According to the PPGCTIA Regulation, the minimum requirements for obtaining the Doctor Degree are:

• Minimum of 600 hours in courses, being:
• 90 hours in compulsory courses;
• 510 hours in elective courses;
• Passing a qualifying exam before a board composed of at least four members, one of whom is appointed by the executive collegiate;
• Proof of proficiency in English and Spanish;
• Preparation and defense of an unpublished thesis compatible with the doctorate, before a thesis board composed of at least five members, at least two of whom are external to the PPGCTIA and UFRRJ;
• Approval of an article for publication in a journal recommended by the PPGCTIA (Qualis CAPES B1 or A4 in the new Qualis evaluation).
  

The mandatory courses are:

• SEMINAR I – Offered in the first semester to new students right after enrollment;
• SEMINAR II – Offered in the second semester, but must be done by students who already have at least part of the thesis data collected, as it focuses on the process of analysis and publication of results;
• INNOVATIONS, REGIONAL INTEGRATION AND INTERNATIONALIZATION – Offered in the first semester for first year students, or sometimes in the second semester depending on professor availability.

For elective courses, the student can choose between subjects offered by PPGCTIA or other Stricto Sensu programs at UFRRJ. A minimum of 300 hours must be taken in courses at UFRRJ, the remainder or more can be taken at other institutions. A maximum of 300 hours of master’s courses can also be approved, including from the Stricto Sensu Professional.

The qualifying exam must be taken after the student has completed at least two-thirds (400 hours) of the required courses and must be completed within a maximum of twenty-four months after enrolment in the PPGCTIA.

For more details, consult our regulation.