The Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) has released the results of its four-year evaluation of graduate programs - (master’s and doctoral degrees) offered by Brazilian higher education institutions. The results highlight the continued advancement of graduate education in the Federal University of Ouro Preto (UFOP).
A total of 35 graduate programs in UFOP were evaluated, and two programs maintained their status of excellence, receiving a score of 6: Environmental Engineering and Crustal Evolution and Natural Resources.
Five graduate programs achieved a score of 5: Communication, Health and Nutrition, Mining Engineering, Mathematics Education, and the Multicenter Chemistry Program. As a result, they are considered well-established programs by CAPES. In addition, the programs in Biotechnology, Biological Sciences, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Education, Civil Engineering, History, and Computer Science maintained their previous score of 5.
Five other programs improved their performance and achieved a score of 4: Applied Economics, Tourism and Heritage, Chemistry, Instrumentation, Control and Automation of Mining Processes, and Construction Engineering. Seven programs that had already received a score of 4 in the previous evaluation cycle (2017–2020) maintained that rating. According to Paula Cristina Mendonça, Vice-Rector for Research, Graduate Studies, and Innovation, “when a program receives a score of 4, it means that it can begin considering the creation of a doctoral program.”
Paula believes that the results reflect UFOP’s growth: “They indicate that our graduate programs are becoming increasingly well-established and moving toward excellence in the next evaluation cycle.”
This progress is also reflected in the resources that may become available for research carried out in UFOP. “These results are important for competitiveness in funding calls, for the amount of resources we can secure, and for the number of scholarships available. Therefore, they directly impact student training and the attraction of new students to these programs,” Paula emphasized.
Four-Year Evaluation
The evaluation process conducted by CAPES is part of the system used to ensure the continuity and quality of graduate programs. The assessment covers three main dimensions:
- Program: mission, objectives, values, suitability of the concentration area, research lines, faculty profile, strategic planning, and self-evaluation.
- Training and Scholarly Output: quality of theses and dissertations, intellectual production of faculty, students, and alumni, career paths of graduates, and faculty engagement in graduate activities.
- Impact: visibility, local, national, and international engagement, as well as the program economic, cultural, or artistic impact.
Results are expressed on a scale from 1 to 7. Programs rated 3 and 4 are considered to be in the consolidation phase, with programs rated 4 being well-evaluated across all criteria. Programs rated 5 are considered very good in all indicators and are regarded as well-established. Programs receiving 6 or 7 are recognized as programs of excellence.
These evaluation results serve as the basis for decisions made by Brazilian National Education Council (CNE), under the Ministry of Education, regarding the renewal of official recognition for graduate programs and their authorization to continue operating in subsequent evaluation periods.
