The Graduate Program in Veterinary Medicine (Animal Clinics and Reproduction – PPGMVCRA) aims to train professors, researchers, and entrepreneurs at two degrees: master’s and doctorate.
PPGMVCRA already has 492 master’s theses and 154 doctoral dissertations submitted and approved. These professionals will be able to respond to the qualitative expansion of university education and the development of projects in the diagnostic, preventive, and therapeutic clinical research lines in Veterinary Medicine and Physiopathology, and Reproduction Biotechniques. It is also important to emphasize that PPGMVCRA has a key role in training entrepreneurs who will work in Veterinary Clinics in the different areas of Veterinary Medicine, thus offering specialized services. Another area of insertion for our graduates is working in government agencies and public companies, thus working on the development of public policies.
Our graduates continue to be approved for teaching positions at various Universities and Research Institutions in the country and even abroad. We have former students from our program teaching at Federal Universities located in the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Acre, Espírito Santo, Piauí, Amazonas, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Bahia, Pernambuco, Pará, and, of course, at several institutions in Rio de Janeiro. Our former students are now also professors at American universities and Research Centers in Germany.
During the four years from 2021 to 2024, we trained 70 masters and 39 doctors. Of the 109 qualified students, we obtained information on 90.1% (99/109) of them. As for those with master’s degrees, the vast majority (37.4% – 37/99) currently perform Specialized Veterinary Medical services, such as ultrasound diagnosis, clinical specialties (dermatology, cardiology, oncology, neurology, endocrinology, among others). Regarding teaching in Veterinary Medicine courses, 27.3% (27/99) of graduates are dedicating themselves to these teaching activities. Of these, the vast majority (81.5% – 22/27) are doctoral graduates. It is observed that most of these graduates work in private universities (88.9% – 24/27), however, we have graduates working at the Federal University of Pampa and at the Federal Fluminense University itself.
A significant portion of the Master’s graduates (25.75% – 18/70) continued their studies by taking part in the selection process for a Doctorate in our Graduate Program or went on to do a doctorate in another Graduate Program (0.06% – 4/70), thus, 31.4% (22/70) of the Master’s graduates chose to continue training and thus complete the doctorate.
When analyzing the profile of graduates from our Program, we can observe that PPGMVCRA at UFF plays a crucial role in improving the quality of specialized services provided to the population. It is also observed that PPGMVCRA is significant in the training of teachers for private Veterinary Medicine schools located in the State of Rio de Janeiro and other States of Brazil.
It is important to highlight that in addition to the destinations of graduates described above, in the last four-year period, we had graduates working as veterinarians in different forces, such as the Brazilian Navy, Brazilian Army, and the Police Force of the State of Rio de Janeiro. We also had graduates who make up the University’s technical and administrative staff, thus demonstrating the importance of the Program in training the University’s workforce. During these four years, we also trained technicians from Research Centers, such as the Osvaldo Cruz Foundation.
PPGMVCRA’s work in the training and consequently the destination of its graduates is aligned with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 4, which aims to guarantee inclusive, equitable, and quality education, promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.