PUC–Rio

Background

The complexity of environmental problems at the local, national and global levels indicate the need for a workforce that is knowledgeable about them and has the necessary experience to practice in countries other than their own. The partner universities of the Consortium for Cooperation in Civil and Environmental Engineering () Technologies will develop a student mobility program to train engineers prepared for these challenges.

The consortium provides an avenue for faculty from internationally recognized academic institutions to train students for the 21st century by providing them with an enhanced coursework in Civil & Environmental Engineering that will include inter-institutional projects and curricula addressing issues with national, international and global implications.

The focus is on the following academic and research topics: Environmental, Geotechnical and Transportation Engineering, Water Resources and Hydrology as well as what is commonly referred in Brazil as Sanitary Engineering. The consortium will also provide students with the tools needed for foreign language proficiency and a cultural background that will benefit their personal and professional lives.

Goals

Establish student and faculty international exchange programs between partner universities

Cooperate in the development of teaching methods and teaching standards in consortium universities; and

Create an opportunity for U.S. undergraduate and graduate Civil & Environmental Engineering students to experience a study abroad program in Brazil, become proficient in Portuguese language and get acquainted with the Brazilian culture offering, at the same time, a similar opportunity for Brazilian students in the U.S.

U.S.-Brazil Higher Education Consortia Program

The U.S.-Brazil Higher Education Consortia Program is administered jointly by the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), U.S. Department of Education, and the Fundação Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), Brazilian Ministry of Education.