Internal Rules
Check the full version on Brazilian Portuguese.
CHAPTER I – Purposes
Art. 1 – The Master Program in Physiotherapy and Functioning (PPGFisio) aims to train technically and scientifically qualified personnel for teaching, research and management roles in the professional market. The objective of the Program is to generate, consolidate and innovate scientific, technological, pedagogical, sociological and philosophical productions in the field of Physiotherapy and Physical Education, as well as to train teachers to work in higher education, satisfying a backlog demand in the State of Ceará and in the North and Northeast regions, as well as to train professionals capable of working in leading positions in the job market.
Art. 2 – The Program will be governed by these Internal Bylaws, based on the General Norms for Graduate Programs and the Statutes and General Regulations of the Federal University of Ceará (UFC). These internal regulations must also be updated to comply with the legislation of the Coordinating Office for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES).
CHAPTER VII – Selection and admission
Art. 22 – A committee of at least 03 (three) members, appointed by the Faculty Board, made up of tenured professors, in addition to members appointed by the UFC House of Culture, will be set up to select the candidates (Selection and Admission Committee).
Art. 23 – The selection will be made public and duly regulated via a Selection and Admission Notice approved by the Faculty Board, which will be published together with its results on the Program’s website.
- 1 – The selection criteria, the number of seats available and the documents required for enrollment will be the subject of a specific selection notice in accordance with the rules in force at UFC.
- 2 – The selection notice must include at least one elimination stage and one qualifying stage.
Art. 24 – Only holders of diplomas or certificates from full undergraduate programs in healthcare and related fields, recognized by the Ministry of Education or authorized by UFC, may apply.
Sole paragraph: Exceptionally, candidates in the final stage of their undergraduate studies may be admitted to the competition. However, in order for the selection process to be effective, if they are selected, they must present their diploma or degree certificate upon enrollment.
Art. 25 – In order to partake in the selection process, applicants must submit the documents specified in the public notice together with the duly completed application form.
Art. 26 – The Program requires proof of knowledge of a foreign language (English), which can be provided in one of the following ways:
- a) Presentation of a TOEFL (English) diploma or equivalent (to be assessed by the Coordinating Office) with a level higher than or equal to B1;
- b) Presentation of a certificate of proficiency issued by the UFC Houses of Culture;
- c) Passing a written test to be prepared by the Selection and Admissions Committee.
Art. 27 – Students enrolled in graduate programs at other institutions may be admitted as special students, at the discretion of the Coordinating Office and the professor in charge of the course.
- Paragraph 1 – Exceptionally, active students in the last two semesters of their undergraduate studies at UFC may attend PPGFisio courses, provided that they respect the limit of 08 (eight) credits for the Master’s program, in accordance with the general rules of the University. The student must follow the following steps: i) submit a written justification to the professor in charge of the course; ii) after analyzing the justification, it will be up to the professor to authorize it or not, forwarding the result to the PPGFisio Coordinating Office.
- Paragraph 2: Transfer students from a course at the same level of training, from a program recommended and recognized by CAPES, may be admitted by means of a specific notice, provided that there are seats available for thesis supervision.
CHAPTER VIII – Enrollment
Art. 28 – Regular enrollment is requested by the student through the academic control system in force at UFC, during the period established in the academic calendar, and approved by the advisor.
Sole paragraph. The enrollment of regular students on national or international mobility must be requested by the coordinator to PRPPG during the enrollment period defined in the university calendar for the current semester.
Art. 29 – The enrollment of special students is carried out by the coordinator of the graduate program, directly via the academic control system in force at UFC, during the period established in the academic calendar.
Art. 30 – Transfer students will be enrolled in the academic control system, respecting the UFC academic calendar and defining transfer as a form of admission.
Art. 31 – Requests for suspension of a curricular component will be evaluated and approved by the thesis supervisor and the program coordinator, according to the period established in the university calendar, in compliance with the legislation and institutional norms in force.
- 1. The course may only be suspended for reasons of illness or maternity leave, duly authorized by the UFC Medical Service, and the period of suspension will not be taken into account in the calculation of the time spent on the Master’s degree.
- 2. The special regime granted by the UFC Medical Service does not constitute a withdrawal from the course or an extension of the completion deadline.
- 3. It is not possible to withdraw from the same course more than once.
- 4. Scholarship holders who discontinue their enrollment or fail their course for reasons of attendance or performance will have their scholarship canceled, except in the cases provided for by law.
