The UFMG Postgraduate Program in Nutrition and Health (PPGNS) aims to “train researchers with a critical and reflective vision who are capable of integrating knowledge from different areas, contributing to the analysis of phenomena related to the interactions between health promotion and nutrition; Contribute to the qualification of regional and national scientific and academic production by training masters and doctors capable of developing scientific and technological research involving topics related to nutrition and health; Provide the experience of continuing education in undergraduate and graduate programs, stimulating academic production and reflection.” And its mission is to “promote the training of highly qualified teachers, researchers and professionals for the development of scientific and technological activities in the field of Nutrition and Health.”

In general, PPGNS graduates are capable of working in teaching, research and/or the job market; and in specific terms, the student is able to:

– Discuss and analyze prior knowledge, and develop scientific and technological research involving topics related to Nutrition and Health;

– Integrate knowledge from different areas, which contribute to the analysis of phenomena related to the interactions between health promotion and Nutrition, following the vocation of the Nutrition and Health Area, which is interdisciplinary in itself;

– Contribute to the qualification of the scientific and academic production of UFMG, the State and the country, based on the socio-historical, political, economic, environmental and cultural characteristics mobilized by food, Nutrition and Health;

– Enable the experience of continuing education in the Undergraduate and Postgraduate areas, stimulating academic production and reflection;

– Act competently in professional areas linked to Nutrition and Health, focused on promoting health and adequate and healthy eating in different populations and age groups.

Created in 2013 and launched in 2014, the Master’s in Nutrition and Health emerged from the consolidation of the undergraduate course and the growing scientific production of its faculty. The postgraduate program began with 15 permanent faculty members, all with exclusive dedication, including six professors with Research Productivity scholarships from CNPq. The faculty members already had extensive interaction with renowned institutions, in addition to actively participating in peer review as ad hoc reviewers in qualified national and international journals.

With a concentration area in “Nutrition and Health” and two lines of research — “Clinical and Experimental Nutrition” and “Nutrition and Public Health” — the PPGNS has strong social insertion and partnerships with national and international institutions. Between 2014 and 2024, it trained 114 masters and expanded its operations, achieving a score of 4 in the CAPES Assessment in 2022. Thus, a committee was created to prepare the Assessment of Proposals for New Courses (APCN) to prepare the proposal for the opening of the Doctoral Course. The Doctorate in Nutrition and Health was approved in 2023 and started in 2024, marking the consolidation of the Program and strengthening the training of high-level researchers, starting with 16 permanent professors. With this, the PPGNS reaffirms its role in the production of knowledge and in the search for innovative solutions in health and nutrition.