A Brief History

The Civil Engineering undergraduate course from PUC-Rio was created in 1948, and seventeen years later, in 1965, the first stricto sensu graduate course in Civil Engineering in Brazil was created, with the creation of the master’s course In 1965. The doctorate course was created in 1984.

In 2015 the graduate program in Civil Engineering completed 50 years and, until that date, over 1000 master’s dissertations and doctoral theses had been produced. Throughout its existence, the program has trained professors who work today in several Latin American universities and in 47 Brazilian universities, among them the main federal universities.

 

The distinction between PUC-Rio’s course and courses  other Universities

The undergraduate course in Civil Engineering at PUC-Rio offers the student a solid foundation in mathematics and basic sciences, and enables students to use the main civil engineering techniques and tools of in the areas of projects, management, production and application of technologies.

The course offers comprehensive training, with possibilities of emphasis in the areas of Structures, Materials, Geotechnical Engineering and Environmental Engineering. The faculty is largely composed by full-time doctoral professors at the University.  Aiming to bring students closer to the labor market, the faculty is complemented by part-time who have strong ties with the professional activity.

The teaching proposal is to enable the student to develop products and services as well as to conduct research in their area of action, designing strategies, managing uncertainties, solving problems and working with multidisciplinary teams.

 

The Infrastructure

The infrastructure available to students includes several laboratories, among them: the Laboratory of Structures and Materials, Laboratory of Geotechnical and Environmental Engineering, Hydraulics Laboratory, Surveying and Engineering Measurements Laboratory, Computer Laboratories and other laboratories of the PUC-Rio Scientific Technical Center.

The International Exchange Program of PUC-Rio has agreements with renowned universities abroad, with the possibility of double diploma. In 2015, thirty-two Civil Engineering students participated in exchanges in twenty-one institutions from ten different countries. PUC-Rio maintains hundreds of agreements and academic and scientific cooperation with teaching and research institutions around the world.

Students have the possibility of working as interns at the PUC-Rio Junior Company: an interdisciplinary consultancy company, supervised by professors, which works on solutions in management and strategy for several clients, from big companies to small entrepreneurs. The Genesis Institute provides the necessary infrastructure for undergraduates and graduates to develop innovative and self-sustaining ventures.

 

How to join PUC-Rio?

In order to join the program, the candidate must take the PUC-Rio Entrance Examination with two admission options: entrance exams or ENEM (Brazilian High School Exam).

PUC-Rio provides several types of grants: scholarships for academic performance; community scholarships, which are philanthropic, in addition to grants resulting from labor agreements. PUC-Rio also grants scholarships via ProUni (MEC program) and participates in FIES (student funding).

The program requires great dedication in the study of mathematics and physical sciences, which form the basis for engineering. Thus, it is natural that students with greater aptitude for these disciplines seek the course.

As engineering operates in so many activities, which are essential to society, the candidate must have a strong commitment to ethical values and be prepared for the challenges related to the practice of the profession.