Specific Rules and Regulations for the Graduate Program in Dramatic Arts

I – Members of the Program Coordination Commission ( CCP):

1. The Coordination Commission for the Graduate Program in  is comprised of the Program Coordinator, his/her Substitute, and a professor accredited as counselor in the Program, all the professors in the Unit and by a representative of the Program’s student body. A substitute will be elected for each full member.

II – Selection Criteria

1. Application documents, the number of openings available, the list of counselors, evaluation items in curriculum, as well as the evaluation score of each item and the final approval average, the themes and bibliography to be used in the selection process will be part of a specific Selection Process to be announced in August of each year.

2. The selection process for Master’s and Doctorate degrees is composed of two phases comprised of the following exams and conditions to be defined in a specific process to be published in the “Diario Oficial” for each selection process:

1st phase:

a) Evaluation of research project;

b) Score in written exam (exclusively for master’s degree candidates). Candidates for their doctorate do not take the written exam which is substituted by an analysis of their master’s dissertation;

c) Analysis of curriculum/portfolio.

 

The 1st phase is eliminatory. Only those students classified in the 1st phase will be able to participate in the 2nd phase of the selection process.

 

2nd phase:

a) Interview;

b) Proficiency in a foreign language.

 

3. The foreign language exam is eliminatory.

4. Direct Doctorate candidates will be submitted to an interview and an analysis of a detailed memorial by an examination board to be designated by the CCP. If approved, candidates will take an exam for proficiency in a foreign language and a written exam as described in item 2.

III – Duration of Program

1. The following terms and criteria for Master’s and Doctorate programs should be respected:

a) Masters: maximum term of 30 months to submit the dissertation.

b) Doctorate: maximum term of 48 months to submit the thesis.

c) Direct Doctorate, without a master’s degree: maximum term of 60 months to submit the thesis.

IV – Minimum Credits

1. Master’s students must earn at least 96 credits, following the distribution:

a) at least 28 (twenty-eight) class credits;

b) 68 (sixty-eight) credits in elaboration of thesis.

2. Doctorate students with a Master’s degrees must earn at least 164 (one hundred and sixty-four) credits, following the distribution:

a) at least 21 (twenty-one) class credits;

b) 143 (one hundred forty-three) credits in elaboration of thesis.

3. Doctorate students not holding a Master’s degree must earn at least 192 (one hundred ninety-two) credits, following the distribution:

a) at least 49 (forty-nine) class credits;

b) 143 (one hundred forty-three) credits in elaboration of thesis.

4. Masters or Doctorate students may transfer up to 7 (seven) course credits for special credits (see item XIV), as long as they are earned during the period they are enrolled in the course. It is  up to the CCP to analyze and deliberate over the request of incorporating special credits.

V. Foreign Language

1. A Master’s degree requires proficiency in one of these languages: English, French, Spanish, Italian or German.

2. A Doctor’s degree requires proficiency in two languages, including that of the Master’s.

3. Candidates are required to have reading and interpretation skills at an intermediate level.

4. Candidates approved for their Master's and Doctorate degrees must present a certificate attesting to their proficiency  by one of the following institutes:

a) FFLCH/USP Language Center (English, French, Spanish, German, Italian) – intermediate level

e Portuguese (only for foreign candidates) – intermediate level;

b) Goethe Institute (German) with a minimum classification of, level M III or C1;

c) Aliança Francesa (French) - exam: minimum 70 points;

d) Italian Culture Institute (Italian) Lato Sensu exam with scoring 50% or more

e) Miguel de Cervantes Institute, Diploma of Spanish as a Foreign Language - DELE, Miguel de Cervantes School, Hispanic Institute of São Paulo and Hispanic Culture Institute (Spanish)  - intermediate level

f) Cultura Inglesa, União Cultural Brasil-EUA, Alumni (English) – certificates and scores:  Test of English as Foreign Language - TOEFL (minimum 190 points for the Computer-based-Test – CBT; minimum 520 points for the Paper-based-Test – PBT; minimum 68 points for the Internet-based-Test - IBT ); International English Language Test - IELTS – minimum 6,0 points; Cambrigde

g) Bachelor degrees with qualification in a foreign language issued by a Humanities School of a public Institution of Higher Learning (federal or state) or from private institute.

