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L\u00e9o Ramos Chaves\u2009\/\u2009Revista Pesquisa Fapesp<\/span>The USP Developmental Genetics Laboratory: PhD recipients at the university earn their degrees at an average age of 37L\u00e9o Ramos Chaves\u2009\/\u2009Revista Pesquisa Fapesp<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n Luiz Antonio Pessan, a materials engineer and director of programs and fellowships at CAPES, explains that the overarching goal is to make graduate programs more appealing to students and increase the number of doctoral graduates. \u201cBrazil currently produces 10 PhD graduates per 100,000 people, compared to an average three times higher in OECD-member industrialized nations,\u201d he notes. While Brazil has met the targets outlined in its last National Graduate Education Program\u2014producing 25,000 PhDs and 60,000 master\u2019s graduates annually\u2014the system has recently lost momentum. The number of degree earners has diminished, partly due to the pandemic, and fewer candidates are applying for programs. These trends suggest that the current model is nearing exhaustion, even as recent data points to a gradual recovery (see<\/em> Pesquisa FAPESP issue n\u00ba 315<\/em><\/a>). Factors contributing to this decline include the lengthy duration of doctoral programs (PhD recipients in Brazil earn their degree at an average age of 38, compared to 31 in the US) and the heavily academic focus of the curricula, which is less appealing to those seeking careers in industry, public institutions, or nongovernmental organizations.<\/p>\n The new model is designed to address these issues. \u201cToday, the average age for completing a PhD is 38, yet Brazil\u2019s lengthier programs have not yielded better outcomes. We need to change this by streamlining processes, cutting bureaucracy, and eliminating unnecessary barriers to training good researchers,\u201d said Marco Antonio Zago, chairman of the FAPESP Board of Trustees, during the program\u2019s launch. According to Simon Schwartzman, a sociologist with the Institute of Economic Policy Studies in Rio de Janeiro, the new program could help address what he sees as a significant anomaly in Brazil\u2019s higher education system. \u201cIn Brazil, direct-entry PhD programs remain rare, due to the belief that a master\u2019s degree is an essential prerequisite for a PhD. This is a Brazilian aberration, especially as master\u2019s programs are increasingly pursued by professionals seeking to improve their qualifications for the job market rather than continuing to a PhD. A PhD is intended for those entering research and requiring deeper training, but this path becomes unnecessarily long when preceded by a master\u2019s degree,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n Hematologist Rodrigo Calado, USP\u2019s associate dean for graduate student affairs, notes that speeding up the production of PhDs in Brazil is advantageous for multiple reasons. \u201cFor Brazil\u2019s society and economy, having highly skilled researchers entering the workforce sooner\u2014whether in academia, public service, or industry\u2014is important. Starting their careers earlier also ensures a quicker return on the investment in their education,\u201d he notes. Shorter pathways allow young PhDs to join the workforce, start building their careers, and support their families by the age of 30, reducing uncertainties and dependence on grants. Calado reports that the university\u2019s PhD graduates earn their degrees at an average age of 37\u2014one year younger than the national average. \u201cIf we can bring that down to 34, it would be a significant improvement, but better yet would be 31 as in the US. People\u2019s peak scientific productivity typically occurs around age 30,\u201d he notes. \u201cThe current system is highly discouraging. Imagine choosing a career knowing you might not secure employment until you\u2019re nearly 40.\u201d Of USP\u2019s 262 graduate programs, approximately 50, with scores of 6 or 7, qualify to test the new model.<\/p>\n At UNIFESP, 13 graduate programs in the health sciences\u2014associated with the S\u00e3o Paulo School of Medicine and the S\u00e3o Paulo School of Nursing\u2014are eligible to implement the new model. According to architect and urban planner Fernando Atique, the institution\u2019s associate dean for graduate education and research, the new pathway could have a meaningful impact. \u201cMedical training, in particular, is an inherently lengthy process. Beyond undergraduate training, future doctors must complete a residency. Many physicians delay pursuing a master\u2019s degree, and most only pursue a doctorate much later, after establishing their careers. If they could complete graduate studies by age 30, it would be a significant benefit,\u201d he says. Atique also highlights that many of UNIFESP\u2019s PhD graduates come from other states. \u201cYounger PhDs with more up-to-date skill sets would be better positioned to pass competitive exams and add value to their host institutions, and would have the opportunity to work at leading clinical centers or in the pharmaceutical industry.\u201d<\/p>\n L\u00e9o Ramos Chaves\u2009\/\u2009Revista Pesquisa FAPESP<\/span>Researchers at UNICAMP\u2019s Obesity and Comorbidities Research Center: the university graduated 747 PhDs and 1,113 master\u2019s students in 2023L\u00e9o Ramos Chaves\u2009\/\u2009Revista Pesquisa FAPESP<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n At UFSCar, eight programs may adopt the new model: four in the humanities, three in the exact sciences, and one in health sciences. \u201cEach program will decide whether or not to participate. We already have experience with direct-entry PhD pathways in engineering and some areas of health sciences, but not in the humanities, where research and doctoral training tend to require longer maturation periods,\u201d explains sociologist Rodrigo Constante Martins, UFSCar\u2019s associate dean for graduate student affairs. Given the seven annual fellowships allocated to UFSCar, Martins estimates that 28 doctoral students will benefit during the four-year pilot program, only a fraction of the roughly 350 PhDs the university confers annually. \u201cWe hope the pilot is successful and that funding increases over time, allowing us to benefit more students beyond this initial cohort.\u201d<\/p>\n Political scientist Rachel Meneguello, associate dean for graduate student affairs at UNICAMP, believes master\u2019s students will experience the most noticeable changes. \u201cOur proposition is that incoming students have a more interdisciplinary curriculum, develop their research projects, and take external internships. Our intention is not to create professional master\u2019s programs but instead to make graduate training more closely aligned with the professional world,\u201d she explains, adding that the outcomes from fast-tracked PhDs will only be felt in the long term, as expanding the number of students pursuing direct-entry PhDs has historically proved challenging. \u201cOnly exceptionally well-prepared students can be awarded an opportunity like this,\u201d she notes. \u201cFields like dentistry, computer science, and some branches of engineering are showing greater interest in the new format because they already offer more applied master\u2019s programs, while other fields are still assessing the model.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2022, UNESP began revamping its graduate curricula to provide more comprehensive training. \u201cWe added courses on ethics, entrepreneurship, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals to our curriculum portfolio, with some offered in hybrid formats so that UNESP students across various cities could attend,\u201d explains chemist Maria Valnice Boldrin, the university\u2019s associate dean for graduate student affairs. \u201cThis new program goes a step further by introducing a pathway that includes off-campus activities. It not only reduces the time required to earn a PhD but also improves the quality of master\u2019s-level training.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/revistapesquisa.fapesp.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/RPF-pos-graduacao-pesquisadores-2025-01-1140.jpg\")