Program Overview

Goals and objectives

The excellence of the Graduate Program in Oceanology - PPGO is due to the performance and dedication of its faculty, who coordinates and/or participates in important research projects with national and international scope, which consolidated a stable infrastructure and significant collaborations that strengthen the training of the Program students.

The main goal of the Graduate Program in Oceanology is:

*Training qualified professionals for academic-scientific and applied work in Oceanology.

The specific objectives of the Program are:

*Expanding and disseminating knowledge on Oceanography in its physical, chemical, geological, and biological processes in marine and coastal environments and their interactions with global ocean;

*Promoting scientific and operational integration among Marine Science's professionals at FURG in Brazil and the international community, therefore inserting our country in international forums in the area;

*Contributing to regional, national and international development and integration between Educational Institutions for the Integration of Marine Science;

*Training professionals with high-level skills for the increasing market demand for Marine Science specialists;

*Preparing professionals graduated in the Program to contribute and/or lead in decision-making related to the development and management of the coastal and marine zone.

  • Coordination 04/2019-04/2021

Program Coordination ("COMCUR")

Coordinator: Prof. Rodrigo Kerr

Assistant Coordinator: Prof. Eunice Machado

Members of the Program Coordination: Prof. Adriana Leonhardt (AC3), Prof. Gilberto Fillmann (AC2), and Prof. Jeferson Machado (AC1)

Student Representatives: MSc. Elis Rocha (full member) & Oc. Felipe Pinho (alternate member)

Admission Committee ("COMSEL")

Director: Prof. José Henrique Muelbert

Full members: Prof. Willian Marques (AC1), Prof. Mônica Wallner-Kersanach (AC2), and Prof. Paula Dentzien-Dias (AC3)

Alternate members: Prof. Jeferson Machado (AC1), Prof. Carlos Andrade (AC2), and Prof. Adriana Leonhardt (AC3)

 Assistant members: Postdoctoral researches with fellowships.

Dissemination Committee ("COMDIV")

Director: Prof. Grasiela Pinho

Assistant members: Dr. Vanessa Agostini & Dr. Karina Lotz

Qualification Committee ("COMQUAL")

Director: Prof. José L. L. De Azevedo

Members: Prof. Mauricio Mata (AC1), Prof. Eunice Machado (AC2), and Prof. Lauro Calliari (AC3)

History of the PPGO

The Federal University of Rio Grande – FURG plays a role in the field of Oceanography since 1971, with the start of an undergraduate program in Oceanography, the first one inBrazil. This program was acknowledged by the Ministry of Education in 1975, at the same time of the Atlantic Oceanography Base, created by the ambitious“Atlantic Project”. The building of laboratories and acquisition of oceanographic equipment and floating facilities (e.g. South Atlantic Oceanographic Ship and Larus Oceanographic Vessel), along with smaller vessels, were funded by FINEP, a funding agency for studies and projects. Such structure enabled the main goal to be achieved, that was promoting development of Marine Sciences in the estuary and coastal zones in Southern Brazil, period of the highest fishing potential in the entire Brazilian coast.

In 1979, FURG already had a high-level faculty to start a graduate program: the Master’s Degree in Biological Oceanography. In 1992, a Doctoral Program was started in the same area. Since then, several researchers of diverse oceanography areas have been contributing to the potential and development of human resources at the University.

The demand for graduate programs in oceanography, with emphasis in physical, chemical and geological processes, was considerably increased at FURG. In order to meet such demand, in 1996, the Graduate Program in Physical, Chemical and Geological Oceanography was started. The interdisciplinary nature of the Program, whose Master’s Program began in 1997, favored a perspective of major acceptance at the academic and scientific levels.

In 2001, the concept given by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Personnel (CAPES) was level 4, thus showing a clear progress in indicators. One of the stages of such progress led to a recommendation, in December 2003, from the Technical and Scientific Council of Higher Education (CTC-CAPES) to start the Doctoral Degree Program. In 2004, initially with CAPES concept 4, it was approved by the Council of Teaching, Research and Extension of FURG.

In 2008, the University went through a complete reform, resulting in the establishment of the Oceanography Institute (IO). Currently, the Institute is formed by more than 50 professors working in the most diverse areas involving Oceanography. Such human resources develop teaching activities at undergraduate and graduate levels, added to nationally and internationally well-known research and extension activities.

In 2010, the Program reached the CAPES concept 5, considered an excellence level. The Master’s Program had 173 thesis concluded at the first term of 2017, whereas the Doctoral Program had 30 dissertations at the time.

Due to its interdisciplinarity and aiming to broaden its lines of research, in 2019, the program was renamed to the Graduate Program in Oceanology (PPGO).

The current objective of the Program is to achieve CAPES concept 7.

Many factors should be mentioned to justify the high demand and acknowledgement of the Master’s and Doctoral Degrees in Oceanology such as:

  • * The tradition and excellence of FURG in Ocean Sciences which renewed itself with the creation of the Oceanographic Institute in 2008;
  • * The faculty’s high level of education;
  • * The interdisciplinarity of the Program, which involves major areas of oceanography in an original way;
  • * The implementation of human resource development programs in environmental studies applied to oil industry;
  • * Having pioneering research on Antarctic and high latitude oceanography, thus getting the Program featured among major centers in Brazil;
  • * The strong performance in the mostcurrent research lines in global terms, such as climate change studies;
  • * Advanced studies on marine, coastal and atmospheric pollution, and ecotoxicology, among others.