Presentation

The Federal University of Latin American Integration is heavily focused on regional integration. This is why the university is committed to receiving students and professors from all the countries in Latin America, reserving seats in undergraduate and graduate studies for applicants from these countries. The internationalization of the university, which is daily discussed and promoted in the academic life of the institution, is the soul of Unila. Research, teaching and community outreach programs are thought through in an international way because this is a structural element of the university.

Thus, the Graduate Program in Economics started from the maturing of the lines of research by the professors of the undergraduate course in Economic Sciences – Economy, Integration and Development of the Federal University of Latin American Integration (UNILA). The history of the master’s degree as proposed by the Graduate Program in Economics (PPGE) starts in 2010, with debates over the implementation and consolidation of the lines of research which subsidize the field of Economics in UNILA.

In 2015, due to the increase in the number of professors of the field of Economics and the highest score obtained in the ad hoc evaluation of the undergraduate course of Economic Sciences, the efforts of the group were focused on the development of the PPGE proposal, with a field of concentration on Applied Economics.

With the field of concentration being Applied Economics and the duration of the course being 24 months, the aim of this master’s degree program is to study themes which are associated with social welfare economics, macroeconomics and development. Such themes are strongly connected to the nature of UNILA and of the course of Economic Sciences, which deal with Latin American integration, with a focus on regional development, cultural, scientific and educational interchange in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The importance of PPGE will be priceless, specifically to the three-border region of the far Western region of the state, where there is a lack of professionals of this field. This graduate course in economics aims at meeting this local demand, but also attracting interested individuals from more distant places, in other Latin American countries. Thereby, as far as target public is concerned, the difference of a master’s degree in Applied Economics by Unila is the possibility of qualifying the local population who is interested in it, promoting quality research in the region, without neglecting the goal of attracting students from the most varied countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. In addition to that, it is important to mention that the program has the responsibility of creating a research agenda for the region.

At the same time, the international character of Unila stimulates the generation of a culture of internationalization at an unprecedented level in Brazil. As this culture becomes more and more consolidated through our graduate course, our experience may inspire the creation of other programs accredited by CAPES, which may be equally involved by the challenge of internationalization.

Profile of Graduates

Students who graduate from the Graduate Program in Applied Economics will be prepared to work with research and teaching activities and also political and economic analysis. With the abilities acquired in the master’s degree course, graduates shall be able to:

• Elaborate and analyze researches in economics which can help decision making processes and the development of economic policies, as well as sectoral, trade and development policies;
• Carry out studies about social welfare economics, macroeconomics and development, in order to help comprehend contemporary economic changes.