5. Foreign candidates must present a Portuguese proficiency exam as stated in the terms of the Selection process for each selection.

6. Proficiency exams will be substituted in the following cases: proven residency for at least 6 months in a country speaking the same language as the one chosen; mother language the same as the chosen language.

VI –  Classes

1. The accreditation of classes, as well as the updating of classes already accredited, should be referred to the CCP accompanied by the following documents:

a) proper filled-out form;

b) Lattes platform curriculum of responsible teachers;

c) Detailed report, based on the analysis of the above documents, stressing the merits, the importance of the discipline for its respective academic major and research lines as well as to the proposition of the program itself.

2. In re-accrediting a discipline, besides the above items, attention should be paid to the importance of the discipline in the students’ education, updating of the program, the regularity of classes and the number of those enrolled in the past.

VII – Canceling Classes

1. A class may be cancelled if:

a) A total of three regular students per class has not been attained.

b) The teacher, with due justification, request CCP that the class be cancelled due to force majeur.

c) All canceled classes should be approved by the CCP at least 10 (ten) days before the beginning of the course.

VIII – Qualification Exam (EQ)

1. Master and Doctorate students must take a qualification exam.

2. The objective of the qualification exam in the master’s program is to provide students an evaluation of his/her research development at an adequate time, furnishing them with pertinent observations and suggestions for eventual modifications in their project and/or chronology. In the case of a doctorate, the objective of the qualification exam is, besides that already stated above, to verify if his/her research represents an original contribution to the state of the art on the theme under question.

3. Application for the exam should occur up to the 18th month after initiating the term for a Master’s degree and up to the 28th month after initiating the term for a Doctoral degree.

4. Master students must have already totaled 75% (seventy-five percent) of class credits(credit hours) required for the course in which they are enrolled.

5. Doctorate and Direct Doctorate students will take the qualification exam after totaling all the credits required for the course in which they are enrolled.

6. When applying, students should submit their Qualification Report in 5 (five) copies, written in Portuguese, accompanied by the proper filled-out form signed by the counselor, with suggestions of names to be compose the examination board to be designated by the CCP.

7. The Qualification Exam consists in the examination, by an examination board, of a written report on the development of the student’s Master’s or Doctorate research.

8. The deadline for taking the qualification exam is 90 (ninety) days after the application date.

9. In case of the student failing the exam, the new maximum term for handing in a report will be 60 (sixty) days counting from the date of the first exam.

VIII – Qualification reports

Qualification reports should follow these rules:

Part I – Activities realized during the course

Student’s personal information;

Classes taken:

a) Abstract;

b) work done;

c) points in common with dissertation/thesis;

d) school record.

Other activities (publications, conferences, productions, etc.)

 

Part II – Dissertation/Thesis Project:

Title (even if only provisional);

Research object: justification, objectives;

Bibliographic Research: development of theoretic reference table, hypothesis;

Methodology: sampling, research tools;

Difficulties encountered;

How student intends to continue;

Bibliography;

Research Plan;

Chronology up until submission of dissertation/thesis.

 

Part III – Presentation of text:

Students should present a partial text or chapter of their dissertation/thesis to a previously constituted examination board.

IX – Going from Master’s to Direct Doctorate

1. Students, using the credits they have already earned, may go from a Master’s degree to a Doctorate degree in mid-term.

2. Permission for a student to go from his/her master’s program to a Direct Doctorate may be requested by the student’s counselor on occasion of the Qualification Exam.

3. The criteria used in this case are:

a) Detailed report by the Qualification Exam board in favor of student withdrawing from Master’s degree and going directly to the Direct Doctorate program;

b) Counselor’s justification, based on the merit and originality of the research project, on the candidates performance in the Program and his/her intellectual maturity;

c) Student’s detailed and documented curriculum, outlining his/her intellectual/artistic/academic experience, especially before enrolling and during the Program, as reflected in his/her bibliographic/technical/artistic production;

d) Research Project for Doctorate (the object of which must be specified in a clear manner; objectives, justification, hypothesis, methodology, chapter structure, bibliographic references, chronology of activities in which to submit final work);

e) Proof of proficiency in one more foreign language besides that attested to when enrolling for Masters.

