PPGCS/UFRRJ embodies the institution’s commitment to expanding and democratizing higher education in Rio de Janeiro State. Its establishment in 2012 emerged from the growth of UFRRJ under REUNI—the Federal University Restructuring and Expansion Program—which since 2009 enabled the creation of the Social Sciences undergraduate degree (licenciatura and bacharelado) and the inauguration of the Multidisciplinary (Nova Iguaçu) and Três Rios institutes, with new faculty hired to support this expansion.
Since its inception, PPGCS has become a key reference in the field, increasing its state and national relevance. The faculty team—25 full-time and three adjunct professors—spans the Institutes of Human and Social Sciences (Seropédica), Multidisciplinary (Nova Iguaçu), and Três Rios, working integrally on interdisciplinary projects that connect the three core domains of Social Sciences: Anthropology, Sociology, and Political Science.
The Program is structured into three research lines: (1) Political theory, institutions, public policy, and globalization; (2) Sociabilities, conflict, and identity processes; and (3) Cultural practices, social processes, power, and subjectivity. The curriculum ensures students gain a robust and comprehensive theoretical foundation while allowing for in-depth study in specific research topics.
Located in Seropédica, a peripheral municipality of the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Region, PPGCS plays a strategic role in serving populations historically excluded from traditional graduate education. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these inequalities, compounding challenges for students—especially amid funding and scholarship cuts. Nevertheless, the program remains dedicated to training researchers from working-class backgrounds, especially those from Baixada Fluminense, Rio’s West Zone, and the southern Rio region.
This commitment is also reflected in affirmative action policies. Since 2021, PPGCS has increased seat reservations for Black, indigenous, and disabled candidates, following UFRRJ regulations and MEC Ordinance nº 13/2016. In 2023, Resolution nº 556/2023 established a 40% seat quota for historically underrepresented groups, including quilombolas, refugees, transsexual, and travesti individuals. Scholarship distribution regulations from 2021 define: 50% for PPI candidates listed in CadÚnico with per-person income up to 1.5 minimum wages; 30% for social quota candidates with similar criteria; and 20% for top-ranked students in the general selection. Moreover, PPGCS integrates into UFRRJ’s Institutional Qualification Program, offering master’s and doctoral opportunities to technical-administrative staff.
Despite its relative youth, PPGCS has shown consistent upward trajectory. In its first quadrennial assessment by Capes (2013–2016), it received a grade of 4. In 2019, it launched its doctoral program, with the first graduates in 2023 and 2024. In the subsequent evaluation (2017–2020), the program earned a “very good” rating for “Quality of intellectual production by students and alumni” and “Destinations, performance, and evaluation of alumni.” Capes noted that the program sustained its grade-4 rating solely because the doctorate had not yet graduated its first class: “the Sociology field’s policy is not to reconsider rating for newly launched doctorates unless all indicators are ‘Very Good’” (in Portuguese).
Internationalization remains a challenge, especially due to recent budget constraints. Still, PPGCS obtained an ANPOCS/Fulbright agreement that, over three years, brought U.S. researchers for training activities such as lectures and mini-courses. The faculty is active in both national and international research networks and in major scientific associations such as ABA, SBS, ABCP, and ANPOCS. Research output is strong, with frequent publications in journals and books in Brazil and abroad, including renowned publishers. Many projects benefit from funding sources like Jovem Cientista do Nosso Estado, CNPq Universal grants, and productivity fellowships.
Integration between undergraduate and graduate programs is a hallmark of PPGCS. It maintains a strong link with the Social Sciences undergraduate courses across all three campuses, through course offerings and numerous thesis supervisions. Over the quadrennium, the program supervised 167 undergraduate research initiations (an average of 1.49 per faculty member per year) and 250 undergraduate final projects (TCCs)—a higher total than IC, as TCC supervision doesn’t rely on scholarship availability. Professor Naara Luna coordinates the Human, Applied Social Sciences, Linguistics, Literature, and Arts segments of PIBIC and the Annual Undergraduate Research Meeting (RAIC-UFRRJ).
The program’s structure has remained stable in recent years, with no changes to research lines, nomenclature, or curriculum. The administrations from 2017–2020 onward have continued the work initiated by the 2018–2019 coordination, emphasizing collegial governance and institutional strengthening. Committee work is well established, fostering diversity of ideas, collaboration, and administrative continuity—even amid the political and economic crisis that afflicted public universities during that period.
