The objective of this study was to describe the experience of the development of the upgrading course in strategic actions for professionals in the Academia das Cidades e Saúde Programs, conducted by the School of Government in Public Health, together with the technical team of the Programs at the State Health Secretariat and the Secretariat for Urban Development and Housing, both from Pernambuco. For this, the experience report format was used. The course was developed through distance learning, in three stages: planning, development and evaluation. The minutes of meetings, tutors’ reports, online course monitoring files and students’ evaluations were used to describe the experience. The course was offered in 2019, in the state’s first health macro-region. Of the 156 professionals enrolled in the course, and who worked in the Programs, 100 concluded it, and positively evaluated the course, mainly in terms of changes in their work practices.