4. The documents will be evaluated by a professional indicated by the CCP up to 45 days after receiving the request.

5. The merit of approval and the final word will be CCP’s responsibility.

X – Unsatisfactory Academic/Scientific Performance

1. Besides failing students for those reasons contained in Art. 54 of the Postgraduate Rules and Regulations, students may be failed for unsatisfactory academic and scientific performance.

2. Failure due to unsatisfactory academic and scientific performance may be requested by the counselor and will be analyzed by the CCP based on the following documents provided by the counselor:

a) Counselor’s detailed report objectively describing the non-fulfillment of established chronology, as well as any other fact that indicates the student’s lack of productivity or his/her insufficient dedication.

2. The CCP should request the following documents from the student at least 30 days after the counselor’s request:

a) Report describing the activities undertaken during the course, the difficulties encountered and problems in adapting to the proposed chronology;

b) Research Project.

c) Texts and other material relative to student’s academic production that may prove his/her commitment to course activities.

3. After analyzing the documents the CCP will deliberate on the request for failing the student. The criteria used by the CCP for this purpose are:

a) student’s fulfillment of the chronology proposed in research project;

b) number of credits earned in the disciplines chosen in agreement with the counselor;

c) realization of activities foreseen in the project such as field research, interviews, participation in artistic activities, etc.

e) student’s performance in fulfilling the aforementioned activities in face of the difficulties encountered and duly described in the activity report.

4. If the CCP decides on failing the student, he/she will have 45 days in which to submit another report. Only after analyzing this second report will the CCP be able to effectively fail the student.

XI – Advisers and Co-Advisers

1. In able to become Supervisor, professors must request accreditation and re-accreditation every 5 years through the CCP for Master’s and Doctorate courses.

2. The Supervisors accredited for Doctorate courses will automatically be accredited for the Master’s level.

3. Request for accreditation and re-accreditation must obey the following criteria:

a) hold a Doctoral Degree from USP, or recognized by the university, for at least 1 (one) year;

b) for advising Doctorate students, to have graduated at least 1 (one) Master’s student over the last 5 (five) years;

c) demonstrate true insertion in one of the Program’s research lines;

d) be involved in ongoing research project, preferably financed by a funding agency. Those projects without funding should be able to prove their feasibility;

h) demonstrate scientific, artistic and/or technical production compatible with field of knowledge as described in item “i” below. A set of at least 8 scientific production items must be presented over a five-year period. Scientific production may be shared with artistic production as qualified below, as long as a minimum of 3 qualified scientific productions be maintained for the five-year period.

i) Qualified scientific, artistic and technical production should comply with the following criteria:

- Scientific production: the publication of articles in the field of interest in periodicals with an editorial council; book or chapter in book with academic interest; be included in congressional annals with a scientific commission.

- Artistic production: relevant artistic production is considered as being the following: direct theatrical work or similar; acting or performance work; writing of screenplay or play; create stage settings or wardrobe; act as festival curator; individual or collective exhibition; the realization of artistic installation or similar; write, produce, curate; major musical composition (symphonic piece, string quartet) or a series of work considered as a whole; participation as soloist in concert; regular activity with instrumental groups, recording and/or the realization of artistic films, CDs and DVDs.

- Technical production: work with applicative character aimed at creating and disseminating means and support for different scientific and artistic productions that maintain a clear connection with the program’s research lines.

4. For each accreditation request received, the CCP will designate an ad hoc professional to issue a detailed report on the requirements listed in item 3, in which the following items will be taken into consideration:

a) scientific, artistic and/or technical production;

b) research experience and participation in funded projects;

c) advising experience (Scientific Initiation, End of Course Project and Master’s and Doctorate Lato Sensu and Strictu Sensu).

d) Development of academic activities, participation in scientific and artistic events, certification of masters and doctors and advising of Scientific Initiation scholarship holders.

