Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina

Energy Engineering focuses on generating solutions for a great current challenge related to the production, storage, distribution and use of energy and the impacts associated to these processes. In this context, energy should be understood in a broad sense and not only as electrical energy.  We need energy in our homes, schools, hospitals, in industrial processes, cargo and passenger transportation, etc.  Energy is the driving force for the development and promotion of quality of life. In order to obtain energy at the places and in the amounts necessary, we must first acknowledge the opportunities nature has to offer; thus, we must know and map out our natural resources. Furthermore, we need to know efficient methods to convert these resources into the necessary forms of energy. Finally, we need to be aware of the impacts generated by the use and exploitation of this energy, as to guarantee not only economic and social sustainability, but also environmental sustainability. These are a few of the challenges faced by Energy Engineering, making it an extremely attractive degree for those who wish to find strategic solutions and act innovatively in a market whose value continues to rise.

A topic of such importance requires a multidisciplinary approach based on the fundamentals that will promote the next technological revolutions. For such reasons, UFSC’s Energy Engineering program is grounded on Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Control Engineering, Environmental Engineering, and Earth Sciences. Therefore, the energy engineer will have to integrate technology derived from all these fields of expertise.

Learn more about the Energy Engineering Program by watching this video (in Portuguese):

UFSC Electronic Engineering Program trains professionals to work with a high technical qualification in various market sectors, such as information technology (IT), semiconductors, aerospace, automotive, biomedical engineering, telecommunications, electrical/electronic, among others. In these sectors, the Electronic Engineer finds a vast range of working options, such as elaborating or executing technical projects, managing projects, or working as a sales engineer. Alternatively, the Electronic Engineer can continue their studies at the graduate level, in order to work in research, development and innovation.

Because it is a constantly evolving field, Electronic Engineering offers challenges and opportunities for the technology sectors which are in tune with the state-of-art. Taking the example of the information technology sector, where “smartphones” connected to the internet predominate, we can envisage a future in which Electronic Engineering will be the leading protagonist, as we move towards the Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm – in which, at its limit, each object will be individually identified, able to access and be accessed remotely from any part of the world. IoT variants, such as Body Area Networks, will allow the network connection of devices installed in an individual’s body, enhancing diagnosis or optimizing the administration of substances and the monitoring of individuals. These advances depend on the progress towards minimizing the area and power consumption of the electronics involved and of data communication technologies. Therefore, it is necessary to act in all segments: design of new materials, optimization of devices, custom design of circuits and systems, and development of embedded software associated with computational intelligence.

The fundamentals to work in these markets are acquired in the UFSC Electronic Engineering program. The program’s curriculum is divided into two parts: one covering fundamental concepts with emphasis on Mathematics and Physics and the other having a professional focus, with emphasis on Biomedical Engineering, Telecommunications, Electronic Systems (microelectronics) and Digital Systems.

Florianópolis is recognized as an emerging technological hub that has about 600 hardware and software technology services companies, representing one of the main sources of tax revenue in the city. Among these companies, there are well-established and growing microelectronics companies and a significant number of young companies in various stages of incubation installed in local incubators. All this, combined with important research centers and technological innovation parks, stand out as prospective instruments for the future career of the Electronic Engineer graduated from UFSC.

UFSC offers three distinct Production Engineering programs, with focus on Civil Production, Mechanical Production or Electrical Production. They prepare professionals not only to acquire the technical skills and competences necessary for a career in the chosen area (civil, mechanical or electrical), but also to perform management and leadership functions at all levels of organization.

The program includes basic courses in the corresponding area of engineering, as well as specific courses on Production Engineering, such as Production Management (organization of production, production planning and control, just in time production, flexible systems, logistics), Product Engineering (new products, ergonomics, value analysis), Productivity and Quality Management (total quality, project quality, functional analysis, performance analysis), Management of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, Engineering Economics (analysis of industrial projects, strategic planning, engineering evaluation, technological innovation) and Project Management. Within this context, the production engineer is equipped with a systemic view of companies and projects and is therefore qualified to make decisions.

In Brazil, the production engineer is concerned with the new standards of quality and productivity and works in a wide range of activities in industries, infra-structure, civil construction, agriculture, business and government agencies. The professional in this area is instrumental in the development of new production systems in all fields of economic and business activity.

