Course-based exchange at the Graduate Level (Taught Courses)
Master’s (Mestrado) and Doctoral (Doutorado) exchange students accepted for a research stay at USP are eligible to register for courses in graduate programs, provided they meet the prerequisites
Students accepted to attend undergraduate courses at USP (1st cycle/Graduação) may also be eligible for course registration at the graduate level, provided they have already obtained a Bachelor’s degree (or its equivalent).
According to USP Regulation 7493/2018, Article 124, and Circ. CoPGr/08/2019, students are not permitted to apply for course registration at the graduate level alone. This means that they must either be accepted at the undergraduate level or secure a research placement first before being eligible to apply for graduate taught courses (see details below).
- Before you apply (If you are a master’s student)
- Before you apply (If you are a Doctoral student)
- How to apply for taught courses
- Course Catalogue
- Language Requirements
- Further important information
If you are a master’s student
Some curricula designed overseas may be equivalent to Brazilian programs, while others may have a different structure. Most bachelor’s degree programs and teacher education programs at USP have a duration of 4 to 5 years, without including a combined master’s degree. A combined master’s degree usually requires an additional two years of education (see more at Structure of degree programmes). In comparison, Bologna Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, for example, require 3 and 2 years, respectively, to complete the programs.
Although there might be exceptions, current Master’s students who obtained a Bachelor’s degree with a duration of less than four years are advised to enroll in undergraduate-level courses at USP if their intention is solely to take courses (In this case, please refer to the section ‘How to apply for taught courses’ below).
Students holding a Bachelor’s degree of any duration may apply to graduate programs for a research stay (see more at Research placement). If accepted, they may also have the opportunity to enroll in additional courses.
If you are a Doctoral student
Doctoral students who have been accepted for a research stay under the supervision of a USP faculty member (research-only placement) may have the option to apply for course registration at a later stage.
How to apply for taught courses
If you are a Master’s or PhD student who has already been accepted to conduct research activities under the supervision of a USP faculty member (research placement), you have the opportunity to apply for graduate-level courses at any time. To apply for a research placement, please refer to the relevant information on the Research-based Exchange Program.
If you are a Master’s student and your intention is to take courses without engaging in research activities, it is necessary to first apply and gain acceptance at the undergraduate level before applying for taught courses at the graduate level. Please refer to the Exchange Program for Undergraduate Students for information on the application process and eligibility criteria for the undergraduate level. You will have the option to apply for course registration at the graduate level at a later stage, since the list of courses offered at the graduate level is made available only a short period before courses start (see Course Catalogue below).
The course list is available at https://uspdigital.usp.br/janus (option: Disciplinas Oferecidas > Listar Disciplinas Oferecidas por Área de Concentração). It is possible to browse the course catalogue by School/Institute and then by Graduate Program/Area of Concentration and check the full details regarding each single module including the timetable (Turma). The course list is constantly updated and should be checked regularly, especially in the months of December/January and June/July.
In order to apply for any course, students should contact the Local International Office of the host school in order to get information on the eligibility criteria and documents necessary to apply.
Nota Bene: Graduate courses are fully accredited for a period of five years but may not be offered continuously. Course availability is closely related to the research interests of the supervisors, which means that not all courses are offered every semester or even every other semester. If you are considering attending courses, please note that the course catalogue available at https://uspdigital.usp.br/janus (option: Catálogo de disciplinas > Listar Disciplinas Catalogadas por Área de Concentração) may list courses that will not be offered.
Most graduate courses at USP are taught exclusively in Portuguese. While USP does not require official language test scores, we strongly recommend that students have a good command of Portuguese to fully participate in classes (at least B1 level according to the CEFR). The School of Education (FEUSP) accepts students with a basic knowledge of Portuguese (A1 level).
For information on the availability of study options possibly taught in English, please visit https://uspdigital.usp.br/janus or contact the Local International Offices operating at the faculty level.
Further important information
