The Graduate Program in Sociology (PPGS) at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) offers doctoral (4 years) and master’s (2 years) degrees.
Our program prepares students that are looking for a theoretical and methodological training in sociology to pursue careers in various sectors. Our graduates have been extraordinarily successful in obtaining research and teaching positions at universities. They have also taken jobs at more vocational-oriented schools, such as the Brazilian Federal Technological Institutes. A smaller but significant number have pursued careers in government, business and non-profit organizations.
Created in 1973, the PPGS at UFRGS is one of the oldest graduate programs in the field of sociology in Brazil and is currently ranked by CAPES (federal agency for the improvement of higher education personnel) as one of the top three best-rated graduate programs in sociology among the 52 existing in Brazil.
EXCELLENCE IN HIGHER EDUCATION
The academic excellence of our graduate program stems primarily from the quality and diversity of our faculty and students.
Belonging to UFRGS, the best federal university in Brazil, according to evaluation by the Ministry of Education and one of the five best-rated universities in the country according to the main international rankings, also accounts for such excellence. UFRGS academic leadership, in turn, stems from the commitment of the 45 thousand students and about three thousand faculty members who work at the 86 undergraduate courses, 83 master’s and 71 doctoral courses, encompassing a broad array of knowledge areas.
The UFRGS graduate program in sociology is based at the Institute of Philosophy and Human Sciences (IFCH) along with other graduate programs of national and international class in the field of social sciences: Anthropology, Political Science, Philosophy, History and Public Policies. The constant interaction between students and professors of all these programs engenders a plural and stirring environment for research and teaching. Many faculty members teach at several programs and the students can take classes of all programs.
STUDYING AND LIVING IN PORTO ALEGRE
Located in the southernmost Brazilian state, Porto Alegre is internationally known for its innovative experiences of grassroots social movements building democratic and participatory governance systems. Two of the best globally known initiatives born in this city were the World Social Forum and the Participatory Budgeting Policy, an experience Porto Alegre pioneered in the 1990s.
With nearly 1.5 million inhabitants, Porto Alegre is one of the main regional capitals in the country. The city’s rich and diverse political and cultural life is strengthened by the presence of four large universities (UFRGS, PUC, UNISINOS and UFCSPA), which together comprise about 1.1 hundred thousand students and make Porto Alegre a kind of national science and technology hub.
ADMISSIONS, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSIVENESS
Admissions to master’s and doctoral courses are based on annual selection processes. We welcome applicants from all knowledge areas and from any country.
The selection process usually includes a written exam, interview, and analysis of curriculum and of the proposed research project that must fit into one of our Areas of Specialization.The selection process can be either partially or fully conducted at distance. Application requirements are detailed in each annual application call.
Foreign candidates are not required to submit evidence of Portuguese language proficiency at the selection process. However, classes are taught in Portuguese and Portuguese language proficiency is a requirement to complete the graduate course. Because of that, many international students choose to enroll on the Portuguese as a second language course to improve their knowledge.
We value diversity and we are committed to promote inclusiveness at the Graduate Program in Sociology by adopting affirmative action policies including a quota of places specifically allocated for minority groups such as applicants self-declared black, indigenous, transsexual, transvestite or refugee.
Applicants from other countries, once approved in the selection, can only enroll in the course after obtaining the appropriate visa for studying in Brazil.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
UFRGS is a public university and charges no tuition or administrative fees. In addition, the university maintains restaurant services that serve meals at subsidized prices for all students. UFRGS also has three halls of residence, though these are only available for Brazilian students that comefrom low income backgrounds.
The university counts on a department dedicated to welcome foreign students, which provides further information.
The Brazilian government provides, on a yearly basis, a limited number of doctoral (R$2,400.00 per month) and master’s (R$1,200.00 per month) scholarships. The grant of such scholarships is based on the rules set by funding agencies (CAPES and CNPq) and by the PPG.
The PPGS criteria for granting give priority to students that reached thehighest grades in the selection process and to quotas under affirmative actions (see the full criteria here).
Both Brazilian and foreign applicants can equally compete for scholarships.
