Public policies for post-graduation: expansion and challenges for the professional master in Brazil

Abstract

The text presents an analysis and discussion of data about the expansion of professional masters in Brazil in recent years and the challenges that this expansion presents for Brazilian stricto sensu post-graduate programs. The data were collected based on the site of the Sucupira Platform on February 14, 2017, as part of the research entitled Pedagogical Issues of the Professional Master's Degree, developed in the Professional Master in Social Management, Education and Local Development of UNA. This text is structured around two central axes: the first discusses the Educational Policies for stricto sensu post-graduation and the expansion of the Professional Master's Programs, as well as its effects for the expansion of the professional masters; and the second presents the methodological procedures, analysis and discussion of the data. Among the conclusions, it is highlighted that the expansion of the professional master's degree has been higher in the Southeast region of Brazil and led by public institutions. Another important aspect of this expansion is the diversity of courses, which demonstrates the concern of the offering institutions with the local and regional socioeconomic and cultural demands, as well as attention to the characteristics of the professional master's degree.