Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina

Photo: Henrique Almeida/Agecom/UFSC

The Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) is the ninth best Brazilian university according to the QS World University Rankings 2024, released last Tuesday, 27 June. In the global ranking, UFSC is in the 801-850 range. The publication is prepared annually by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), a British company specializing in education, and gathers data from 1,500 universities in 104 countries.

Among the Brazilian institutions, the highest-ranked universities are Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp), Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) and Universidade Federal de São Paulo (Unifesp). The ninth position is shared by UFSC and the Universidade de Brasília (UnB).

The evaluation is based on several criteria, including academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty student ratio, citations per faculty, international faculty ratio, international student ratio, employment outcomes, international research network and sustainability. Out of these indicators, sustainability, academic reputation, faculty student ratio and international research network are UFSC’s strongest indicators.

View the complete rankings here.

Translated by SINTER/UFSC.

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Delegation was welcomed at the Rector´s Office. Photos: Lethicia Siqueira/ Agecom/UFSC

As part of the international cooperation agreement negotiated with Zhejiang University International Business School (ZIBS), from China, the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) hosted this Thursday, 22 June, a delegation from the institution on the Florianópolis Campus. The agreement foresees international mobility among students from both institutions and research cooperation.

The visit was organized by the Office of International Relations (SINTER) and the Prorectorate for Research and Innovation (PROPESQ), with the support of the Rector’s Office (GR) and the Institute for Studies on China at UFSC (ICHIN). The delegation from the Chinese university comprised Professor Ben Shenglin, Dean of ZIBS; his wife, Deng Yuhua; the CEO of the company LianLian, Zhu Xiaosong; and the Executive Director and the Partnerships Coordinator of the ZIBS Latin American Center, Rodrigo Moura and Mariana Rodrigues.

They were welcomed at UFSC by the Rector, Irineu Manoel de Souza; the Director of the Rector’s Office, João Luiz Martins; the Head of the Director’s Office, Bernardo Meyer; the Prorector for Research and Innovation, Jacques Mick; the Prorector for Graduate Studies, Werner Kraus Junior; the Prorector for Undergraduate Studies, Dilceane Carraro; the Director of International Relations, Fernanda Leal; the International Agreements Coordinator, Amanda Drehmer; SINTER’s communication assistant, Caroline Finati; Sinter’s translator and interpreter, Paula Michels; and the Institute for Studies on China (ICHIN) Coordinator, Raúl Burgos, accompanied by professors Daniel Martins and Fernando Spanhol and doctoral student Yasmin Lenz.

The group was received by the Rector, who greeted the participants and gave a brief speech in which he presented data about UFSC, qualifying it as a very important university for society, recognized for its quality in the areas of teaching, research, and outreach. The Rector defined the agreement as a very important milestone for UFSC’s internationalization process, bringing opportunities in the area of research and exchanges.

Global Connectivity

The Dean of ZIBS said it was a great honor to visit UFSC, on his second trip to Brazil. He presented information about Zhejiang University (ZJU) and also about the province in which it is located. “We are here to say that we want to work closer to you,” said Professor Ben Shenglin.

The Dean of ZIBS and the Rector of UFSC sign cooperation agreement for international student mobility.

The Executive Director of the ZIBS Latin American Center, Rodrigo Moura, said that the partnership not only provides opportunities in the academic area, but also an alignment between the business ecosystems of the two countries. Despite the challenges, he believes that the exchange of students can grow: currently ZIBS has about 6 thousand international students, of which only approximately 3% are Latin American, and the number of Brazilians is still low.

After that, Professor Bernardo Meyer showed an institutional video of UFSC in English. After the signing of the cooperation agreement, the participants headed to the Councils Room, where a meeting was scheduled between the representatives of the Chinese university and UFSC researchers, professors and students.

The meeting began with the presentation of an institutional video from ZIBS. Then, Professor Irineu greeted the audience, communicated about the signing of the cooperation agreement, and stated that it will be fundamental to strengthen the relations with China.

