Reference for current PPGEBM students: program rules, onboarding, courses, English proficiency, scholarships, examination committees, teaching internship and the seminar course.

• Student handbook — rules for students
• Instructions for new students — onboarding
• Courses: syllabi and credits
• English language proficiency
• Scholarships and scholarship holders
• Qualifying exam and defense committees: how to
• Teaching internship
• Seminars in Biomedical Engineering (EBM-127 and EBM-128)

Student handbook — rules for students

Summary of the main rules for master’s and doctoral students. The full rules are in the PPGEBM Internal Rules (Resolução CPG nº 105/2024), the UFABC Graduate Regulations (Resolução ConsEPE nº 233/2019) and the PPGEBM Student Handbook (all in Portuguese). You are advised to read them upon enrollment.

When enrolling

1. Read carefully the agreement you sign at enrollment: it summarizes the main rules of graduate studies at UFABC.
2. Get to know the university: where the classrooms, laboratories, library and administrative office are (UFABC website).
3. Check that your institutional e-mail and your access to SIGAA are active: that is how program information reaches you.
4. See which courses are mandatory for you (Courses section, on this page).
5. Attend the welcome meeting (Instructions for new students section, on this page).
6. Get in touch with the student representatives, listed on the Governance and transparency page, section Coordination, committees and plenary.

Before each term

1. Check your transcript in SIGAA: missing credits, pending courses and activities.
2. See the course offer of all programs on PROPG’s Rooms and schedules page. Courses from other UFABC programs may be taken as electives.
3. Keep an eye on enrollment dates, published on PROPG’s Enrollment page.

During the program

1. Attend the courses you enrolled in and watch out for absences and failures. If necessary, you may request to drop a course or to suspend enrollment for the term; see deadlines and step-by-step instructions in the PROPG procedures.
2. Read your institutional e-mail often so as not to miss deadlines.
3. Attend seminars, workshops and events — especially the program’s annual workshop (JWBE), which is a requirement for the defense (see below).
4. Keep in close contact with your advisor and your lab colleagues.
5. Plan your English proficiency: it must be proven before the qualifying exam (English language proficiency section, on this page).
6. Record your complementary activities (publications, presentations, event organization): they may count for up to 18 (elective) credits, according to the table in art. 9 of the Internal Rules. See the step-by-step instructions in the Instructions for the main PPG-EBM requests (version 003, 23/09/2026).
7. Take advantage of the training offered by UFABC, such as that of the multi-user laboratories, the Library and NETEL.

Requirements for the defense

• Master’s: be a co-author, with a program faculty member, of a full paper accepted or published in scientific conference proceedings or of an article accepted or published in an indexed journal, related to the dissertation (Internal Rules, art. 18).
• Doctorate: be a co-author, with a program faculty member, of an article accepted or published in an indexed journal, related to the thesis (Internal Rules, art. 18).
• Program workshop: present a paper (abstract co-authored with a PPGEBM faculty member) in at least one edition of the program’s annual event for the master’s, and in two for the doctorate (Portaria PROPG nº 4595/2024).
• In the transcript, these requirements correspond to the activities EBM-950 – Produção Intelectual (intellectual output) and EBM-951 – Participação no Workshop do PPGEBM (participation in the PPGEBM workshop), which you request with the credit recognition form, attaching the supporting documents. See the step-by-step instructions in the Instructions for the main PPG-EBM requests (version 003, 23/09/2026).

The steps to schedule the qualifying exam and the defense are in the Qualifying exam and defense committees section, on this page.

Requests: how to submit

The forms are on PROPG’s Forms page. For any request:

1. fill in the form, generate the PDF and sign it;
2. obtain your advisor’s signature;
3. send the form and the supporting documents from your institutional e-mail to ppgebm@ufabc.edu.br, with a copy to the administrative support (ebm.adm@ufabc.edu.br);
4. use one e-mail per type of request, with the form and each group of supporting documents in separate PDFs, and the subject in the format Type of request – Full name – RA (e.g. Convalidação – Maria da Silva – RA 00000023).

The Program Committee analyzes the request within 5 working days; recording it in the transcript then takes about 5 more working days. For credit recognition, transfers and validations, which may require publication in the Official Bulletin (Boletim de Serviço), the total time is about 20 working days.

Details for each type of request: Instructions for the main PPG-EBM requests (version 003, 23/09/2026).