Graduates from this program will be awarded the title of Electrical Engineer, with a qualification in Electrical Production Engineering.

Classes are taught during the day, with some courses eventually held in the evening.

The Electrical Engineering Program trains professionals with high technical skills whose work ranges from projects and domestic installations to the development of power generation and telecommunication systems.

In the first two years, students take courses in Mathematics, Physics and Electrical Engineering foundations – including Calculus, Physics, Electricity and Technical Drawing, as well as career-oriented courses, such as Microprocessors, Digital Systems and Mechanics.

From the eighth semester, students are apt to choose their areas of concentration, according to their interests and the labor market needs. The program covers six areas, from which students must choose at least four: Power Systems, Electronics, Power Electronics and Drives, Telecommunication, Signal Processing and Control, and Business Management.

A particularity of the Electrical Engineering Program is the role of the faculty supervisor, a professor who will assist the student throughout the entire program in issues related to curriculum, areas of concentration, elective courses, and on the ideal time to engage in a project or an internship.

Students also have at their disposal ten teaching laboratories with up-to-date equipment for a high-quality training. UFSC’s Electromagnetism and Electromagnetic Compatibility Laboratory is one of the few existing in Brazil.

Electrical Engineering graduates can work in the design of domestic, commercial and industrial electrical installations; design and development of electrical machines; electric drives; industrial electronics; telecommunication; electronics (integrated circuit, signal processing); power generation, transmission and distribution; business management and control systems; among other fields.

The Economics program is one of the most traditional undergraduate programs at UFSC. Its creation dates back to 1943, prior to the foundation of the university, and it is the main reference in Economic Studies in the state of Santa Catarina.

Economics graduates can work in a wide range of contexts, offering advice to companies, working for government agencies and development banks, in financial analysis, economic-financial audits and in the analysis of economic conditions.

The program provides students with a comprehensive understanding of the national and international economic scenarios, and involves students in the debate and analysis of the main economic issues of today, such as inflation, interest and foreign exchange rates, employment, income distribution and international agreements. Besides, in the second half of the program, students take specific courses in their areas of interest, which may include Finance, Business Economics and Investment Analysis, Industrial and Technological Economics, Agribusiness and Regional Economics, Brazilian and International Economics, Political Economics and Evolution of Contemporary Capitalism.

UFSC Economics Program is concerned with the new demands of society and the labor market. A series of elective courses allows for new knowledge and the application of economics to new areas such as environmental development, economic and social impacts of technological innovation, and new international relations.

The Economics student must have a good grounding in mathematics, statistics and econometrics (the application of statistical concepts to the analysis of economic data). Treatment, analysis and graphical representation of data are routine tasks across various disciplines. These tasks equip students with the necessary skills to check the veracity of numerous opinions in the media concerning recent economic themes.

UFSC Performing Arts Program was created in 2008. Based on four axes – playwriting, acting, directing and performance art, the program explores theory, experience, technique and artistic creation in an interconnected manner. The work of the actor, performer, director or playwright is grounded on the diachronic studies of dramatic arts and related artistic experiences, as well as on theoretical and practical approaches of drama, representation, acting, aesthetics and arts, from a traditional to a contemporary perspective. In the program, theory is linked to practical experiences across various fields of study: voice, body, animation theatre, improvisation, set design, makeup, performance, acting, playwriting and direction. Graduates should be able to perform a critically engaged art that intervenes in the social context in which they are inserted. The Performing Arts degree prepares creative professionals for a career as actors, directors, playwrights, researchers, theatre critics, performers, cultural advisors, among other activities.

Courses are held during the evening.

UFSC Design Program was created in 1999 and is considered today one of the best Design degrees in the country. The program has achieved grade 4 at the ENADE (the national examination of students’ performance) and was also ranked 4 stars by the Editora Abril, a Brazilian publishing house, in 2017.

The program follows an open organizational structure that allows flexibility among the different areas of design specialization. In this structure, students choose their own study paths according to their skills and abilities – which are often revealed during the course of their studies. The Design Project modules are responsible for guiding their academic pathway.