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
The DOCTORATE degree requires four years of study. To obtain the degree of Doctor in Sociology you must:
- successfully complete a set of courses, mandatory and electives, totaling 300 hours. In the first year of studies, the courses are taken on-site;
- have your research project approved by an examining committee following oral defense, in the second year of study;
- submit evidence of proficiency in two foreign languages (English, French or Spanish) and, in the case of foreign students, in Portuguese;
- have your doctoral dissertation approved following oral defense in no later thar 48 months after admission.The dissertation can be written either in Portuguese, in English or in Spanish.
The MASTER’S degree requires two years of study. To obtain the degree of Master in Sociology, you must:
- successfully complete a set of courses, mandatory and electives, totaling 330 hours. In the first year of studies, the courses are taken on-site;
- have your research project approved by an examining committee following oral defense, in the first year of study;
- submit evidence of proficiency in one foreign language (English, French or Spanish) and, in the case of foreign students, in Portuguese;
- have your master’s thesis approved following oral defense in no later thar 24 months after admission. The thesis can be written either in Portuguese, in English or in Spanish.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
The academic year begins in Mars and finish in December.
Doctorate
All doctoral students must take at least two mandatory courses: ADVANCED METHODS and RESEARCH PROJECT SEMINAR.
Students with master’s degrees in other knowledge areas must also attend: CLASSICAL THEORY and CONTEMPORARY THEORY.
Other courses are electives related to the different areas of specialization and can be chosen according to the interests of the students.
Master
All students of the master’s course must take, at least, five mandatory courses: CLASSICAL THEORY; CONTEMPORARY THEORY; RESEARCH METHODS; RESEARCH PROJECT SEMINAR; and DISSERTATION SEMINAR.
Other courses are electives related to the different areas of specialization and can be chosen according to the interests of the students.
AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION
All students and faculty members are associated with one of the program’s specialization areas that define the main themes of the research projects.
This research area encompasses projects that analyze the processes of stigmatization, discrimination, inequality affecting social minorities and theindividual and collective forms of resistance they engender. It also focuses on the consequences of these processes for individuals and groups, expressed indifferent forms of inequality, disadvantage and social exclusion, and on the analysis of public policies implemented to address these social problems.
Courses related to this research area:
MINORITIES: STIGMATIZATION AND DISCRIMINATION PROCESSES
THEORIES OF RACISM
RACISM IN POST-COLONIAL DEBATES
RACISM AND RACIAL INEQUALITIES IN BRAZIL
SEXUALITIES AND GENDER RELATIONS
THE MULTIPLE FACES OF FEMINISM
SOCIOLOGY OF YOUTH
This research areafocuses on social impacts of knowledge production and distribution in society. It analyses the social character of knowledge production and investigates the implications of knowledge production and reproduction for society. The specialization area includes the following research fields: Sociology of education; Sociology of science and technology; Sociology of morality and religion; Sociology of culture.
Courses related to this research area:
EDUCATION AND SOCIETY
SOCIOLOGY OF MORALITY
CULTURE AND SOCIETY
This research area focuses on the study of socioeconomic phenomena considering the relations between economic actions and socio-political-cultural actions. The area integrates research fields such as the sociology of firm, sociology of markets, sociology of finance and sociology of labor. Main topics of interest are the formation and structuring of markets; development, globalization and production chains; State and economic activity; innovation, science and technology; agency, networks and interests; sociology of entrepreneurship; university-business collaboration.
Courses related to this research area:
ECONOMIC SOCIOLOGY
NEW ECONOMIC SOCIOLOGY
SOCIETY, ECONOMY AND INNOVATION
SOCIOLOGY OF INSTITUTIONS
SOCIOLOGY OF ECONOMIC ACTION
Belonging to the field of political sociology, this research areainvestigates the relations between the State and society, focusing on the study of public policies and social projects. Emphasis is puton the themes of public policies, participatory democracy, social movements and relations between the governmental levels of the federation (decentralization, federalism).
Courses related to this research area:
THEORIES OF THE STATE
SOCIETY, POWER, AUTHORITY
DEMOCRATIC THEORIES AND SOCIAL PARTICIPATION
POLITICAL CULTURE, SOCIAL CAPITAL AND CIVIL SOCIETY
COLLECTIVE ACTION, CONTENTION AND ENGAGEMENT: THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES
URBAN SOCIOLOGY, SOCIAL ACTORS AND INTERNATIONALIZATION OF CITIES
This area of research looks into the processes and social relations of contemporary rural. It focuses on theanalysis of transformations, dynamics, impacts and socio-environmental relations in the perspective of complexity and social alterity. It investigates public policies and the processes of rural and territorial development, analyzing the forms of interaction between organizations, institutions and social actors, and incorporating environmental and food issues.
