Curricular Structure

The number of credits required for the completion of the Doctoral Program is, at least, 36 credits distributed in disciplines and seminars and 8 credits of advising (each credit is equivalent to 15 hours of lessons). The deadline for the completion of the program is, at least, 30 months and a maximum of 48 months. Differently from the Master Program, the Doctoral student starts the Program with the research theme and advisor chosen. The Doctoral student will be able to use up to 24 credits of the Master Program, depending on the analysis of the PPGEng Graduate Council. The students must complete the credits up to the end of the third semester (18 months) when they have to take the qualification exam. In the first semester, the student must attend the mandatory discipline of Infrastructure and the Environment II. Due to the connection with different research groups in the Program, the students will have the opportunity to deepen the discussions with a broader perspective of the interdisciplinary approach present in the concentration area of the program. In the second semester, the student will attend the discipline of Special Topics II. This discipline, taught by the advisor, presents open syllabus to conclude the theoretical or practical contents. In the third semester, the student will attend the discipline of Seminar III.  This discipline aims at the preparation and the public presentation of the research project of the thesis (qualification exam) to a board composed of three doctors and one professor from another institution and the advisor who will preside the board. To perform the qualification, the student must have been approved in proficiency exams in two foreign languages, one of them must be English (can be used from the Master). During the three first semesters, the student will take the optional disciplines agreed on with the advisor in order to complete the credits of the Doctorate. The students who own scholarships have to take the discipline of Teacher Training II.  This discipline does not integrate the credits. From the forth to the eighth semester, the student will work on the thesis in accordance with the deadline and conditions established in the PPGEng Internal Regiment and has to present it to a board composed of 4 doctors, at least, and two professors from another institution and the advisor, the professor will supervise this board operation.