Dean Ben Shenglin continued presenting Zhejiang University, made up of 37 schools with teaching and research activities in almost all areas of knowledge. He said that ZJU has one of the largest and best medical schools and probably the best engineering school in China. “Me being here represents the desire for greater global connectivity,” he said.

Next, Professor Jacques Mick gave a presentation on the research structure at UFSC, with data on the number of researchers, laboratories, research groups, and patents registered, among other indicators. According to the Prorector, the main objectives of UFSC in the cooperation with China are to establish a Confucius Institute or a Luban Workshop at UFSC; to develop research in central areas under development at UFSC (sustainability and climate change; health and quality of life; technology and social studies for development); and to participate in the mission of Brazilian rectors to China.

After the Prorector’s presentation, Professor Daniel Martins talked about the creation of the Institute for Studies on China (ICHIN) at UFSC. The Institute began its activities in 2018, with the participation of volunteers, and was made official in 2019. Since last year, it has been registered as an Outreach Program. ICHIN was one of the initiators of the partnership between ZIBS and UFSC.

The floor was opened for comments and questions from the participants in the Councils Room.

The visit schedule also included events at Sapiens Park, where the delegation had lunch with entrepreneurs at the Senai Institute of Innovation, linked to the Federation of Industries of Santa Catarina State (Fiesc). In the afternoon, they visited UFSC projects at Sapiens Park, such as the Fotovoltaic/UFSC Laboratory and the facilities of UFSC’s Center for Innovation, Research, Entrepreneurship and Technology (Impetu Hub), with the participation of the Secretary for International Relations, Luiz Carlos Pinheiro Machado Filho; the Prorector for Research and Innovation, Jacques Mick, and researchers from ICHIN.

Translated by SINTER/UFSC

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Fotovoltaica/UFSC Solar Energy Research Laboratory at the Sapiens Parque, in Florianópolis. Photo: Fotovoltaica/UFSC Laboratory

Whether in research for the production of green hydrogen or innovating with new forms of clean energy generation, the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) works to find a solution to a global problem: how to generate more and more renewable energy, with reduced impact on the environment. In this sense, it has expanded the generation of photovoltaic electricity by developing systems capable of capturing not only the light that falls directly on the panels, but also the reflected light.

The UFSC photovoltaic park already has 27 power plants, at the service of research and technological development, in  the cities of Florianópolis, Araranguá and Joinville. A part of this complex will be renovated in 2023, with an investment of more than R$ 2.94 million in projects and installation of 37 photovoltaic solar energy generating modules in various buildings on the Florianópolis Campus. The concern with research and development in the area is the objective behind the creation of World Energy Day, celebrated last Monday, 29 May.

The University has been continuously expanding its self-generating electricity park. Last year, photovoltaic systems with a total power of 210 kWp were installed in buildings at the School of Biological Sciences (CCB), the School of Socio-Economic Sciences (CSE) and the School of Sports (CDS), located on the Florianópolis Campus. These systems have been operating since April 2022. In addition, a pilot solar unit with bifacial modules and a capacity of 100 kWp was installed at the Fotovoltaic/UFSC Solar Energy Research Laboratory, located at the Sapiens Parque, Florianópolis, in May 2022.

Sapiens Parque holds most of UFSC’s photovoltaic generation structures. The Fotovoltaic/UFSC Laboratory develops advanced research in this area. Even before the expansion carried out last year, the laboratory was already producing enough energy to meet its consumption. At times, it produced surpluses that were injected into the grid of Celesc – the electricity utility for the state of Santa Catarina –, generating credits entered as a discount on the University’s electricity bills.

UFSC also develops research on kites for wind power generation. Watch the video below:

Online map shows location of photovoltaic and wind power plants

Currently, UFSC has 27 photovoltaic power plants located on the campuses of Florianópolis, Araranguá and Joinville. Together, these plants add up to 1,055.11 kW of installed power, of which about 42% are in operation, producing 442.368 kW. Most of them are made up of monofacial silicon modules, but the Mato Alto 3 plant, in Araranguá, implemented in 2022, is equipped with 12 bifacial modules.