5. For re-accreditation, besides those items contained in item 4, the number of students the advisor has certified, the number of absences during the period and the scientific, technological and artistic productions derived from the theses and dissertations he has advised will be taken into consideration.

6. Each supervisor may adviser a maximum of 10 (ten) students at a time.

7. For the Doctorate, co-advisers will be accepted and be allowed a maximum of 2 students as long as duly justified by the adviser and accompanied by a report attesting to his/her merit in the subject.

8. In duly justified cases and those approved by the CCP, doctor professors from other institutions or units, external to USP, as well as those studying for their doctor’s degree and young researchers doing research work at USP, may also be accredited as advisors as long as they observe the accreditation criteria stipulated in item 3.

XII – Procedures for submitting Dissertation/Thesis

1. Theses and dissertations must be submitted at the Unit’s Graduate Office accompanied by:

a) Form with suggested names for examination board signed by the adviser.

b) 8 (eight) printed copies for Master’s and 12 (twelve) printed copies for Doctorate. 2 (two) of the copies must be in a binder , in plastic sleeves.

c) Students should also submit a copy of their dissertation or thesis in one PDF digital file.

d) a printed and up-to-date copy of student’s curriculum on a CNPq/Lattes Platform.

2. The dissertation or thesis should necessarily be written in Portuguese and comply with the following items:

a) Cover and title page in accordance with model provided by ECA’s Graduate Office;

b) abstract in Portuguese and English;

c) body of work comprised of introduction, chapters and conclusion;

d) bibliography;

e) eventual annexes.

XIII – Title Nomenclature

The title granted will be that of Master or Doctor of Arts, program name and Academic Research Area if pertinent.

XIV – Other Regulations

1. On Special Credits:

1. a) Up to 7 (seven) special credits may be used to transfer class credits as deemed fit by the CCP, following these maximum percentages:

a) complete work published in magazine with national or international distribution with a recognized editorial council and adequate reference system, up to two credits;

b) chapter in book with recognized merit in the student’s field of knowledge, up to two credits;

c) book with recognized merit in field of knowledge, up to four credits;

d) publication of complete work in event annals, up to one credit;

e) participation in Teaching Proficiency Program (PAE), three credits.

 

2. Foreign Candidates

On Selection Criteria:

1.1 Applications for foreign candidates for a position in ECA-USP’s Graduate Program will be accepted from August 1 – 31 of each year.

1.2 Candidates should send the following documents to ECA’s Postgraduate Service:

a) letter explaining the reasons why they wish to  be admitted in the Master’s or Doctorate Programs;

b) curriculum vitae with documented production;

c) The Research Project must be presented in Portuguese, in clear language, demonstrating grammatical and conceptual erudition. The Doctorate project, in relation to the Master’s, should contain: a greater degree of theoretic and methodological elaboration; greater profundity and complexity of the research object, uniqueness and originality of theme, an obligatory research hypothesis. It should be structured in the form of topics, and no more than 20 double-spaced pages long, including the bibliography, complying to the structure described below.

Cover

Should contain the following information:

1. Candidate’s Name

2. Program Name

3. Research Area

4. Self-explanatory title

5. Level of project (Masters or Doctorate)

Research Project

Page 01

Title and Abstract (up to 05 lines)

1. Research Summary

Schematization of project in parts, chapters, topics.

2. Introduction

Pertinence and adequacy of project for Program and the chosen Major.

3. Object

Research subject and problem – Justification as to its relevancy and originality.

4.Theoretical Reference Table

Insertion of project in existing research and revision of basic bibliography.

5. Objectives

General and specific; theoretical and practical.

6. Methodological Procedures

Explanation of investigative methods and techniques; their adaptation to the project.

7. Final Considerations

8. Bibliographic References

Maximum 3 pages

9. Chronology of Research Activities

d) copy of graduation diploma or diplomas, authenticated by Brazilian Consul in the country;

e) academic history, authenticated by Brazilian Consulate in the country;

f) two letters by teachers or researchers from the institution that issued the undergraduate or master’s diploma, attesting to the candidate’s academic report.