History

The Graduate Program in Chemistry (PPGQ) at the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) encompasses stricto sensu postgraduate activities and aims to train human resources for teaching, scientific and technological research, entrepreneurship, and other related activities. Currently, it offers both Master's and Doctoral courses, both of which are continuously evaluated by CAPES as one of the best in the field of Chemistry in Brazil, with a "level 7" rating (maximum score).

PPGQ comprises postgraduate activities in five concentration areas: Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry. The faculty is highly qualified and includes permanent professors and collaborators, all of whom hold a doctoral degree. They possess competencies and skills that make the program a leading force in the forefront of scientific and technological knowledge. The faculty members are qualified to supervise Brazilian students as well as students of other nationalities in strategic areas aligned with the priority areas of the MCTI (external link) in research, technology development, and innovation.

The infrastructure of PPGQ is extensive and modern, with classrooms, amphitheaters, administrative offices, laboratories, and one of the most robust equipment parks in the country. This infrastructure, coupled with a highly qualified faculty, creates a unique and synergistic environment that sets PPGQ to a global standard of excellence, enabling cutting-edge research.

The student body of PPGQ comprises individuals from various nationalities and backgrounds. The number of scholarships available for Master's and Doctoral students is one of the program's main attractions, and the selection process allows candidates from different regions of Brazil and even other countries to participate. The scholarships awarded to the selected students are funded by CAPES and CNPq, with the possibility of additional funding opportunities from FAPESP and other programs such as MAI/DAI and EMBRAPII. The program's technological bias, with applied research, reflects its interaction with the industrial sector, allowing for funding from chemical industry companies with potential for research, development, and innovation.

The academic Master's and Doctoral programs were historically established in 1980 and 1987, respectively, leading to the graduation of 805 Master's and 817 Doctoral degree holders until 2022. In this sense, PPGQ takes the lead in training students in the field of Chemistry. The program aims to provide postgraduate students with a set of conditions for professional development, enabling the construction of a range of new intellectual tools for solving scientific and technological problems, while fostering the development of hybrid and fundamental skills necessary to tackle the social, scientific, and technological challenges of the country.