The equipment is listed on the Map of Alternative Energy Generation Sources at UFSC, which, in addition to the photovoltaic plants, also includes two wind energy generation equipment. The University’s Architecture and Engineering Projects Department (DPAE) is responsible for gathering all this information and making it available in the form of an online map.

First system connected to the public grid in Brazil is from UFSC

UFSC has a great tradition in the research and use of photovoltaic solar energy. In September 2022, the first photovoltaic system integrated into a building and connected to the public electricity grid in Brazil completed 26 years of uninterrupted operation.

Investment in photovoltaic self-generation is justified by economic and environmental aspects. One of the goals of the UFSC Sustainable Logistics Plan (PLS 2021-2024) is that UFSC has 5% of energy generated by alternative renewable sources in relation to the total energy consumed. The photovoltaic solar energy source is one of the forms of energy generation that has been growing in recent years in Brazil. Not only it contributes to the reduction of consumers’ electricity expenses, but it collaborates with the reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in the environment.

There are several initiatives in the area of photovoltaic energy at UFSC that have borne concrete results or have already contributed to the development of the sector, such as a bus powered by solar energy, a boat in an Amazonian community and also the solar panels that power a historic monument: the Fortress of Santo Antônio de Ratones, in the north bay of Greater Florianópolis – which has been currently renovated with the support of the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (Iphan).

Get to know the UFSC electric bus:

Recently, work was completed to install photovoltaic modules totaling 683.76 kWp of installed power on the Florianópolis Campus, in the Trindade district, in buildings such as the Culture and Events Center (CCEven), the Department of Informatics and Statistics (INE), the Department of Sanitary Engineering (ENS), the University Restaurant (RU) and the School of Health Sciences (CCS). In addition, the installation of a photovoltaic system with an installed capacity of 210 kWp was completed in buildings at the School of Biological Sciences (CCB), the School of Socio-Economic Sciences (CSE) and the School of Sports (CDS), on the same campus.

On the Joinville campus, a photovoltaic generation system with an installed power of 8.16 kWp is in operation since May 2021. On the Araranguá campus, a new subsystem of 0.92 kWp was installed in December 2022, in addition to a 0.99 kWp photovoltaic generation system that has been operating at the site since 2020. These initiatives demonstrate UFSC’s commitment to sustainability and preservation of the environment, in addition to contributing to the reduction of electricity costs.

Translated by SINTER/UFSC

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Photo by Henrique Almeida

The Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) is the tenth best university in Brazil, according to a global survey conducted by the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR). In the world ranking, the institution occupies the 718th position – which places it among the 3.5% best universities in the world. A total of 20,531 universities were evaluated, and the list of the 2,000 best-placed universities can be seen at cwur.org/2023.php.

Compared to last year, UFSC kept its 10th place among the Brazilian institutions and rose one position in the world ranking (from 719 to 718). “The Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina demonstrates its resilience to the adversity of a pandemic period that affected academic activities worldwide. In a scenario of budget cuts for Science and Technology and for Education, as the one faced in recent years, preserving its position in a global quality ranking can be recognized as an achievement,” says the Rector Irineu Manoel de Souza.

CWUR is a consulting organization that provides services to governments and universities to improve educational and research outcomes. The World University Rankings are based on seven indicators grouped into four areas: Education (measured by the number of a university’s alumni who have won prestigious academic distinctions relative to the university’s size); Employability (measured by the number of a university’s alumni who have held top positions at major companies relative to the university’s size); Faculty (measured by the number of faculty members who have won prestigious academic distinctions); and Research (including research output, high-quality publications, influence, and citations). The latter was UFSC’s most outstanding area.

Translated by SINTER/UFSC.