After the defense

Approved students have up to 60 days from the defense to submit the final text and the other documents required for degree approval (Internal Rules, art. 22). Follow PROPG’s instructions on the Degree approval and diploma page. The diploma is only issued after approval by the Graduate Studies Commission (CPG).

Students’ frequently asked questions

Updated information on graduate procedures is also available in the PROPG FAQ. Other questions: ppgebm@ufabc.edu.br.

Instructions for new students — onboarding

Welcome to PPGEBM-UFABC! Every term with new regular students, the Program Committee holds a welcome meeting, open to the whole PPGEBM community. It presents information about UFABC, the Office of the Provost for Graduate Studies (PROPG) and the program.

The initiative began with an in-person meeting in the seminar course on 27/09/2022. In 2023 onboarding was done by e-mail and, since 2024, through remote evening meetings.

Courses: syllabi and credits

Syllabi of PPGEBM courses and credit-counting rules. The course offer for each term, with instructors, rooms and times for all programs, is published by PROPG on the Rooms and schedules page (past offers: previous rooms and schedules).

Mandatory courses

Source: PPGEBM Internal Rules, art. 9. Minimum credits: 56 for the master’s and 72 for the doctorate.

How credits are counted

At UFABC, the academic year has three 14-week terms (quadrimestres). Under the Graduate Regulations, one credit corresponds to 12 hours of scheduled activities — classes, seminars, laboratory or field work, individual study and writing of the dissertation or thesis.

English language proficiency

English proficiency is required for the master’s and the doctorate and must be proven before the qualifying exam. The rules are in Portaria PROPG nº 4594/2024, which replaced Portaria nº 1684/2021. There are two ways to obtain it:

How to request recognition

With the certificate in hand, fill in the form “Proficiência em Língua Estrangeira” (PROPG Forms page), generate the PDF, sign it, obtain your advisor’s signature and send it from your institutional e-mail to ppgebm@ufabc.edu.br, with a copy to ebm.adm@ufabc.edu.br. Recognition takes up to 10 working days to appear in the transcript. See the step-by-step instructions in the Instructions for the main PPG-EBM requests (version 003, 23/09/2026).

Study material

Sample TOEFL questions: ETS preparation page.

Books available at the UFABC Library:

• LOUGHEED, L. Direct to TOEFL iBT: student’s book. 2013.
• FELLAG, L. R. NorthStar: building skills for the TOEFL iBT – advanced. 2006.
• SOLÓRZANO, H. S. NorthStar: building skills for the TOEFL iBT – high intermediate. 2006.
• BEAUMONT, J. NorthStar: building skills for the TOEFL iBT – intermediate. 2006.
• Official guide to the TOEFL ITP test. 2014.
• SHARPE, P. J. Pass key to the TOEFL. 4. ed. 2001.
• PHILLIPS, D. Preparation course for the TOEFL test: iBT. 2006.
• The official guide to the TOEFL test. 4. ed. 2012.
• TOEFL iBT tips: how to prepare for the next generation TOEFL test and communicate with confidence. 2006.

Scholarships and scholarship holders

Understanding scholarships

What is a scholarship? It is a monthly stipend paid to students so they can devote themselves fully to the master’s or doctorate, without the need for another job. It is not a loan — it does not have to be repaid.

CAPES — Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel, a foundation of the Brazilian Ministry of Education that funds graduate studies in the country. CAPES grants PPGEBM a quota of scholarships (Demanda Social modality), awarded according to the internal rules described below.

UFABC — the Federal University of ABC, the federal public university where the program is based, also offers a limited number of institutional scholarships from its own resources.

Limited number of scholarships — look for other agencies: PPGEBM has a limited number of CAPES and UFABC scholarships. For this reason, candidates are encouraged to seek scholarships from other research funding agencies as well, notably:

• CNPq — National Council for Scientific and Technological Development, the federal research funding agency. See the CNPq scholarships and grants.
• FAPESP — São Paulo Research Foundation, the state funding agency (especially relevant since UFABC is located in São Paulo). See the FAPESP scholarships.

Many of these scholarships require the application to be made together with the advisor and within each agency’s own deadlines — plan ahead.

Duration: generally up to 24 months (master’s) and up to 48 months (doctorate), subject to good academic performance and compliance with program obligations (usually on a full-time basis).

Amounts: monthly amounts are set nationally by CAPES and adjusted periodically. In 2026, they are approximately R$ 2,100 (master’s) and R$ 3,100 (doctorate). Always check the official CAPES scholarship table for current amounts.

