The Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM) offers both graduate master’s and PhD levels. The Master ‘s and PhD courses of the Graduate Program in Geography are located in Santa Maria, at UFSM, Campus Camobi. The Master’s course is a morning course offered in the in-person modality, with semi-annual periodicity. Four semesters are indicated for its completion. The course concentrates on Environmental Analysis and Spatial Dynamics. It is recognized by the CT/CAPES No 432/2002. The PhD course is a morning course offered in the in-person modality. Eight semesters are indicated for its completion. The course concentrates on Environmental Analysis and Spatial Dynamics. It was recognized by the CTC/CAPES on 10/25/12.

About the programs

The Master’s Course in Geography started in 2003. It was created in order to provide the training of highly qualified human resources, seeking to fulfill the social role of Geography and of the public higher education and to understand the contemporary socio-spatial reality, as a way of resolving the contradictions, problems and conflicts of Brazilian society. The Graduate Program in Geography at UFSM is the result of historical achievements by the Brazilian geographic community in the construction of this science.

The PhD Course in Geography was implemented in the first semester of 2013. The PhD project proposed aims to reach the Southern Cone territory, especially the Pampa and its link with the Universities of the Association of the Montevideo Group (AUGM) allowing academic exchange with these institutions. The program aims to produce, apply and disseminate knowledge, research and reflections in the field of environmental and territorial analysis of the Latin American Southern Cone, through the qualified training of human resources in the area of Geography, developing and valuing this science and contributing for territorial analysis and intervention.

Program Information

Concentration Area: Environmental Analysis and Spatial Dynamics

Research lines:

• Dynamics of Nature and Environmental Quality of the Southern Cone
• Territorial Dynamics of the Southern Cone

Master’s in Geography

The Master’s Course in Geography aims to improve the qualification of human resources and support teaching, research and extension activities, at a Master’s level, providing subsidies to the environmental and territorial analysis of the Latin American Southern Cone, with a view to generating new approaches, theories, methodologies and technologies.

The requirements for obtaining a Master’s degree in Geography are as follows:

1. 24 credits of study;
2. 4 credits in other activities;
3. Foreign Language Proficiency;
4. Proposal Defence;
5. Thesis Defence.

The maximum deadlines for integrating credits in the master’s activities are:

1. disciplines – two first semesters;
2. qualification examination – until the middle of the third semester;
3. other activities – until the end of the third semester; and
4. thesis submission – until the end of the fourth semester.

– Pursuant to Art. 52, paragraph 4 (Bylaws), a single extension of up to six months will be allowed, exceptionally at the discretion of the collegiate body, in accordance with Art. 79 of the Internal Rules of the Graduate courses of  UFSM.

Activities developed during the enrollment period will be considered ‘other activities’, with the respective attribution of credits:

1. publication of full article in an indexed journal – 04 (four) credits;
2. full publication in Congress Proceedings with presentation of certificate of participation – 02 (two) credits;
3. teaching internship in an undergraduate discipline – 01 (one) credit per internship, up to the limit of 02 (two) credits.

* The Masters Course in Geography is divided into four semesters and enrollment must be done every semester.

* The first school day of the year, on the official calendar of UFSM, will be considered as a reference for counting all deadlines for the Post-Graduate courses for candidates joining the program in the corresponding year.

PhD in Geography

The PhD Course in Geography aims, from an integrative and critical view of socio-spatial phenomena, to produce, apply and disseminate knowledge, research and reflections in the field of environmental and territorial analysis of the Latin American Southern Cone, through qualified training of human resources in the area of Geography, developing and valuing this science and contributing to territorial analysis and intervention.