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Photo by Henrique Almeida/AGECOM/UFSC

UFSC is the best university in the state of Santa Catarina and the fourth best federal university in Brazil, according to data from the Ministry of Education (MEC) released on 28 March. The data is based on four Higher Education Quality Indicators that are part of the cycle of results produced from the National Student Performance Exam (Enade). The partial results of the last evaluation cycle (2021) were released in September, when UFSC stood out for having about 80% of its undergraduate programs assessed with top grades.

Now, MEC has released the Program Preliminary Concept (CPC) and the General Index of the Institution’s Assessed Programs (IGC). The Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) stood out in both and is the only institution in Santa Catarina to have achieved the maximum grade (5). Moreover, among the top ranked institutions, it is the institution that had the highest number of programs with CPC in the triennium, a total of 70.

For the Prorector for Undergraduate Studies and Basic Education at UFSC, Dilceane Carraro, the good results achieved in the evaluation reflect the serious and dedicated work of the university community, “especially of the faculty and staff who worked to ensure the quality of the undergraduate programs assessed”.

The IGC is calculated from the average of the CPC, taking into account the last Enade cycle; the average of the grades assigned to graduate programs by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) in the last evaluation; and the distribution of students among the different levels of higher education (undergraduate and graduate degrees).

In 2021, UFSC obtained a continuous IGC of 4.14 and raised this number to 4.197. This has placed the university in the select group of 46 institutions that have secured the highest score. Among all the public institutions – including institutes, colleges and state universities, UFSC has also stood out with the fourth best performance.

According to MEC, of the total number of institutions participating in this edition, 87% are private and 13% public. The majority (71.4%) are colleges, followed by university centers (16.5%), universities (10.1%) and the federal institutes and technological education centers (2%).

UFSC programs are rated higher than the national average

The IGC places UFSC as the best university in Santa Catarina, the only one to get the maximum grade (5) in the evaluation. Compared to other universities in Brazil, the programs assessed in the last cycle also stand out, with performance above the national average. Still based on the IGC, UFSC is the second best evaluated university in the south of the country.

The federal educational institutions achieved a better performance: 72 institutions were placed in band 4, out of the total 111 assessed (64.9%). Alongside UFSC, 14 other federal public universities achieved grade 5.

One of the characteristics of this ranking is that it assessed at least 17 undergraduate teaching degree programs. “From the calculation of the indicators, it is possible to measure the performance of recently graduated students and, consequently, assess the quality of the teacher training process,” says the MEC website. “The undergraduate teaching programs are going through substantive challenges related to the national guidelines and standards and persist in training professionals with quality and ethical commitment. This result makes us proud and motivates us to continue defending public education and quality teaching,” adds the Prorector.

Translated by SINTER/UFSC

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The Institute for Applied Economic Research (Ipea) published, last month, the 2021 Brazilian Cooperation for International Development (COBRADI) preliminary report, which included the participation of the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC). Invited to speak in the launch event, UFSC was recognized as one of the federal public institutions with the best international cooperation practices, standing out in the fields of internationalization and educational and scientific cooperation.

“The COBRADI research has been carried out by Ipea since 2010 and, in this edition, it has included the participation of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and the collection of data on South-South cooperation. We decided to participate in the research due to the importance of knowing and disseminating the University’s contribution to international cooperation for development. In addition, the data obtained may support our institutional internationalization policy”, says the Director of International Relations at UFSC, Fernanda Leal.

Since its implementation, COBRADI has helped the Federal Government in the planning of its external actions, and, from 2022, the survey has become the official source of information on Brazil’s contributions to the progress of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in other countries. The results are also regularly shared with the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD), so that the Brazilian external expenditures on SDGs can be integrated with those of other countries, as well as with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), to help measure and quantify South-South Cooperation.

