Quadrennial Evaluation Form 2021 in the Sucupira Platform (Portuguese only).

Quadrennial Evaluation Form 2017 in the Sucupira Platform (Portuguese only).

The self-assessment process of PROURB is systematically conducted at the end of each year. This practice allows the program to constantly review and improve institutional actions, while also serving as a unifying factor for faculty and students around the program’s activities and the implementation of the institutional project.

We highlight the main self-assessment practices as follows: (a) teaching: evaluation of courses by students, faculty meetings for joint evaluation of course content and student performance, and specific discussions in the Program’s Collegiate on key points of the curriculum structure; (b) an annual Internal Evaluation Seminar involving the entire faculty of the Program, during which issues related to the institutional and academic actions of the Program are discussed.

The most recent Internal Evaluation Seminars have confirmed the strengths of the Program and identified the new challenges we must face in the next quadrennium. These include the continuous improvement of affirmative action policies; adaptation to the country’s new socioeconomic context, which demands increasingly innovative actions in teaching, research, and outreach, as well as a more critical and autonomous approach to continue contributing to the qualified training of students and the production of research of national and international relevance and impact; mitigating the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on all activities and the social body, among others.

Thus, the actions needed to achieve the desired results—that is, effective responses to identified weaknesses—must be organized as a two-way street involving all stakeholders (faculty, students, alumni, administrative staff) in an uninterrupted revision process, as advocated by UFRJ’s Institutional Development Plan (p. 379): “the goal of a transparent, efficient, and democratic university must be constantly tied to an uninterrupted self-assessment process, conducted rigorously and aimed at improving the institution as a whole.” The process outlined by the Institutional Development Plan, characterized by the acts of consulting (situation report) – analyzing (critical analysis of the reported situation) – proposing (action proposals on the most relevant aspects of the critical analysis) – following up (monitoring actions proposed in previous self-assessments), feeds back into itself interactively, revising goals according to their respective urgency and scope.

PROURB aims at high-level training, preparing master’s and doctoral graduates to critically address urban issues in a creative, responsible, and interdisciplinary manner. Graduates of PROURB will be theoretically and methodologically equipped for teaching, as well as have tools for direct societal action to work in public institutions and, to a lesser extent, in the private sector. Doctoral graduates will be able to autonomously propose research topics and projects, contributing to knowledge production and university teaching, both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

PROURB has been systematically monitoring the professional and academic placement of its graduates, and since 2004 it has been standard practice to conduct follow-ups on graduates’ situations at the end of each evaluation period. Tracking graduates provides important input for updating academic content and practices, impacting both the definition of the graduate profile and the selection of incoming students.

Most PROURB students have a background in architecture, but the program also welcomes geographers, historians, lawyers, engineers, and designers. Most of the students work in public and private universities, research centers, government agencies, NGOs, and, to a lesser extent, private offices.

In the closing year of the quadrennium 2017–2020, an online survey complemented by active online research was conducted, enabling a clearer profiling of graduates.

Among master’s graduates, three main activity areas were identified: teaching at public, private, and international institutions of higher education (55% of identified graduates or 40% of the total); working in public institutions and national/international NGOs (11% of identified graduates or 8% of the total); and private companies associated with urban planning (19% of the total or 26% of identified graduates). Some graduates work in more than one of these areas, but for the purposes of this analysis, only their primary occupation was accounted for. It is worth noting that many master’s graduates continue their academic training by pursuing doctoral studies.

Doctoral graduates primarily engage in higher education teaching (85%), with 79% (67% of the total) working at public institutions of higher education. A significant portion (10%) is affiliated with public agencies across three spheres, in activities related to architecture and urban planning, while 1% work in private companies and 4% are associated with research institutions.

Doctoral graduates are predominantly dedicated to teaching and research, whereas master’s graduates are less focused on teaching and have significant engagements in the private sector and public administration.

It is evident that PROURB has been preparing doctoral graduates for higher education teaching, particularly for public universities, fulfilling its role in promoting academic nuclei.