Courses related to this research area:
CONTEMPORARY RURAL STUDIES
SOCIOLOGY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
TECHNOSCIENCE, NATURE AND SOCIETY
SOCIOLOGY OF FOOD
SOCIOLOGY OF EATING
This research area analyses the implications and constraints of the dynamics of production processes, in view of the new paradigms of production and development and the dissemination of information and communication technologies; the transformations in the labor markets, in labor and employment relations, and in the performance of the relevant social agents in these processes: workers, entrepreneurs, governments, institutions of collective representation. It also investigates the subjective and moral dimensions of work, such as centrality, meanings and recognition.
Courses related to this research area:
THE DEBATE ON THE MEANINGS OF WORK IN CAPITALISM
WORK PROCESSES IN CAPITALISM
WORK AND TECHNOLOGY
SOCIOECONOMIC INEQUALITIES AND WORK
WORK AND SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH
This area focuses on the study of the phenomena of contentiousness and violence that shape contemporary societies. The sociological approaches taken in this research area have converged towards the construction of a Sociology of Contentiousness in which violence emerges as a social process and a specific concept, related to interpretations of the criminalization process, the field of social control, the relations between law, society, administration of justice and punishment, the increasing judicialization of social and political demands, and the figurations of violence, crime and social conflicts.
Courses related to this research area:
CRIMINALIZATION PROCESS
SOCIOLOGY OF LAW
SOCIOLOGY OF VIOLENCE AND CONTENTIOUSNESS
VISITING SCHOLARS
Scholars and researchers on leave from other universities who wish to stay at UFRGS for short-term research should initially contact a faculty member of the GPS with whom he/she shares similar thematic interests. A faculty member of the program will be appointed to supervise the research activities.
With funds from the program Capes PrInt, UFRGS provides a limited number of scholarships to support visiting scholars. To find out more, visit the program’s website or contact the GPS.
Except for Capes Print scholarships, no other type of stipend or financial support is provided by UFRGS to visiting researchers.
VISITING RESEARCH STUDENTS
The Graduate Program in Sociology welcomes master’s and doctoral students from other universities who wish to stay for a period at UFRGS to develop their research or take isolated courses. The stay period should last up to one year.
The first step in applying for this type of short-term visit is to contact a GPS faculty member with whom the student shares similar thematic interests. The research work will be supervised by this faculty member.
INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
The PPGS has cooperation agreements with universities and research centers in several countries: GERMANY (Ruprechts-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn; Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen Nürnberg); CHINA (China Agricultural University); COLOMBIA (Pontificia Universidad Javeriana de Colombia); ECUADOR (Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales); FRANCE(Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’Homme; Université Paris Ouest Nanterre la Défense; Centre International de Recherche Agronomique pour le Dévéloppement); ITALY (Universitá degli Studi di Torino); RUSSIA (Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration), among others.
Most of these agreements are related to research projects and networks, such as: the Center for German and European Studies; the BRICS Initiatives in Critical Agrarian Studies (BICAS) and the Red Políticas Públicas y Desarrollo Rural en América Latina y el Caribe.
UFRGS also has cooperation agreements with several public and private institutions around the world. You can check here if your institution has a cooperation agreement with UFRGS. If your university is not among the academic partners of UFRGS, you still can apply to a visit stay. We welcome applications from all students. Feel free to contact us for further information.
RESEARCH GROUPS
The start of research groups is one of the main mechanisms for conducting collective projects. These groups congregate professors and students from the PPGS and other graduate programs at UFRGS, as well as from other universities.
Participation in group activities is one of the most effective means of integrating visiting scholars and visiting research students. If you wish to develop activities in partnership with the PPGS, we invite you to get acquainted with our research groups.
CONTACT US
Academic issues: apoio.ppgs@ufrgs.br
Projects and agreements: ppgs-coordenacao@ufrgs.br
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Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul
Graduate Program in Sociology
Director: Prof. Dr. Maycon Noremberg Schubert
