PROFESSIONAL MASTER’S AND DOCTORAL DEGREE PROGRAMS

Interdisciplinarity was the original inspiration for the creation of the Center for Research and Documentation on Contemporary Brazilian History at Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV CPDOC), which completed 50 years of activity in 2023. This interdisciplinary perspective was reflected in PPHPBC’s fields of study, in its research areas, and in the profile of its faculty. In the specific case of the professional program, the aim is to prepare students for the implementation and management of innovative projects, and to improve their professional practices with the development of a more sophisticated analysis of social reality within the theoretical and methodological terms that characterize the disciplines of history and the social sciences. PPHPBC is conceived as a space for the training and updating of experienced professionals with higher education degrees and who engage or intend to engage from a practical perspective with historical and social research, with the production, preservation, and dissemination of cultural goods, and with the development and implementation of policies aimed at the social spheres. PPHPBC offers training focused on meeting the challenges faced by professionals in the areas of archives, institutions of memory, and social impact projects. We endeavor to prepare them not only for work in the field of culture, but also for administration, public policy, tourism, teaching, communications, sports and leisure, whether in private companies, public agencies, and NGOs.

PPHPBC is organized around the field of study “History, Politics and Cultural Heritage,” which includes research on the country’s republican history, the functioning of Brazilian institutions, the production and conservation of cultural heritage, and the conception and implementation of social projects and public policies. In the specific case of the professional degree program, there are two research areas that encompass this rich thematic diversity. The objective of the first area, “Cultural Heritage,” is to bring together research that addresses the concepts of cultural heritage (material and immaterial), tradition and representation, considered through different frameworks and discourses. The second area refers to “Social Projects and Institutions,” which encompasses studies on the processes of institution-building and decision-making within governmental structures; the role of social leaders, as well as the multiple and complex interfaces with broader political institutions; and public policies and their impact on the construction of citizenship. This area also includes research focused on the conception, monitoring and assessment of social actions developed by public agencies, civil society organizations, and private companies.

All PPHPBC faculty members have doctorates and their areas of qualification vary among the disciplines of history, anthropology, political science, and sociology, living up to FGV CPDOC’s reputation for interdisciplinarity. Faculty plurality is also reflected in terms of gender and seniority, amplifying the representation and interdisciplinarity of the research agendas and ensuring a wide theoretical and methodological range that favors differentiated student training. On the other hand, all faculty members hold in common a commitment to interdisciplinarity and endorse best practices in research, including in terms of theoretical and methodological rigor. All permanent faculty at PPHPBC teach courses and regularly advise master’s and doctoral research. The majority of the faculty is dedicated to full-time teaching and research activities at FGV CPDOC, and consequently available and accessible to students on a day-to-day basis. Faculty are also active in the research working groups (“labs”), and conduct their own research projects, publicized at national and international events.

PPHPBC prioritizes internationalization by creating the conditions that enable faculty members to seek additional qualification abroad, further developing their international careers, and by supporting our students’ search for excellence and singular training with mobility and access to institutions abroad. Through exchange agreements with foreign universities, FGV CPDOC receives students from other countries and sends our students for an experience abroad. Additionally, PPHPBC offers three opportunities annually for students to apply for competitive grants to participate in national or international events, helping to establish a network of contacts within the academic community and a social milieu for student research. Most recently, PPHPBC was honored to receive approval for its Institutional Project “Data Science and the Social Sciences,” within the scope of the CAPES Institutional Internationalization Program, CAPES-Print, to further develop our commitment to the internationalization of our graduate programs. We continue to seek to provide every possible incentive for our students and instructors to develop and improve their education with foreign exchanges that enhance their learning and teaching knowledge and depth of experience.