The origin of the graduates demonstrates that the program attracts students from various states in Brazil and abroad, both at the master’s and doctoral levels. Doctoral graduates who responded to the questionnaire came from states such as the Federal District, Espírito Santo, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, Pará, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Rio Grande do Norte, São Paulo, Tocantins, Bahia, and Paraná; and countries such as Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Italy. Master’s graduates, on the other hand, came from states like Acre, Alagoas, Bahia, Ceará, the Federal District, Espírito Santo, Maranhão, Minas Gerais, Pará, Paraíba, Paraná, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, São Paulo, Santa Catarina, and Sergipe; and countries like Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Spain, France, Italy, and Cape Verde.

Additionally, many graduates reside in different locations from where they originated after completing the program, contributing to PROURB’s academic dissemination. While there is internal migration within Brazil, many graduates now work abroad in countries like Germany, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Colombia, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Mexico, and Peru.

Graduates engaged in teaching are significantly represented among doctoral respondents teaching at UFRJ (36 doctoral graduates). Others are teaching at various institutions across Brazil, such as UnB, PUC-Rio, UFF, UFRRJ, UFJF, UFOP, UFMG, UFC, UFMT, UFES, UFV, UFPB, UFSJ, UEMA, UFBA, UFT, UPM, UNESA, ESDI/Teresópolis, Centro Universitário Geraldo Di Biase (UGB/Volta Redonda), and UFG (Campus Goiás Velho); as well as internationally at institutions such as TU Berlin (Germany), École d’Architecture de Paris-Belleville (France), University of Ferrara (Italy), Universidad Metropolitana de la Educación y Trabajo (Buenos Aires, Argentina), UFAC, UFG, ETH Zurich (Switzerland), Università IUAV di Venezia, Politecnico di Milano (Italy), KU Leuven (Belgium), Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez (Mexico), Universidad Mayor de San Simón (Bolivia), Universidad Piloto de Colombia (Colombia), and Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro (Mexico).

Graduates who work in research institutions are affiliated with organizations such as FIOCRUZ, Fundação Dom João VI (Nova Friburgo), IBAM, and IRPH. Additionally, those in public service are found at BNDES, Caixa Econômica Federal, Rio de Janeiro City Council, INPI, IPHAN, INEPAC, IRPH, and city halls of Rio de Janeiro, Petrópolis, Armação de Búzios, Porto Real, and the Maranhão State Secretariat of Science and Technology. In the third sector, graduates are affiliated with organizations such as ABEA, SOS Amazônia Association, Indigenous Communities in Colombia, NGOs such as Favela Verde, Terra Una, and USINA – Centro de Trabalhos do Ambiente Habitado, Fundação Vitória Amazônica, IAB, Instituto Dialog, Instituto Locus, and the Green Party.

The contribution of PROURB’s graduates to public universities is marked by their quality research output and their corresponding role in training undergraduate researchers, as evidenced by awards received at the internal research seminars held at these universities.

Some graduates have held or are holding prominent academic positions at the universities where they work, such as Vice Presidency of Undergraduate Studies at Estácio de Sá University, coordination of postgraduate programs in Architecture and Urbanism at federal universities of Viçosa and Juiz de Fora, and in undergraduate courses, such as the Direction of the Architecture and Urbanism Program at the State University of Maranhão, Coordination of the Architecture and Urbanism Program at PUC-Rio, Assistant Coordination of the Architecture and Urbanism Program at the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, Department Head at the State University of Maranhão, and representation of its Faculty at the Brazilian Association of Architecture and Urbanism Education – ABEA.

Other graduates have occupied or currently occupy positions of representation in the field of architecture and urbanism, such as the Presidency (National and Regional – RJ and Niterói) of the Brazilian Institute of Architects (IAB). Notably, four other PROURB graduates previously held the position of President of IAB/RJ. In addition to the presidency, we have one graduate serving as Vice-President of IAB/RJ and three others on its Deliberative Council. Furthermore, there are two graduates holding director positions at the Architecture and Urbanism Council (CAU/RJ) and one council member at CAU/MA, who also coordinates the Commission for Education and Training of the entity, along with representatives on the ABEA Board. The President of the UIA 2020 Congress, a PROURB faculty member, is also one of its doctoral graduates.

Many graduates occupy prominent roles in municipal and federal agencies or private professional activities. Numerous graduates have served as government secretaries, both at the municipal and state levels.