Ministry of Education (Ministério da Educação, or "MEC"): http://www.mec.gov.br (In Portuguese)
- National Institute for Research in Education (Instituto Nacional de Estudos e Pesquisas Educacionais, or "INEP"): http://www.inep.gov.br/ (In Portuguese)
- Graduate Coordination Body (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, or "CAPES"): http://www.capes.gov.br/ (In Portuguese)
- National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, or "CNPq"): http://www.cnpq.br/english/cnpq/index.htm