Presentation
The Graduate Program in Sociology at the Federal University of Ceará (UFC) consists of Master’s and Doctoral programs, both with Sociology as their concentration area and Anthropology, Political Science, Philosophy, and History as related fields. The Master’s program was established in 1976, with a concentration in Development Sociology.
Later, following recommendations from CAPES (National Secretariat of Economic and Social Sciences), and in light of changes in the profile of research lines and thematic areas worked on by the program’s faculty and students, the concentration area became Sociology. In 1994, the Doctoral program was established, also recommended by CAPES, and, in the process of qualifying graduate programs in Brazil, it achieved a grade of excellence (5). With the creation of the Doctorate program, linked to the Master’s program, the UFC Graduate Program in Sociology was established, representing the achievement of a new academic level, the result of collective efforts, expressed in dedication to teaching and research, and in an academic output that has expanded over several years of experience. Between December 1978 (defense of the first dissertation) and May 2025, 575 dissertations were defended, and between March 1997 and May 2025, 279 theses were defended.
The UFC Graduate Program in Sociology maintains exchanges with national and international centers of excellence in the social sciences through partnerships, research, and faculty and student exchange programs.
In terms of infrastructure, the Program has a sectoral library, shared with the Humanities Center, and a specialized library, more focused on the disciplines and research currently underway in the program.
The dissemination of the work of faculty and students has been achieved through the publication of books and articles in journals affiliated with various institutions, across various centers. Furthermore, the Program relies on the Revista de Ciências Sociais (a journal of the Department of Social Sciences, in continuous circulation since 1970), which serves as an important vehicle for the dissemination and exchange of experiences between national and international institutions.