CHAPTER IX – The didactic system
Art. 32 – The curricular matrix is made up of a series of curricular components, defined as courses, modules or academic activities, to which credits are assigned, each credit corresponding to 16 hours, and the completion of which forms part of the requirements for obtaining a diploma.
- Paragraph 1 – Courses may be compulsory or elective;
- Paragraph 2 – The thesis shall be considered an academic activity, as shall the qualifying examination and the proof of English language proficiency.
Art. 33 – Credits obtained in curricular components of other graduate programs recognized and recommended by CAPES may be used.
Sole paragraph. The Program Coordinator will analyze requests for credit transfers according to the following criteria:
- a) At least 75% similarity between the curriculum of the course taken and the curriculum of the course requested;
- b) Similarity of at least 75% between the workload of the courses;
- c) Previously acquired credits can only be used if they were acquired within a period of less than five years;
- d) a maximum limit on the number of credits taken;
- e) In the case of a concept, this will be converted into an appropriate proportional grade in accordance with generally accepted standards.
Art. 34 – The enrollment in the academic activity of the thesis requires that the student has cumulatively passed
I – all the compulsory subjects of the curriculum;
II – the academic activity in a foreign language;
III – the qualifying examination.
Art. 35 – The assessment of academic performance always includes attendance, punctuality and efficiency. In the case of course and module components, it is the professor’s responsibility to record all grades in the academic control system in force.
- 1º. At the discretion of the professor in charge of the course, efficiency will be assessed by one or more of the following means of measurement: tests, examinations, assignments, projects, seminars, as well as effective participation in the proposed activities;
- 2. The evaluation referred to at the beginning of this article shall be expressed in the form of a final result in the form of grades on a scale from zero (0) to ten (10), with a maximum of one decimal place;
- 3. In the case of an academic activity, assessment shall be expressed as a final result by means of a ‘pass’ or ‘fail’ status;
- 4. Students who attend 75% (seventy-five per cent) or more of the activities carried out and obtain a final grade of 5.0 (five) or more or a ‘pass’ will be considered to have passed the course/activity;
- 5. Students must enroll in the corresponding semester for the course referred to as the Academic Activity, and if they do not complete it during the academic period, the enrollment may be renewed at the beginning of the following semester until it is completed;
- 6. Students who fail any part of the curriculum, including the qualifying examination, have the right to a new opportunity.
Art. 36 – The academic control system in force will terminate the student’s connection to the graduate program if they fall into one of the following situations:
I – Fails twice in any curricular component, including academic activities, with the exception of the thesis defense;
II – has not enrolled in any curricular component in the current semester;
III – exceeds the maximum duration of study set by the Graduate Program Committee;
IV – Fails the thesis defense;
V – in exceptional and duly justified cases, it will be up to the Program Coordinator to analyze and decide on requests for extensions.
CHAPTER XI – Deadlines and conditions for completion
Art. 42 – The Program has a minimum duration of 12 (twelve) months and a maximum duration of 30 (thirty) months, counted from the month/year of the first enrollment until the month/year of the actual defense of the thesis, in accordance with the General Regulations of UFC.
- 1. Students may request an extension of up to 03 (three) months by submitting a justification for not meeting the deadline, a proposed timetable for the completion of the activity plan and a letter of agreement from the supervisor.
- 2. The request for extension of the deadline must be evaluated and approved by at least 2/3 of the Faculty Board, which is responsible for informing PRPPG of the decision, in accordance with the legislation in force.
Art. 43 – In order to obtain a Master’s degree in Physiotherapy and Functioning the student must:
- a) be enrolled as a regular student and complete at least 30 (thirty) credits, of which 06 (six) correspond to the academic activity of the thesis, in addition to meeting the deadlines established in these regulations;
- b) Pass the qualifying examination;
- c) Attendance equal to or greater than 75% (seventy-five percent) of the activities carried out and a final grade equal to or greater than 5.0 (five), as well as the approval of the majority of the members of the Thesis Defense Committee;
- d) have complied with the requirements of the Coordinating Office and the UFC Library System regarding the submission of the thesis, respecting the required deadline and format;
- e) have incorporated any recommendations made by the Examination Board into the final text and have sent the final version of the thesis to the Program’s Executive Office no later than 30 (thirty) days after the date of the defense.
Art. 44 – The diploma must be requested by the coordinator in a specific administrative procedure, according to the form established by PRPPG, which includes: a copy of the minutes of the defense; a copy of the bachelor’s diploma for the award of a master’s diploma; a copy of the identity card; a “Nada Consta” (no outstanding returns) document issued by the library system; and an authorization form for the defense issued by the Academic Control System.