Combining with paid work: since October 2023 (Portaria CAPES nº 133 of 10 July 2023), the scholarship may be combined with paid work or other employment income, provided this does not hinder academic activities and the advisor and the program coordination agree. The full rules are in Portaria CAPES nº 133/2023.

Applicants from abroad: foreign students may also compete for CAPES and UFABC scholarships, on equal terms with other candidates, provided they are admitted through the PPGEBM selection processes (held three times a year).

Rules for awarding PPGEBM institutional scholarships

To compete for one of the institutional scholarships, candidates must declare their interest when applying to the PPGEBM selection process. Full-time dedication to the program is prioritized.

In 2026, PPGEBM has 9 doctoral and 8 master’s scholarships from CAPES, 3 doctoral and 1 master’s scholarship from UFABC, as well as scholarships from other funding agencies and research projects.

The award of scholarships is governed by Portaria PROPG nº 3703/2023, published in Boletim de Serviço nº 1282, and its Retificação nº 238/2023, published in Boletim de Serviço nº 1297. The guidelines are described below.

PPGEBM gives priority to newly admitted students by reserving places in the award of graduate scholarships. Scholarship holders are ranked according to their position in the selection process. Only candidates who declared interest in an institutional scholarship are considered. Scholarship holders must have a permanent program faculty member as advisor or co-advisor (art. 5).

Once this criterion is met and a scholarship is available, the following ranking is applied in decreasing order:

1. longest time in the program;
2. position in the selection process;
3. scientific and technological output related to the program.

If scholarships are still available, they are offered to students with paid work or other employment income, following the rules above. The order of allocation is therefore:

1. Current new students with full-time dedication;
2. Continuing students with full-time dedication;
3. Current new students with paid work;
4. Continuing students with paid work.

PPGEBM scholarship holders

In 2026.3, the following students hold CAPES or UFABC scholarships:

CAPES scholarship holders

Doctorate:

• Andressa Francine Martins
• Brenda Luciano de Sousa Silva
• Dalal Baddia Mohamed Al Attar
• Daniel Cavalcante de Oliveira
• Jackeline Suemi Katayose
• Natalia Cristina Borges de Lima
• Naynara de Souza
• Pedro Henrique Pires da Silva
• Tatiana Aparecida Francisco

Master’s:

• Bruno Murakami
• Maiara Penteado Camalionte *
• Fernando Joaquin Sanchez Quispe
• Cristiane de Araujo Gomes *
• Livia Lemes Soares
• Mohammad Moualla
• Sarah Fernandes de Souza
• Gabriel Lusvarghi *

UFABC scholarship holders

Doctorate:

• José Carlos Gomes Junior *
• Angelo Romeu da Silva Júnior
• Fernanda Keli do Carmo Santos

Master’s:

• Jurandir da Silva Junior

* scholarship holders admitted in 2026.2

Ranking for new scholarships

In accordance with Portaria nº 3703/2023 and its Retificação nº 238/2023, PPGEBM publishes each term a ranking of students interested in receiving graduate scholarships, in case new scholarships become available during the term. The list is built from the students’ expressions of interest and follows the order of priority described above.

This ranking was approved at the Program Committee (CoPG-EBM) meeting held on 14/05/2026.

Current ranking — 2nd term of 2026

Master’s:

1. Vinicius Zacheo de Goes

Doctorate:

1. Júlio Gallinaro Maranho
2. Marcelo Montanha de Paiva

The ranking will be updated at the end of each term. Students who did not express interest in this cycle may do so in the next call.

Qualifying exam and defense committees: how to

Step-by-step guide to scheduling the qualifying exam and the defense, according to the PPGEBM Internal Rules (arts. 10 to 21) and the UFABC Graduate Regulations. User guides of the examination-committee system for students and faculty: PROPG’s Defense committees page.

Qualifying exam

1. Enroll in “EBM-901 – Exame de Qualificação de Mestrado” or “EBM-903 – Exame de Qualificação de Doutorado” through SIGAA at the beginning of the term in which you intend to take the exam.
2. Requirements at registration: at least 75% of course credits and proven English proficiency (Proficiency section).
3. Deadline: up to 18 months from initial enrollment for the master’s and 42 months for the doctorate (the admission date is in your SIGAA transcript). Justified extension requests must be made at least 60 days in advance through the UFABC Service Center (since 01/09/2026). See the step-by-step instructions in the Instructions for the main PPG-EBM requests (version 003, 23/09/2026).
4. The advisor registers the committee in SIGAA at least 15 days in advance. Invitation letters are sent automatically after approval in the system.
5. Send each full and alternate member the text with the progress made and the remaining work (in Portuguese or English), following the Library guidelines.
6. The presentation lasts 30 to 50 minutes. There is an optional UFABC slide template.