Each Design Project course must be taken together with three other courses which, combined together, will meet its parallel prerequisites (see figure 1). The prerequisite courses give support to the development of the project and their instructors are responsible for the conduction, organization and evaluation of the student’s project, which should be based upon the content of all courses for the knowledge to be fully achieved.

[Figure 1: sample of a Design Project course module]

For degree completion, the student must take: all first-year introductory courses; all general required courses offered along with the project modules, which are also compulsory; the credit hours of elective courses (180 class hours); the compulsory internship component; and the inclusive courses, including those of the final project (PCC), as illustrated in figure 2. The student can seek advice from his/her supervisor or from the program coordinator on the best path to complete the program.

[Figure 2: graphic representation of the curriculum structure]

Program characteristics

Course type: on-campus
Title: Bachelor of Design
Total class hours: 3510
Full-time program

Infrastructure

Workshops
Computer Labs (PC and Mac)
Design/Project Rooms
Classrooms

Research Centers

NGD
DESIGNLAB
NAS Design
LOGO
HIPERLAB
G2E
SIGMO

The Dentistry Program aims to contextualize, investigate and teach the necessary knowledge to prepare dentists or dental surgeons for a contemporary career that promotes health based on the precepts of ethics, morality and science.

In its early stages, the program focuses on the human body and its functioning, including courses in Histology, Physiology, Anatomy and Embryology.

The curriculum also includes subjects in Sociology, Bioethics and Community Interaction, which help to reflect upon the social responsibility of the profession. Since the early stages, students are inserted in the Programa Saúde da Família (Family Health Program), in partnership with the municipality of Florianópolis and the Santa Catarina State Department of Health. In the program, students get involved in multidisciplinary team work.

The professional part of the program provides students with a comprehensive set of knowledge based on scientific evidence. Dentistry graduates are able to carry out a number of technical procedures such as dental restoration, root canal treatment, surgery and prosthetics, while focusing on a humanized health care which is attentive to the reality of the Brazilian population. Practical activities are carried out at pre-clinical laboratories and clinics, besides the completion of a one-year internship component. In their practice, students serve infants, children, adolescents, adults and the elderly.

Although the job market is restricted and competitive in the major cities, where most professionals are found, there are good opportunities for graduates outside metropolitan areas. A growing field is the provision of dental care in companies, labor unions, government agencies and schools.

UFSC Computer Science Program has nearly 30 years of existence. Its curriculum is constantly evaluated to prepare specialized and up-to-date professionals of different profiles. Computer Science graduates can either develop projects in research centers and universities or work with the design and development of software in areas related to other sciences, such as Telecommunication and Bioinformatics.

Students can opt for a traditional professional profile or for a more specific one, defined in the second stage of the program. The traditional profile focuses on innovation, modernization, and the development of new technologies. Studies in this profile provide a solid foundation in the fundamental concepts of computer science.

If a more specific profile is chosen, besides the solid theoretical base, studies will focus on the design and development of systems through the application of new computer technologies.

Therefore, the program curriculum is divided into two stages. The first stage is composed of required core courses in theory and programming. The second stage consists of required and elective courses in the field of technology, and includes an internship component and a final project.

UFSC offers three distinct Production Engineering programs, with focus on Civil Production, Mechanical Production or Electrical Production. They prepare professionals not only to acquire the technical skills and competences necessary for a career in the chosen area (civil, mechanical or electrical), but also to perform management and leadership functions at all levels of organization.

The program includes basic courses in the corresponding area of engineering, as well as specific courses on Production Engineering, such as Production Management (organization of production, production planning and control, just in time production, flexible systems, logistics), Product Engineering (new products, ergonomics, value analysis), Productivity and Quality Management (total quality, project quality, functional analysis, performance analysis), Management of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, Engineering Economics (analysis of industrial projects, strategic planning, engineering evaluation, technological innovation) and Project Management. Within this context, the production engineer is equipped with a systemic view of companies and projects and is therefore qualified to make decisions.

In Brazil, the production engineer is concerned with the new standards of quality and productivity and works in a wide range of activities in industries, infra-structure, civil construction, agriculture, business and government agencies. The professional in this area is instrumental in the development of new production systems in all fields of economic and business activity.

Graduates from this program will be awarded the title of Civil Engineer, with a qualification in Civil Production Engineering.

Classes are taught during the day, with some courses eventually held in the evening.