Curricular Structure

PPGI-UNIRIO comprises the Master’s in Informatics and the PhD in Informatics, both academic programs in the area of Information Systems. The Master’s program started in 2006, while the PhD program started in 2014.

From the perspective of undergraduate education, according to the 2018 Census of Higher Education in Computing carried out within the scope of the Brazilian Computer Society (made available on 07-10-2020), in Brazil there were 562 undergraduate courses in Information Systems, which corresponds to 22.96% of computer courses in the country (Computer Science – 15.48%; Computer Engineering – 3.47%; Software Engineering – 1.59%; Technology Courses – 52.37%; Teaching Degree in Computing, 3.47%; and Others – 0.65%). Considering this scenario and projecting the evolution of this number in the coming years, PPGI-UNIRIO’s graduate education helps fill a gap in the education of professors and researchers who work in these courses.

It is recognized nationwide that there is a poorly defined market for education for researchers and professors in the field of Information Systems, which contrasts with the demand for existing education in the field. The evolution of PPGI-UNIRIO is also in line with the 2025-2029 National Graduate Plan, in which there is a concern with the strengthening of education in the areas of Engineering and Exact Sciences, the service to the portion of the population that comes to graduation, and the rise of programs to higher levels of excellence. In addition, there is strong discussion about PhD education for industry, innovation, and entrepreneurship, alongside academic education traditionally aimed at working in universities and research institutes. Finally, PPGI-UNIRIO’S performance is also aligned with the Priority Technologies areas defined by MCTIC through Ordinances no. 1,122, dated 03/19/2020 and no. 1,329, dated 03/27/2020, more specifically: Enabling Technologies (in the sectors: Artificial Intelligence; and Internet of Things), Production Technologies (in the following sectors: Industry; Communications; Infrastructure; and Services), Technologies for Sustainable Development (in the following sectors: Smart Cities; and Monitoring, prevention and recovery from natural and environmental disasters) and Technologies for Quality of Life (in the Assistive Technologies sector).

Thus, the Master’s and PhD programs at PPGI-UNIRIO have characteristics that contribute to the actions planned as national strategies for graduation, especially regarding strengthening graduation in the area of Exact Sciences, attention to quality graduate education with a primary focus on PhD education, attention to education for teaching and research in Information Systems, and attention to the strong and growing demand for researchers in the industry.

PPGI-UNIRIO offers Master’s and PhD programs in Informatics, with the purpose of:

1. Deepen the scientific and technical-professional knowledge of students in the area of Information Systems;
2. Train professionals with scientific, technical, and organizational knowledge for the modeling, development, selection, deployment, and management of Information Systems;
3. Enable students to develop skills for research, technological development and innovation, and teaching in higher education in the area of Information Systems;
4. Contribute to the constant improvement of the academic community (national and international) in Information Systems, stimulating the articulation between teaching, research, innovation, and extension; and
5. Develop cutting-edge research in Information Systems that contributes to the development.

The PPGI-UNIRIO PhD Program in Informatics provides continuity in the education of professionals in the IS area, with the following purposes:

1. Deepen the scientific and technical-professional knowledge of students in the area of Information Systems;
2. Train professionals in the state-of-the-art of scientific, technical, and organizational knowledge for the conception, development, deployment, and management of Information Systems;
3. Develop students’ skills for research and teaching in higher education in the area of Information Systems;
4. Develop students’ skills for research and innovation in the area of Information Systems;
5. Contribute to the constant improvement of the academic community (national and international) in Information Systems, stimulating the articulation between teaching, research, innovation, and extension;
6. Develop cutting-edge research in the area of Information Systems that can contribute to the social and economic development of the country; and
7. Expand Brazil’s international insertion in the Information Systems area through cooperation projects with institutions and companies abroad.

Student Profile

The constant evolution of Information Systems, which applies techniques from different areas of Computer Science and draws on knowledge from different application domains, requires professionals capable of monitoring this evolution and promoting the dissemination of knowledge. The complexity of Information Systems and their integration within organizations creates a demand for professionals able to work with these systems, both observing and influencing the context in which they are applied, and analyzing the specificities of their components in relation to their modeling, architecture, construction, and execution.

The professional who graduated with a Master’s and PhD degree courses in Informatics/Computer Science at PPGI-UNIRIO will be able to analyze the several technologies available for information processing under multiple aspects, to select, apply, integrate, develop, improve, and manage the most recent and appropriate technologies for sectors of society that require information processing mechanisms. Professionals will also be able to discuss the deficiencies of current technologies and promote the development of new technologies, either through innovation, by combining existing technologies, or by analogy with other areas of knowledge. Thus, PPGI-UNIRIO contributes to the insertion of qualified professionals into the labor market, both in the country and abroad.

Curricular structure

Master’s and PhD programs in Informatics at UNIRIO are organized around lines of research, subjects, and activities aimed at developing and deepening the student’s education in line with the proposed objectives, as well as consolidating and advancing the research history of its faculty.

The set of subjects aims to submit students with content relevant to: (i) Computer Science and Information Systems; (ii) research problems and state-of-the-art in the thematic areas of the course’s research line; (iii) development of research on rigorous methodological bases; (iv) instrumentalization to teaching; and (iv) instrumentalization of the systematics and processes related to innovation.

The organization of the courses follows the view that research in Information Systems encompasses the identification of problems and the proposition of solutions related to:

• (i) Modeling—conception and representation of both the systems and the information and knowledge they manipulate;
• (ii) Development—application and management of the complexity of using technologies to build these systems; and
• (iii) Management—effective use of systems in business, organizational, and social contexts.

Following this view, the courses are structured into two lines of research: “Business Support Systems” and “Applied Intelligent Systems and Optimization”, which aim to address topics, methodologies, techniques, and technologies related to at least one of the following aspects: Modeling, Development, and Management of Information Systems.

The programs are structured in:

• Mandatory subjects: they cover the fundamental content of Computer Science (Analysis and Design of Algorithms), Information Systems (Fundamentals of Information Systems), and Research (Scientific Methodology);
• Basic Core Subjects: with fundamental contents of Computer Science and Information Systems, and make up the set of fundamental knowledge for the specific subjects of each line of research;
• Optional Subjects of Line of Research: contain state-of-the-art content on research topics in Information Systems;
• Specific subjects for education in academic research and teaching; and
• Specific subjects for education for innovation, especially for the PhD program.

With this set of subjects, it is understood that students will be duly submitted to basic and conceptual content relevant to information systems; content relative to problems of research and state-of-the-art in the thematic areas of the course’s research line; content related to development of research on rigorous methodological bases; instrumentalization of teaching; and instrumentalization of the systematics and processes related to innovation.

Specific mechanisms for monitoring the research – Directed Studies, Research for PhD Thesis and Master’s Dissertations (with presentation of semiannual seminars), and Qualification to the Master’s/PhD – aim to guarantee the satisfactory development of research over time.

Three aspects of the organization of the PhD Program deserve to be highlighted, given the education expected of the student. Firstly, the deepening of content related to scientific methodology, with the offer of subjects: Scientific Methodology, Qualitative Research Methods, Quantitative Research Methods, Design Science Research, and Theories of IS and Theorization. Secondly, the establishment of specific content on teaching practices in the domain of Information Systems through the subject Teaching in Information Systems (which aims to provide training in teaching, explore concepts in the area of Education, and promote discussion on Computational Thinking and Computer/Information Systems Education), and teaching internships. The third relevant aspect in the organization of the course is the introduction of the subject of Studies Directed to Innovation, whose purpose is to present the student not only with the concepts related to the topic but also to serve as a laboratory for the exercise of innovation processes.