Ms. Leal observes that there are several methodological challenges involved in carrying out this research, mainly related to the fragmentation of internationalization data at the University. “However, through the collaboration of SINTER [Office of International Relations] with the International Relations program and the support from various University units, such as PROPESQ [Prorectorate for Research and Innovation], PROEX [Prorectorate for Outreach and Extension], the Internationalization Coordination Office at PROPG [Prorectorate for Graduate Studies] and the Personnel Training Coordination Office at PRODEGESP [Prorectorate for Personnel Management and Development], we have been able to advance and design a methodology that may even guide other HEIs that decide to participate in the next editions of the research.”

Professor Iara Leite, from the International Relations program, has been coordinating the data collection methodology and involving her students in the analyses. “The participation of students is essential to promote the curricularization of outreach at our university, including by carrying out classroom activities, and it would be interesting to take this model to other International Relations programs at universities that want to collect their data.”

“With the emergence of new evaluation indicators of graduate programs in Brazil, which begin to assess social impacts, we considered it important to involve the Graduate Program in International Relations too. This is happening through the outstanding participation of the master’s student Tayane Tjader Martins in the team, who is not only transforming data into information, but also developing a thesis on the subject”, adds Professor Leite.

For the Secretary for International Relations at UFSC, Luiz Carlos Pinheiro Machado Filho, the University’s participation in the 2021 COBRADI research is the result of the good practices carried out by various university units, as well as of the efforts made by SINTER’s staff to provide information to Ipea. “UFSC was one of the three federal higher education institutions (FHEIs) to be invited to speak in the event, represented by our administrative coordinator, Rafaela Céspedes. The evaluation of the institutions’ work fundamentally depends on the quality and quantity of the data made available. By innovating in the design of a methodology for collecting data from different sources, UFSC contributes to a better evaluation of the work carried out at the FHEIs”, he stresses.

“Precisely from 2022, the results of the COBRADI survey will guide the Brazilian Government in planning its external actions, being a reference for the progress of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in other countries. The reliability of the data is of paramount importance for this purpose. An interesting data from the 2021 COBRADI report is the cost per full-time equivalent student at the FHEIs, which was R$ 21,936.29/year in 2021. Considering the quality of the education and the student assistance provided (university restaurant, scholarships, housing), it is an extremely low cost, which demonstrates the high efficiency of Brazilian public higher education”, adds the Secretary.

COBRADI 2021

The 2021 COBRADI preliminary report consists of four chapters. The first presents an overview of the new research methodology and discusses the themes that represent methodological challenges for this year and the years to come. Essentially aimed at public policy makers and decision makers inside and outside the Brazilian Government, the second chapter is unprecedented compared to the previous editions of the report. It brings the main research data at an intermediate level of disaggregation, allowing a quick reading and understanding of the trends in Brazilian international cooperation in 2021.

The third chapter is aimed at the executors of cooperation actions and provides a maximum level of detail of the data collected, describing the Brazilian institutions, the cooperation initiatives and the types of cooperation. Finally, the fourth chapter is intended for all those interested in the topic of internationalization of Brazilian HEIs, particularly in the areas of mobility and international research networks.

More information about COBRADI and the preliminary report, which will be complemented with new data from UFSC until the end of January, are available on the Ipea website. SINTER also promoted a webinar on the University’s participation in the research, available here (in Portuguese).

Translated by SINTER/UFSC.

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The Brazilian Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) has released the final results of the Quadrennial Evaluation (2017-2020) of 4,512 graduate programs in Brazil, whose preliminary results were released in September. The Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) has improved in performance: according to the official result, the university now has 27 programs graded 6 or 7 (maximum grade is 7), representing 40% of its programs and a growth of 35% in relation to the last evaluation.

The Graduate Programs in Electrical Engineering, Food Engineering, Knowledge Engineering and Management, Philosophy and Physical Education achieved grade 7, joining the Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, and Materials Science and Engineering  programs, which already had this grade. The Graduate Programs in Biochemistry, Civil Engineering, Collective Health, Design, Neurosciences, Production Engineering, and Social Anthropology also achieved excellence. They obtained grade 6, joining the Graduate Programs in Aquaculture, Automation and Systems Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Food Science, Law, Linguistics, Mechanical Engineering, Nursing, Pharmacology, Plant Genetic Resources, Science and Technology Education, and Translation Studies, which obtained this grade in 2017.

