Program Overview

History:

The Graduate Program in Agricultural Engineering of Universidade Federal de Viçosa (UFV) – PPGEA-UFV completed 45 years in 2015. The Master’s Program has begun in 1970 with the Areas of Expertise: Storage and Processing of Agricultural Products, Rural Construction and Ambiance, Energy in Agriculture, Agricultural Mechanization and Irrigation and Drainage, now called Water and Environmental Resources. The Doctorate Program has begun in 1989 with training in Irrigation and Drainage, now called Water and Environmental Resources. In 1995 it was created the Doctorate in Storage and Processing of Agricultural Products, followed, in 1998, by Rural Construction and Ambiance, Energy in Agriculture and Agricultural Mechanization.

Since the foundation of the Program until December of 2014, 679 dissertations and 333 doctoral theses were defended.

Since the CAPES evaluation of Graduate Programs started, the Graduate Program in Agricultural Engineering received grade A. Since CAPES started evaluating, PPGEA obtained grade 5 in the triennial 2008-2010; in the last triennial, 2010-2012, the Graduate Program in Agricultural Engineering obtained grade 6, the only program in Agricultural Engineering in Brazil who obtained Excellence Grade.

PPGEA-UFV is part of the Agricultural Engineering Department (DEA), linked to the School of Agriculture (CCA) of Universidade Federal de Viçosa. The faculty teaches all courses from the areas of expertise. All courses, including the ones in related fields, are offered on UFV’s campus in Viçosa.

The faculty of the Graduate Program in Agricultural Engineering is higly qualified, with solid and successful history of partnerships with the business sector. The teachers are members of comittees from CNPq, FAPEMIG, CAPES and editorial boards of national and international important journals.

The training of graduate students concerns with the quality of the professional who is being formed. To achieve that, the program includes: 1) A curriculum that allows a solid theoretical foundation; 2) a faculty highly qualified and with professional performance; 3) an experience of inter-institutional exchange at national and international levels; and 4) a solid and successful history of partnering with the business sector.

Aims:

The Graduate Program in Agricultural Engineering at Masters and Doctorate levels, has the objective to train professionals for the exercise of teaching, research, technological scientific development and innovation in the areas of: (i) Storage and Processing of Agricultural Products, (ii) Rural Constructions and Ambience, (iii) Energy in Agriculture, (iv) Agricultural Mechanization and (v) Water and Environmental Resources.

Specifically, the Program aims at:

Offering students a wide curriculum with courses in English enabling their qualification in different areas of concentration of Agricultural Engineering;

Training students to design and implement research projects of interest to the National Policy for Sustainable Development and Globalization of Agriculture;

Encouraging and training students to present the results of their research in national and international technical and scientific events;

Strengthening the integration of graduate students from different areas of concentration through seminars to give them a broader training;

Integrating graduate students in the undergraduate education activity so when they are formed, have better conditions to perform educational activities;

Developing in students, especially those from the Doctorate, the ability to lead research and teaching teams;

Motivating and guiding students in the preparation and submission of papers for publication, both in national and international level, of research conducted;

Providing opportunities for post-doctoral level alumni and teachers from other national and international institutions; and

Promote greater internationalization of the program through actions such as academic mobility and exchange of students (interuniversity exchange doctorate) and graduate teachers (post-doctoral), abroad.