Curriculum Proposal
Curricular structure
The Graduate Course in Terrestrial System Science focuses on conducting studies to assess the impacts of global and regional environmental changes on socioeconomic and environmental systems, especially those that may support national development and quality of life, as well as develop technologies applicable to monitoring, mitigation and adaptation to environmental changes and train human resources in the area. For the formation of these highly qualified human resources, the curriculum implemented in the Doctoral Program in Terrestrial System Science seeks to promote interdisciplinarity, which is one of the central objectives of the course. Beginning in 2014, the course is first entered through a selective test of general knowledge related to the theme of Earth System Science, whose bibliographic material is made available electronically. In a second stage, the curriculum analysis is carried out, as well as a work plan proposed by the candidates and then interviews with the selected ones. INPE’s academic periods are quarterly, beginning in March of each year. Fulfilling the normal workload of compulsory and optional subjects offered in each period, according to the Course Catalog, the student will have completed, by the end of the third period, the credits required in subjects. Also, within the first term, the student undergoes a Qualification Interview before an ad hoc committee appointed by the Course Council. This interview determines the general work plan and the subjects to be taken so that the student can develop his theme from solid foundations. Although no title is required, this plan should be in line with the general theme proposed for future thesis work. It is noteworthy that in view of the interdisciplinary character, students are encouraged to seek themes that involve different areas of knowledge. After the completion of the subjects, students take the Qualification Exam, where a subject is presented to the student by a faculty committee and then its development must be submitted to the evaluation of a Board. The Qualification Exam aims to highlight the breadth and depth of your knowledge, as well as your critical ability in relation to a subject within the scope of the Graduate in Earth System Science. In the period following the Qualification Exam, the student must submit to the Thesis Proposal Examination before an Examining Board, in which the validity, originality and feasibility of the proposal will be verified. Also, as a requirement for obtaining the title of doctor and stimulating scientific production, the course requires the student to be the first author of a scientific article derived from his thesis, accepted in a magazine with editorial board, whose classification is A, B1 or B2. CAPES Qualis System for Interdisciplinary or Environmental Sciences.
The program’s list of disciplines covers the natural, social and socioeconomic sciences, whose contents include theoretical approaches and applications. The curricular structure of the Doctoral Course in Earth System Science consists of 5 compulsory subjects and 18 optional subjects. As compulsory subjects, all students must study: Introduction to Earth System Science; Fundamentals of Social Sciences: Interdisciplinary Perspective; Introduction to Earth System Modeling, Scientific Research Methodology and Thematic Research Seminars. The first compulsory subject has 4 credits (60 class hours), the last two have no credit (20 class hours) and the other has 3 credits (45 class hours). With compulsory subjects, all students are expected to acquire basic knowledge of (i) the integrated earth system and global environmental change; (ii) the social science paradigms in the social, political, economic context, and the main human dimensions of global environmental change; (iii) the modeling of the terrestrial system to study the interaction between natural and human systems; (iv) the main concepts involved in research activities. After completing the required subjects, students will follow the optional subjects related to their thesis theme, which were defined in the Qualification Interview to guide their work. Interdisciplinarity is also focused on Thematic Research Seminars, in which previously selected themes serve as the basis for discussion of different scientific issues, which are discussed from different perspectives. The seminars are intended to complement the basic curriculum training of doctoral students and function (i) as a research laboratory seminar; (ii) as a space reserved for short lectures and thematic courses; (iii) as an opportunity for interdisciplinary reflection and scientific exploration with a view to thinking public policies in the perspective of sustainability and global environmental changes. If basic knowledge is required in other subject areas, students may take courses in other Postgraduate programs available at INPE such as Meteorology, Remote Sensing or Space Geophysics. These PPGs are staffed by faculty specialists in different sub-areas. Students with a Masters Degree must complete a minimum of 14 subject credits as they receive 24 Masters credits, while students without a Masters Degree must complete courses and / or participate in other academic activities to be defined in the Qualification Interview, to complete the 38 credits required by the course.
Innovative training experiences
Students’ teaching and research activities can be carried out indistinctly in São José dos Campos and Cachoeira Paulista. CCST has the modern telecommunication (videoconferencing) feature, allowing classes to be attended by students simultaneously in both cities. In addition, CCST has exclusive WEBCONF access (private account) via RNP, which allows conferencing between remotely logged in users from a web browser where chat, note board, audio, video, desktop sharing, which facilitates the interaction of students and teachers without the need for physical presence in the same place.
Developed activities:
Redes Sociais