Of the 67 academic programs evaluated at UFSC, 42 maintained the grades obtained in the last evaluation, 22 obtained higher grades compared to 2017 and 3 were assessed for the first time. It is worth mentioning that no academic programs at UFSC had a grade drop or were disqualified by CAPES in the current evaluation. The University has other 22 programs graded 5 and 11 programs graded 4. Only seven programs were graded 3, and three programs (Geology, Nanoscience, Processes and Advanced Materials, and Textile Engineering) were evaluated for the first time, as they were created in the past few years.

The Capes Quadrennial Evaluation takes into account quantitative and qualitative aspects of Graduate Programs in terms of faculty, student education, scientific production, and infrastructure, assigning grades from 1 to 7, where 3 is the minimum grade for a program to operate. Grades 6 and 7 place Programs at the level of academic excellence.

The Prorector for Graduate Studies at UFSC, Professor Werner Kraus Junior, highlighted the growth in the number of programs graded 6 and 7, taking into account that 12 programs have obtained higher grades than in the last evaluation. According to him, the results confirm UFSC’s academic excellence, which is already demonstrated by other indicators, placing UFSC in the sixth position among Brazilian universities in terms of number of excellence graduate programs. “Although Capes evaluates graduate programs only, the close relationship of this evaluation with the quality of undergraduate studies, research, outreach and management at the University is undeniable. The growth of graduate studies at UFSC in a period when major challenges were faced, such as the pandemic and the budget cuts for science and education, reflects the dedication and talent of the people who work and study here. It is, therefore, an achievement of the entire University Community”.

Translated by SINTER/UFSC.

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The Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) is the fifth most sustainable university in Brazil and second among the federal universities, according to a survey published by the 2023 QS World University Rankings last Wednesday, 26 October. In the top positions are, respectively, the Universidade de São Paulo (USP), the Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp), the Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp) and the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS).

The QS rankings analyzed the performance of 700 universities around the world. It was the first time they carried out an assessment with a specific focus on Sustainability. The methodology comprised indicators designed to measure an institution’s ability to tackle the world’s environmental, social, and governance challenges.

The aim is to assess the institutional impact in order “to effectively capture university performance when it comes to making positive change for people and planet”. Indicators are split into two major groups: social impact and environmental impact measures. In the first group, criteria such as gender equality and affirmative action, knowledge exchange among institutions, academic reputation, and employability are evaluated.

The second group encompasses aspects such as sustainable research, sustainable education and sustainable institutions – the latter assesses, for instance, the university’s sustainability strategy, the availability of an energy emissions report, and the existence of student societies focused on environmental sustainability, among others.

Check out the complete ranking results and more information about the methodology on the QS World University Rankings: Sustainability 2023 website.

Top Brazilian universities in the QS Sustainability Rankings:

1 – Universidade de São Paulo (USP)
2 – Universidade Estadual de Campinas (Unicamp)
3 – Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP)
4 – Universidade Federal do Rio Grande Do Sul (UFRGS)
5 – Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC)
6 – Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)
7 – Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC/RJ)
8 – Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC)
9 – Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG)
10 – Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM)

Translated by SINTER/UFSC.

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The results of the QS World University Rankings: Latin America 2023 were published on Thursday, 22 September, and ranked the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) among the 23 best universities in Latin America. UFSC occupies the 8th position among the Brazilian universities and the 4th among the federal education institutions in Brazil.