As specific objectives, the PhD Course in Geography seeks to:

1. Provide researchers, teachers and professionals in Geography and related areas with conditions to develop studies on the territorial ordering of the Southern Cone, improving the theoretical and methodological frameworks and providing them with tools to face the issues and problems of the globalized world;
2. collaborate, based on research, reflection and knowledge production, with the improvement of quality of life and production and work conditions, problematizing and discussing endogenous development alternatives, considering the natural characteristics and the socioeconomic and cultural conditions of the populations involved;
3. Provide analyses, diagnosis and prognoses that support decision-making and territorial (re) ordering processes in their different scales and dimensions;
4. promote cooperation activities, exchanges and projects with non-governmental organizations, national and foreign movements and institutions, especially within the scope of the Latin American Southern Cone, with a view to promoting the development of research and the exchange of knowledge;
5. promote the recognition and appreciation of culture in the territory of the Southern Cone, contributing to expand and disseminate opportunities for access to knowledge and practices, playing a leading role in the training of human resources in Geography in its area of influence.
6. develop, improve and disseminate Geography teaching processes, at all levels, through the production of methodologies, instruments and knowledge about the regional reality.

Total Credits for the Degree:

To obtain the title of doctor, the student must obtain 36 credits, 28 of which in disciplines and 8 related to complementary activities to be described in the regulations.

Credits obtained in disciplines taken in postgraduate programs in Geography or areas that are related to the dissertation or thesis project, and recognized by CAPES, can be used, respecting the limit of: 20 (twenty) credits taken during the master’s degree and/or 12 (twelve) credits for subjects taken during the course.

Complementary activities must be developed during the enrollment period, with the respective attribution of credits. The following activities will be regarded as ‘complementary’: publication of a full article in an indexed journal – 04 (four) credits; publication of complete work in Congress Proceedings with presentation of certificate of participation – 02 (two) credits; teaching internship in an undergraduate discipline – 01 (one) credit per internship, up to the limit of 02 (two) credits.

– Selection frequency: Annual

– Vacancies per selection: Each year, a public notice is published along with the general public notice of the Postgraduate Programs of UFSM, for admission in the first semester, when vacancies for each Professor of the program are defined as well as specific vacancies for foreign candidates.

Synthetic description of the course offer scheme:

The PhD course in Geography is expected to last four years, which are subdivided into eight academic semesters. It is proposed that the completion of the credits in subjects occur in the first three semesters of the course, with the following distribution:

– 1st semester: 3 elective courses (12 credits). Recommended discipline (Geography of the Southern Cone).

– 2nd semester: 3 elective courses (12 credits).

– 3rd semester: Recommended discipline (Thesis Seminar).

The remaining semesters will be destined to the execution and presentation of the doctoral thesis research.

Infrastructure of the PPGGEO

Administrative Room

PPGGEO has an administrative secretariat, where a technical-administrative servant in education, assigned to PPGGEO and a scholarship holder perform their duties. In this room, the program coordinator also dispatches.

Student room equipped with computers

The students of the program have an exclusive room for the development of their activities, measuring 54 square meters, equipped with air conditioning, 04 computers connected to the internet, a printer, and a map library with a collection of topographic maps covering the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Also, in this space, with easy access for consultation, are periodicals, magazines, books and CDs that are donated to the Program. In addition, it is a space of coexistence for students and teachers.

Meeting room

Equipped with two meeting tables, a 50” LCD TV and a computer, it is the space where the program collegiate, the scholarship and selection committees meet, in addition to serving for the meetings of the research lines. The room is used for group work and other extra-class teaching activities.

Classroom (1134)

Exclusive to PPGGEO, with multimedia equipment and air conditioning, with capacity for 30 students.

Auditorium Professor Ivo Lauro Müller Filho (room 1006)

PPGGEO has an auditorium (20 seats) for defenses, equipped with a computer, electronic whiteboard, multimedia projector and internet access. It is occasionally used for the educational activities of the Program, as well as videoconferences.

Transport Infrastructure

PPGGEO has the UFSM transport sector at its disposal to travel to the fields, as well as for the participation in events and to carry invited professors.

