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In Brazil, both higher education institutions and the programs they offer must have reconhecimento (recognition) by the Ministry of Education and be listed in the register of recognized programs. Recognized programs lead to the award of national titulos (titles) that are legally recognized as part of the formal higher education system.
At the graduacao (undergraduate) level, this is fairly straight-forward. Generally, undergraduate studies in Brazil are not too difficult to research on the Ministry of Education e-MEC website for the Cadastro Nacional de Cursos e Institucoes de Educacao Superior Cadastro (National Registry of Higher Education Courses and Institutions) which even includes a section on closed higher education institutions. Name changes, abbreviations, and mergers may cause some challenges during the research process, but researching the recognition of undergraduate programs is not too onerous.
Post-graduate studies in Brazil are a different story.
Recognized pos-graduacao (post-graduate) studies in Brazil are referred to as Strictu Sensu (strict sense). To be considered a recognized degree program, a post-graduate program must be offered by an institution that is recognized by the Ministry of Education, and the program itself must be approved by the Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior/CAPES (Commission for Improvement of Personnel in Higher Education) of the Ministry of Education.
Strictu Sensu post-graduate degree programs require a Licenciatura/Licenciado, a Bacharelado, or a Titulo Profissional for admissions. Strictu Sensu post-graduate degree programs lead to the award of a nationally valid diploma: Mestrado (Profissional) or Doutorado. Academic Mestrado or Doutorado programs generally require a thesis or dissertation, while the Mestrado Profissional usually does not.
Admissions to Lato Sensu (Broad Sense or Wide Sense) programs, on the other hand, may require an undergraduate degree or may only require a 2-year Titulo de Tecnologo for admission. Lato Sensu programs do not lead to a degree but might or might not be recognized programs.
Lato Sensu programs are also referred to as pos-graduacao (post-graduate) qualifications in Brazil because admissions requires graduation from a post-secondary program but does not necessarily require an undergraduate degree for admissions. Some students enroll in a Lato Sensu program after earning a Bacharel or Licenciado degree, while others are admitted directly after graduating from a 2-year Titulo de Tecnologico. As a result, some students may complete 2½ total years of post-secondary education between their Tecnologico and pos-graduacao Lato Sensu program.
Within the Brazilian higher education system, Strictu Sensu programs lead to academic Master or Doctor degrees, while Lato Sensu programs are designed to lead to employment. They are referred to as Lato Sensu because they are specialized programs that do not lead to further university education but are instead used for professional advancement. Their purpose is professional specialization. Unlike Strictu Sensu post-graduate study, they do not require a thesis, but some programs do require a short project or paper.
The marketing from Brazilian higher education institutions says that Lato Sensu programs are more valuable for business purposes, but these credentials typically do not lead to further education or transfer into recognized degree programs. Lato Sensu programs are particularly common in business, legal, and medical fields.
Lato Sensu specialization programs are offered for a varied amount of time; many programs are offered part-time, on weekends or evenings, or via distance education, making it difficult to determine at a glance how to compare them to US study.
However, one semester of full-time “post-graduate” study in Brazil requires completion of 360 hours, and many Lato Sensu programs require 360-400 hours. Lato Sensu programs are usually offered as 1-year part-time programs during evenings or weekends, though some programs require one class meeting a week for two years.
Lato Sensu programs lead to professional certificates that are usually not recognized by CAPES, though some Lato Sensu programs are listed as recognized specializations on the e-MEC website. As a result, it’s important always check the e-MEC registry before making assumptions.
Lato Sensu programs primarily fall into three categories: Cursos de Aperfeicoamento (Professional Enhancement Programs), Cursos de Especializacao (Specialization Programs) or Certificado a Conclusao do Curso de Pos-graduacao Lato Sensu (Certificate of Completion of the Lato Sensu Post-Graduate Course), and Master of Business Administration/MBA programs.
Generally, the Specialization programs are the only Lato Sensu programs consistently eligible for academic consideration by recognized higher education institutions in Brazil, but sometimes 360-hour Lato Sensu “MBA” programs are also on the National Register of Higher Education Course and Institutions as well.
Regardless of the hours required, however, a Lato Sensu “MBA” is not equivalent to a US Master of Business Administration. This naming is simply a marketing technique.
Strictu Sensu degrees are legal degrees offered within the formal higher education system. Contemporary documents usually feature the round national seal of Brazil on the diploma, though its placement may vary from upper left to bottom left. Diplomas from Strictu Sensu degrees will also include the seal of the Universidade or Faculdade opposite the national seal.
Diplomas from Lato Sensu programs typically only feature the seal or logo of the higher education institution. That is not definitive, though, since older Strictu Sensu credentials from 20+ years ago are less likely to include the national seal, and some Lato Sensu diplomas will include the national seal. Some diplomas will explicitly say whether they are Lato Sensu or Strictu Sensu programs while others will not; the same is true of website program information.
Resources:
Higher Education in Brazil. Government of Brazil, 2024: https://www.gov.br/mre/en/subjects/culture-and-education/educational-themes/study-opportunities-for-international-applicants/higher-education-in-brazil
How Does a Specialization Abroad Work? British Council. https://www.britishcouncil.org.br/exame/ielts/blog/como-funcionam-mba-mestrado-exterior
Lato Sensu – Learn More. Ministry of Education. https://portal.mec.gov.br/component/tags/tag/32116
Lato Sensu Postgraduate Studies – Government Schools. Ministry of Education. https://portal.mec.gov.br/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=45641
Ministry of Education, Commission for the Improvement of Personnel in Higher Education (CAPES) for graduate programs: https://www.gov.br/capes/pt-br and https://sucupira-legado.capes.gov.br/sucupira/public/consultas/coleta/programa/listaPrograma.jsf?acao=pesquisarRegiao
National Registry of Higher Education Courses and Institutions, Ministry of Education: http://emec.mec.gov.br/
Postgraduate Programs of International Quality Offered by Brazilian Universities. CAPES – Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161130133021/http://capes.gov.br/excellence-postgraduate/catalog.pdf
Postgraduate Studies – Regulations. Ministry of Education: https://portal.mec.gov.br/escola-de-gestores-da-educacao-basica/323-secretarias-112877938/orgaos-vinculados-82187207/12899-pos-graduacao-normativos
University Management, Accreditation of University Programs: http://www.gestaouniversitaria.com.br/
What is the Different between Lato Sensu and Stricto Sensu Postgraduate Studies? Ministry of Education. https://portal.mec.gov.br/component/content/article?id=13072:qual-a-diferenca-entre-pos-graduacao-lato-sensu-e-stricto-sensu