The Brazilian Higher Education System

Brazil has three different types of undergraduate degrees: bachelor’s, licentiate and technology. The bachelor’s (bacharelado) takes between three and six years to complete, depending on the program chosen. The licentiate degrees (licenciatura) are for aspiring teachers and take three to four years to complete. Finally, the technology degree (diploma em tecnologia) offers specific professional training through a two to three years program.

After getting the degree, students can enroll in extended learning programs (pós-graduação lato sensu) for professional specialization. These programs have a minimum of 360 hours and offer a certificate upon the conclusion, not a degree. Students with a degree can also choose to take a masters (mestrado) and/or a doctorate (doutorado) program (pós-graduação stricto sensu). All graduate courses are taught in Brazilian Portuguese language.

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