Infrastructure shared with the Department of Geosciences

Room for teachers

Full professors have offices in the Department of Geosciences in the same building as PPGGEO. These rooms have computers and equipment for the exclusive use of the professors, with access to internet networks (10 rooms).

Multimedia Room

Small auditorium (room 1012-A), equipped with audiovisual resources, where proposal defences, dissertation and thesis defenses are also held, in addition to other academic activities such as seminars, lectures and courses.

Teaching and Research Support Laboratories

– Sedimentology Laboratory:

Used as support for research, for the analysis of soil and rock constituents, with the work of Rômulo Aita, a specialized laboratory employee. This laboratory performs technical tests such as physical soil characterization, granulometric analysis, plasticity, among others.

– Lamination Laboratory:

Located in building 17 (room 1021), the lamination laboratory has Ronaldo Machado Fontoura as laboratory technician. In the laboratory, soil and rock sheets, erodibility tests such as Inderbitzen, infiltrability, loss of mass by immersion, among others are made.

– Geography Teaching Support Center (room 1012)

The purpose of the center is to provide a space for study, research and knowledge production in the area of Geography and Education, having a collection of books, pedagogical and audiovisual materials, providing the discussion and study of the themes related to this area. The center has been receiving funding from the PIBID/CAPES Program and other sources of funding such as the UFSM Degree Program.

 

GROUPS, CENTERS, AND RESEARCH LABORATORIES:

The laboratories and Research Groups are linked to the teaching, research, and extension activities of professors and students of the Program.

– Laboratory of Geotechnology

Under the coordination of Professor Waterloo Pereira Filho, it is a space located at INPE-CRS, used for the development of teaching and research projects, involving resources of Remote Sensing, Geographic Information System and Geoprocessing and received financial resources from government financing agencies such as CNPq, CAPES, FAPERGS, INPE, among others.

The teaching projects are related to technological innovation in Remote Sensing offered at Primary, Medium and Higher levels. The research projects address environmental issues mainly associated with the characterization of Physical Geography in watersheds and their relationship with the aquatic system. Remote Sensing Projects in reservoirs and rivers have been developed with the objective of identifying the capacity of the different sensors, with respect to research related to water reflectance. It has agreements with groups and research institutes from other institutions (USP and UFG Campus Jataí) that allow the contribution of resources from other sources such as PROCAD-CAPES. It also has international agreements with the University of Victoria (Canada), UNAICC (National Union for the Construction of Cuba / Cuba), and the Regional Center for Education in Space Science and Technology for Latin America and the Caribbean (Mexico).

– Environmental Geology Laboratory (LAGEOLAM)

Coordinated by Professor Luís Eduardo de Souza Robaina, Professor Romario Trentin, Professor Andréa Valli Nummer and Professor Rinaldo Barbosa Pinheiro. LAGEOLAM seeks to bring together researchers and professors in the activities of environmental diagnosis, engineering geology and geotechnics and is located in rooms 1113b and 11113c of building 17.

Research has been a priority for the laboratory. Currently, final theses, master’s and PhD dissertations are being done with support from development institutions such as FAPERGS and CNPq. It currently has FIPE/UFSM, FIEX/UFSM, PROLICEN/UFSM, FAPERGS and PIBICIC/CNPq scholarship holders, performing field and laboratory work.

The research developed at LAGEOLAM concentrates in two lines. The first is associated with geological-geomorphological mapping and the analysis of erosive processes related to superficial dynamics in the west of the State of Rio Grande do Sul. The second is related to the study of the problem of risk areas and natural disasters in urban areas in Rio Grande do Sul. Currently, the laboratory has advanced in research with other partner institutions such as Universidade of the Campanha Region, Federal University of Tocantins, the State University of Maringá, the Federal University of Rondônia in Brazil and with the Université du Maine in France and the University of Porto in Portugal.

