PUCRS’ Graduate Program in Materials Engineering and Technology – PGETEMA, which has both a Master’s degree and a PhD, is primarily intended to train qualified professionals committed to the development of knowledge in the field of Materials Technology and Engineering, for the purposes of teaching, scientific research and technological development activities.
The Master’s degree, established in 2001/02, aims to deepen basic training and develop investigative abilities, by providing training for the execution of research and development projects, with greater focus on the resolution of scientific and technological problems in the area of Materials Technology and Engineering. It is also an initial step for those who wish to pursue a career in research, before engaging in more complex activities at the doctoral level.
The PhD program, established in 2007/01, aims to produce scientists and professors capable of solving problems within the areas of Materials Technology and Engineering, through investigative and innovative research with an eye to the scientific and technological development of the country.
The Graduate Program in Materials Technology and Engineering (PGETEMA) stands out for its interdisciplinary character, mostly because it is offered from a combination of efforts from three PUCRS departments: School of Engineering (main department), School of Physics and School of Chemistry, and is controlled by a Graduate Committee. The Program began with 10 professors and now relies on 19 permanent professors and 03 collaborating ones. PGETEMA’s teaching staff has been working on continuous development, which has led to a significant increase in the number of CNPq grantees (68.4% of the faculty) over the last few years.
Due to the multidisciplinary character of the area, which involves the study of the properties, processing and applications of materials, the PGETEMA is home to a wide variety of graduates from different backgrounds, such as engineers, chemists and physicists. There has been a growing number of students willing to conduct research in materials under the PGETEMA. Some factors can account for that: the regional demand for human resources development for higher education teaching and the focus on the technological aspects of the program’s lines of research, which are in line with national demands and are intended to meet the demands for research and innovation of the production sector.
PGETEMA has been constantly working with other research institutions, both in Brazil and overseas, and with the industrial sector as well; such factor has significantly contributed to the quality of the program, to the increase in the number of scholarships and to improvements in laboratory infrastructure. PGETEMA’s professors have proven to be capable of attracting resources for graduate studies through research projects, with a significant number of projects approved amounting to more than 80 million reais. Besides, the program has gained international recognition both by means of student and faculty exchanges (in and out) and the development of joint projects.