If the student fails the first exam, a second one may be taken (Internal Rules, art. 15).

Dissertation or thesis defense

1. Enroll in “EBM-902 – Defesa de Dissertação de Mestrado” or “EBM-904 – Defesa de Tese de Doutorado” at the beginning of the term of the defense.
2. Requirements at registration: approval in the qualifying exam; all credits completed (including recognized activities); the required intellectual output and participation in the program workshop (see Requirements for the defense). These components appear in the SIGAA transcript.
3. Deadline: up to 24 months from initial enrollment for the master’s and 48 months for the doctorate. An extension of up to 12 months requires a justified request at least 60 days in advance (Internal Rules, art. 19), made through the UFABC Service Center; extending the defense deadline preferably requires that the qualifying exam has already been taken.
4. The advisor registers the committee in SIGAA at least 15 days in advance and chairs the session.
5. Send the text in PDF to all full and alternate members. In the acknowledgments, cite the funding agencies and include the acknowledgment to CAPES (funding code 001), required by Portaria CAPES nº 206/2018.

Teaching internship

Instructions for students taking the Teaching Internship (EBM 119 – Estágio em Docência I and EBM 131 – Estágio em Docência II), mandatory for CAPES scholarship holders while holding the scholarship (Internal Rules, art. 9).

Faculty member in charge

The PPGEBM coordinator or a program faculty member appointed by the Program Committee.

Syllabus

The course contributes to preparing graduate students for university teaching. The internship may include:

1. contributing to the preparation of the course and/or lesson plan;
2. preparing lectures and/or practical classes;
3. teaching lectures and/or practical classes, up to 30% of the course’s total workload;
4. grading exercises and/or exams;
5. following learning assessments.

Regulation: Resolução ConsEPE nº 75/2010, which regulates the teaching internship in graduate programs.

Schedule

There are no weekly classes. At the beginning of the term, the faculty member in charge e-mails the enrolled students with the procedure and the deadlines for the work plan and the final report. Occasionally there are meetings to answer questions and exchange experiences.

Assessment

Based on the work plan and the internship report. The final report must be submitted with the assessment of the instructor of the undergraduate course.

Templates

• Work plan template
• Report template

References

• MASETTO, M. (org.). Docência na universidade. 8. ed. Campinas: Papirus, 1998. 112 p.
• CUNHA, M. I. Formatos avaliativos e concepção de docência. Campinas: Autores Associados, 2005. 232 p.

Seminars in Biomedical Engineering (EBM-127 and EBM-128)

From the 3rd term of 2026, the program offers the courses EBM-127 – Seminars in Biomedical Engineering I and EBM-128 – Seminars in Biomedical Engineering II, usually once a year, in the 3rd term. EBM-127 is mandatory (Internal Rules, art. 9); in the doctorate, one seminar course is enough, and those who took it in the master’s may have it validated.

Rules — in-person offering

1. Students must attend 12 hours of seminars and submit to the instructor a critical review of each one, to develop scientific critique.
2. The following count as seminars: science outreach talks at any UFABC event; Biomedical Engineering undergraduate thesis defenses; qualifying exams of any UFABC graduate program; UFABC dissertation and thesis defenses.
3. Equivalences: each hour of talk = 1 hour; undergraduate thesis defense = 1 hour; qualifying exam = 1 hour; master’s defense = 2 hours; doctoral defense = 3 hours.
4. The review of master’s and doctoral defenses must analyze the presentation and the comments of the first committee member to question the candidate.
5. Only activities held on UFABC premises count, for control purposes.
6. Topics are free, but at least two activities must be in areas related to Biomedical Engineering.
7. The possibility of attending seminars of other programs does not exempt PPGEBM from offering its own.

Where to find these activities: UFABC events calendar and PROPG defense schedule.

Rules — remote offering

1. Students must attend at least 12 of the webinars offered by PPGEBM in the term and submit a critical review of each one.
2. Seminars or webinars outside the program are not accepted, even if held at UFABC.
3. Each PPGEBM webinar counts as 1 hour.
4. To count as attended, you must sign the attendance list during the broadcast; signing guarantees the attendance certificate.

Material from the 2020 supplementary-term offering (EBM 101 – Seminars in Biomedical Engineering): presentation.

Page updated on 24/09/2026.