– RESEARCH GROUP ON NATURAL HERITAGE, GEOCONSERVATION AND WATER MANAGEMENT (PANGEA)

PANGEA has been linked to the Graduate Program in Geography at UFSM since 2014, involving researchers and students from the Department of Geosciences and the Polytechnic School, developing research on different research topics related to the inventory, evaluation, conservation, dissemination and education of/for the natural heritage inscribed in the landscapes of the territories. Among the main themes investigated under the coordination of professors Adriano S. Figueiró, Eliane Foleto, André W. de Borba and Suzane B. Marcuzzo, are:

– geopatrimonial inventory and assessment with a focus on geotourism;
– sustainable use of natural and cultural heritage in Geoparks;
– landscape diagnosis and mapping;
– Creation and management proposals for Protected Areas;
– Environmental management and landscape services;
– Environmental education and heritage education.
Headquartered in different spaces on the central campus of UFSM, the Group maintains research collaboration with researchers from the University of Minho (Portugal) and the University of Havana (Cuba), in addition to other Brazilian universities such as UFPEL, UEPG, UNB, UFRN, UFC, having projects financed by Fundação Boticário, Fundação Mo’ã, FAPERGS and CNPq.

– Laboratory of Environmental and Subtropical Climatology (LaCAS)

Since 2012, LaCAS – Laboratory of Environmental and Subtropical Climatology, coordinated by Prof. Cássio Arthur Wollmann, from the Department of Geosciences at the Federal University of Santa Maria, has been developing teaching, research and extension activities related to the interactions between climate and human activities. Through these activities, the laboratory brings together professors, researchers, students, monitors, scholarship holders and others interested in the production of knowledge in geographic climatology, in addition to promoting the production, training of personnel and the dissemination of knowledge in the area. The laboratory also develops research and extension projects that are linked to the following lines of research: Agroclimatology; Climatic variability in conservation units; Urban climate; Climate and health; Climatology of hydrographic basins; Extreme events. To carry out the aforementioned research, the laboratory has resources and the support of development agencies (CNPq, Capes, Capes/PROCAD, FAPERGS), in addition to establishing agreements with other institutions for the development of partnerships in research, teaching and extension, mainly with the Graduate Program in Physical Geography, of the University of São Paulo, and the Graduate Program in Geography, of the Federal University of Goiás – Regional Jataí.

– Center for Regional and Agrarian Studies (NERA)

Coordinated by Professor Meri Lourdes Bezzi, NERA works with research in the Area of Human and Regional Geography, developing projects and studies related to the production and dynamics of the Brazilian agrarian space, especially in Rio Grande do Sul. The center aims to promote regional research seeking to understand restructuring and new spatial clippings; it also seeks interdisciplinarity, providing conditions for work among researchers not only from Geography, but also from other areas of knowledge; contribute to the production of knowledge through the training of researchers, as well as seek to deepen scientific knowledge through the development of dissertations and theses in this area. The center includes researchers from other institutions such as the Faculty of Integrated Sciences Pontal – FACIP and the Federal University of Uberlândia – UFU/MG.

– Research Group on Education and Territory (GPET)

Coordinated by Professor César de David and Professor Carmen Rejane Flores Wisniewsky, the Research Group on Education and Territory is formed by researchers from different areas of knowledge who develop their teaching, research and extension activities through themes that articulate education and territory. The themes are subdivided into two lines of research: territorial dynamics and education and society.
The research investigates the socio-spatial transformations in the South American fields, especially the dynamics of the modernization of agrarian spaces, technology and the workforce. The issue of peasantry, social movements and their forms of territorialization is also inserted in the discussions. Associated with rural territories, the center also discusses rural education, becoming a reference in this theme, through the publication of books and articles and for carrying out extension projects with different educational bodies and institutions and educational spaces.

