The Center for Research and Graduate Studies in Business Administration—CEPEAD—is linked to the Department of Administrative Sciences at the School of Economics at the Federal University of Minas Gerais.
The Master’s Program in Business Administration (stricto sensu), implemented in 1972, meets a variety of needs and focuses on training teachers for various business administration schools in Brazil and the State of Minas Gerais, in addition to training professionals who work in public and private administration. The program had conferred 412 Master’s degrees in Business Administration by December 2005.
In the area of applied degrees (lato sensu), the Specialized Program in Strategic Management was created in 1993, which included four focus areas: finance, business management, people management, and marketing. Each area has, on average, 30 places. The creation of programs with this profile, which is primarily for training specialists to act in organizations, has enabled the emergence of so-called “in-company” programs. The following programs were developed as a result: Preparation for Top Executives, offered for Banco do Brasil (1995–1997); Business Development, offered for Companhia Energética de Minas Gerais — CEMIG—and for USIMINAS (1997–2001). These programs meet the qualification needs of these companies. In addition, school developed the Specialized Program in University Management and Foundation Management in 1998, which provides training to managers inside and out of the Federal University of Minas Gerais.
In 1994, the Education, Research and Extension Committee of UFMG approved the Doctoral Program in Business Administration. The Program has already had 11 cohorts, totaling 58 students, 36 of whom have already carried out their public dissertation defense.
The Interinstitutional Master’s Program was created in collaboration with the State University of Montes Claros (Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros (UNIMONTES)), with finance from CAPES and FAPEMIG. A cohort of 16 students started the program in March 1998. In 2000, all of the CEPEAD/UNIMONTES Masters students defended their theses. In 1999, the Interinstitutional Master’s Program in collaboration with Universidade de Vila Velha (UVV) was created and funded by CAPES. The program had had an enrollment of 21 students, of whom 20 defended their theses in 2000; only one student did not complete the program.
In 2002, the Interinstitutional Master’s Program was created in collaboration with the Amazon Society for Education and Culture (Sociedade Amazonense de Educação e Cultura (SAMEC-CIESA)) and enrolled 18 students.
CEPEAD is active in 13 research areas: business performance and financial strategies; capital and derivatives markets; managerial accounting; public finance; financial entrepreneurship; marketing, communication, and consumer behavior; new management technology; competitive strategies, domestic and international management culture; policy and management in science and technology; business operations, production, and logistics; power and labor relations; human behavior in organizations; and organizational change and development. These research areas have attracted many researchers funded by support agencies. Support from CNPq at the Federal level and FAPEMIG at the State level has been decisive in consolidating and strengthening the lines of research underway. CEPEAD has many extension activities involving assessment and consulting for public and private organizations in different parts of the country.
CEPEAD relies on a group of professors exclusively dedicated to the university who have a broad range of experience. The group’s average academic output is significant. It is worth stressing the professors’ participation in international and domestic conferences, roundtables, and other such events, which exemplifies their activity and visibility on subjects related to business administration.
The substantial number of undergraduate scholarship-holders among students (undergraduate research, PET, tutorial education and PAD, and didactic improvement Programs) and Graduate Teaching Assistantships have led to a high volume of academic papers presented at congresses.
It is worth stressing that the Graduate Teaching Assistantship and the Teaching Internship have enabled a more effective involvement of Masters and Doctoral students in professors’ undergraduate activities. This is achieved, for example, by transferring research results and academic activities to disciplines administered in the undergraduate program.
The excellence of CEPEAD and of the Department of Administrative Science at UFMG is evidenced by the fact that many of its alumni are currently working in many reputable research institutions or holding key positions in public and private entities on the national stage.
Moreover, a significant number of skilled professors have been trained who, in turn, spread the knowledge they have acquired from their participation in various projects.