The ranking is produced annually by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), a British company specialized in education. The ranking analyzed 428 institutions in 20 Latin American countries and at the top of the list is the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC). The overall score of each institution is calculated using eight metrics, each with a different weight: Academic Reputation (30%); Employer Reputation (20%); Faculty Student Ratio (10%); Faculty Staff with PhD (10%); International Research Network (10%); Citations per Paper (10%); Papers per Faculty (5%) and Web Impact (5%). The strongest indicators for UFSC in this edition were Faculty Staff with PhD (99.8 score), Web Impact (98.7 score) and International Research Network (96.3 score).

The university was also awarded at the QS Higher Ed Summit: Americas 2022, which took place between 22 and 23 September in Vila Velha, Espirito Santo. The conference gathered together higher education leaders and experts to discuss the “Mission-led Universities: elevating higher ed in the Americas”. The event promoted debates, lectures, panel discussions and case studies, in addition to the opportunity to network with the international higher education community and build strategic partnerships. UFSC was awarded in the Research Excellence category and was represented by the acting Prorector for Research, Prof. William Gerson Matias.

Check out the complete ranking results.

Translated by SINTER/UFSC.

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At least 25 out of the 30 undergraduate programs at the Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (UFSC) that were assessed in the 2021 cycle of the National Student Performance Exam (Enade) have reached grade 4 or 5 on the evaluation made by the Ministry of Education (MEC). Out of these, ten have stood out for their excellence level. In a year marked by the effects of the pandemic in education, the results indicate the commitment of the institution to quality education.

Each year, Enade assesses the graduating students of a group of programs within different subject areas, in a rotation scheme. The assessment operates in triennial cycles, that is, the courses are reassessed every three years. In the 2021 cycle, on-campus and distance learning undergraduate degree programs, including teaching degree programs, were assessed. UFSC has stood out for obtaining the highest grades in the country in several teaching areas. The undergraduate teaching degree in Biological Sciences achieved the second-best position in the country among 467 assessed programs.

The undergraduate degree in Chemistry reached the maximum grade (5) and was considered the third best in the country according to the evaluation. Among the teaching degrees, the degree in Chemistry Education, on the Blumenau campus, stood out with the sixth-best grade; the degree in English (Education) also had an outstanding performance, being assessed as the fourth best in the country; and the degree in History (Education) reached the seventh-best grade among all programs in Brazil.

According to the Prorector for Undergraduate Studies and Basic Education, Prof. Dilceane Carraro, the Enade 2021 results demonstrate the quality of the undergraduate programs at UFSC. “This outcome is a result of the dedication of faculty, technical-administrative staff and students who engage in teaching, research and outreach activities, and make our university run programs graded 4 or 5, which are considered above average. Several programs are among the best in the country. Even with the adversities faced in the last years, both related to the pandemic and the funding of public universities, this evaluation reveals the commitment of everyone involved with UFSC undergraduate programs”.

Enade

The National Student Performance Exam is regulated by the law that institutes the Brazilian Higher Education Evaluation System (Sinaes) of 2004. It assesses the performance of graduating students from undergraduate programs concerning the content the programs aim to teach and the skills and competencies developed by the students over their studies. The Exam is mandatory: only the students who complete the Student’s Survey and the exam itself can graduate.

The Enade 2021 results were announced on 12 September. In December, MEC will release another two indicators: the Program Preliminary Concept (CPC) and the General Index of the Institution’s Assessed Programs (IGC). The CPC combines different aspects related to undergraduate programs in a single measurement, such as: student performance; value added by the program; faculty members; and conditions offered to the progression of the training process.

Every year, the exam covers one year of a triennial evaluation cycle. In 2021, students from the following degrees and subject areas were assessed:

• Undergraduate degrees in biological sciences; exact and earth sciences; linguistics, letters and arts; and related areas;
• Undergraduate teaching degrees in health sciences; human sciences; biological sciences; exact and earth sciences; linguistics, letters and arts;
• Undergraduate degrees in human sciences and health sciences, from programs assessed in the teaching degree area;
• Technologist degrees in control and industrial processes; information and communication; industrial production and infrastructure.

Translated by SINTER/UFSC.

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