 The group brings together research projects financed by funding agencies, such as: CNPq (general public notice), FAPERGS (Gaucho Researcher), FIPE/UFSM, FIEX/UFSM, PROLICEN/UFSM, PROEXT/MEC. In addition, the GPET is linked to the Agriculture, Development and Socio-spatial Transformations researchers network, between UNESP (Rio Claro and Presidente Prudente), UERJ, USP, UFRGS, UFU, UFSC. The projects, resources and activities developed by the group can be accessed at the following address: www.ufsm.br/gpet.

– Research Center in Health Geography (NePeGS)

Coordinated by Professor Rivaldo Faria, NePeGS is installed in room 1135, building 17, at the Department of Geosciences, Center for Natural and Exact Sciences of the Federal University of Santa Maria.

The Research Center in Health Geography (NePeGS) was created in 2017 and welcomes students in three lines of research: geography of health services, geography of the health-disease process and geography of the population’s health. It is the first group of this nature created in Rio Grande do Sul and aims to develop technical and technological solutions for the health of the population, whether in the dimensions of epidemiological and health surveillance or in the territorial planning of services. The works are developed on an urban and regional scale and integrated research and extension actions.

 Study Group on Geography, Work and Environment

The Study Group on Geography, Work and Environment is coordinated by Professor Eduardo Schiavone Cardoso and is located in room 1417 of building 17. It was created in August 2015, bringing together research in three lines of research: Geography, fishing and aquaculture; Geography and education; Spatial organization and socioeconomic dynamics.

– Group of Landscape Studies (NEPA)

It constitutes a space for joint and interdisciplinary reflection-action by three Research Groups (GPET, PANGEA and LAGEOLAM), focused not only on the production of knowledge, but also on its socialization and popularization, with the purpose of recognition, preservation, the enhancement and dissemination of the Pampean landscape, and the associated landscape heritage.

NEPA activities take place in the multidisciplinary space of UFSM, based in the municipality of Silveira Martins, with the following main objectives:
– Generate and disseminate innovative knowledge on this landscape theme;
– Contribute to the recognition, cataloging, conservation, enhancement and dissemination of the landscape;
– Stimulate the generation of methodologies and technologies necessary for the development of research, diagnosis, prognosis, planning and management processes;
– Promote dialogue, with a view to the exchange of knowledge, practices and experiences, between

institutions and the communities involved;
– Support the generation of studies, inventories, reports, documents, publications and other products of interest to the community;
Currently, NEPA participates in the CAPES-PRINT internationalization project, within the project “Information Society: memory and technologies”, involving universities in Denmark; Italy; Mexico; U.S; Colombia; Sweden; The Netherlands; Portugal; UK; Germany; France; Cuba; Chile; Spain; Austria; Argentina.

– GIS and Remote Sensing Laboratory (LGSR)

The GIS and Remote Sensing Laboratory (LGSR) is located on the Frederico Westphalen campus (UFSM-FW) – Department of Forest Engineering – Room 52, 50 and , support block 4. It aims to provide solutions associated with geotechnologies, comprising areas such as remote sensing, cartography and topography, geographic information systems, and geoprocessing. Thus, the LGSR aims to conceive, develop and execute activities related to scientific and technological research, training and qualification of personnel, with a view to promoting the modernization and development of the various productive segments of the country. The laboratory has partnerships and agreements with:

National Institute for Space Research – INPE, Santa Maria, Brazil;
National Institute for Space Research – INPE, São José dos Campos, Brazil.
Federal University of São João Del Reí – UFSJ, Brazil and NASA/GSFC Climate&Radiation Laboratory – USA.
Federal University of São Carlos – UFSCar, São Carlos, Brazil.
Universidad de la Republica – UDELAR – Uruguay
Universidad Nacional de Asunción (FCA-UNA) – Paraguai
Federal University of ABC (UFABC) – São Bernardo do Campo, Brazil.
Santa Catarina State University (UDESC), Lages, Brazil
Rio Grande do Sul State University –(UERGS), Guaíba, Brazil.

 Group- -Urban Spatialities – (LABEU)

The leaders of the group are Benhur Pinós da Costa (UFSM) and Claudia Luisa Zeferino Pires (UFRGS).

The group proposes the study of urban spaces, studying the complexities of established social relationships, also seeking to understand the diversity of interactions of phenomena,      covering the  scalar relationships of the circumstances that produce and are produced in these spaces. In the context of UFSM, the group has been dedicated mainly to teaching, research and extension activities that deal with the spatial relationships of the pluralities of cultural groups that are expressed in urban daily life, focusing on the studies of generational groups, of the cultural expressions of “urban tribes” and relations of gender and sexuality. The actions are presented in the organization and development of extension, research and teaching projects.

Extension projects related to policies about gender and sexuality, social struggles for housing rights (in partnership with the National Movement for the Struggle for Housing) and the spatial representations and appropriations of young people from the suburbs in Santa Maria. The research projects deal with different cultural expressions (of youths, women, LGBTQI+ populations and of the and political leaders in the struggle for housing), involving mainly the phenomenal method and participatory research procedures, which are developed in small and medium-sized towns in Rio Grande do Sul and Brazil. Teaching activities are developed in central and peripheral schools and currently also tend to focus on discussions about gender relations and sexuality at school, but also representations of city spaces by the youth.

Special Student

With regard to special students, the Master’s Degree in Geography follows the Internal Regulations of the Graduate Programs/Courses at UFSM, according to article 33:

Art. 33. Except for the students selected for the UFSM Graduate Programs/ Courses, the following students will be entitled to special enrollment (I),  subject to the Internal Regulations of each Program/Course:

I – undergraduate students with, at least, 75% of the credits necessary to complete their Course and who are participants in a research project approved by the Institution, with the Advisor/Tutor being responsible for the justification and for the request to the Coordination;

II – students linked to Graduate Programs/Courses from other national or foreign HEIs, with the Program/Course Coordination being responsible for the justification and request;

III – participants in research projects, approved by the Institution, with the advisor being responsible for the request/justification and the Program/Course Coordinator, in case of agreement, being responsible for proceeding with the request; and

IV – graduated public servants and from other HEIs, as long as they demonstrate the need to acquire the knowledge of the intended discipline in order to apply it to the teaching or research they are developing, with their immediate boss being responsible for the justification and the request to the Coordination.

Paragraph one of one:

Except for the candidates provided for in item II, the special enrollment in Graduate courses is limited to one discipline per semester per student and to two special enrollments.

The request for special enrollment is made at the program/course coordination according to the UFSM calendar, Special Student I. For the enrollment to take place, the candidate must go to DERCA on a day defined in the academic calendar to complete the enrollment process. If the student does not attend, the enrollment will be automatically canceled.

PRPGP does not authorize late-term enrollment for Special Student I.

 

 Important dates

Master’s

Proposal defense: until the middle of the 3rd semester

Credits calculation (including Disciplines and Credits for Extra Activities : until the date of the proposal defence

Foreign language proficiency: until the beginning of the defence process

Beginning of the defence process: until 30 days before the defence

Defense: Until the 4th semester (from the date of the first enrollment)

Request for allowance: until 30 days before travel

PhD

Proposal defense: until the middle of the 5th semester

• Credits calculation (including disciplines and APGs): until the date of the proposal defence
• Foreign language proficiency: until the beginning of the defence process
• Beginning of the defence process: until 30 days before the defence
• Defense: Until the 8th semester (from the date of the first enrollment)
• Request for allowance: until 30 days before travel

Contact

Telephone: +55 (55) 3220-8908 
Email: posgeografia@ufsm.br

Address:

Universidade Federal de Santa Maria
Programa de Pós-graduação em Geografia
Prédio 17, Sala 1132
Avenida Roraima, nº1000
CEP: 97105-900
Santa Maria, RS
Lat: -29.716013, Long: -53.716184