FAQ

FAQ – GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE RULES GOVERNING THE PPGCTA

The information in this FAQ guides students to the regulations that govern Graduate Studies at UFV. Therefore, it is necessary to read the complete regulations established in the General Regulations of Graduate Programs (Stricto Sensu Graduate Course Regulations) and the Internal Regulations of the PPGCTA:

• Internal Regulations of the Graduate Program in Food Science and Technology (valid for students admitted until 2023/1)
• Internal Regulations of the Graduate Program in Food Science and Technology (valid for students admitted from 2023/2 onward)

> Main Academic Procedures

CONDITIONS FOR DISMISSAL

A student will be dismissed if:

• They obtain a grade point average (GPA) lower than 65.0 in the first semester of the program;
• They obtain a cumulative GPA lower than 75.0 from the second semester onward;
• They do not fulfill the foreign language requirement by the end of the second academic semester after enrollment;
• They fail to complete the required credits within the time frame established in the Program’s Internal Regulations;
• They fail the same course twice;
• They receive two “N” (Unsatisfactory) grades in research, whether consecutive or not;
• They fail the qualifying exam twice; and
• They do not meet any of the program’s requirements within the stipulated period.

SCHOLARSHIPS

• Scholarship Duration: Students must be aware of the contract signed with the funding agency. Check the scholarship duration in the signed agreement (verify through the implementation form), read the scholarship award term, and the regulations of each funding agency (e.g., CAPES, CNPq—sent to the student upon scholarship implementation, and FAPEMIG—also sent upon implementation).
• Scholarship Extension Beyond Original Duration: Only valid for maternity leave (procedures are available on the PPG website: Procedures for Maternity Leave Requests (CAPES/CNPq/FAPEMIG)). Law No. 13.536, December 15, 2017: Provides for the extension of scholarship terms in cases of maternity or adoption leave, or in exceptional cases defined by the funding agency (e.g., pandemic).
• Scholarship Reactivation: Allowed only if (a) the scholarship is suspended for medical treatment (must be reported to the PPGCTA via a medical certificate), (b) during a sandwich PhD period, or (c) during a cotutelle agreement. Note: Reactivation can only occur within the initial duration of the scholarship (24 months for master’s, 48 months for PhD; check the grant letter/term of award).
• Important: All students, regardless of the funding agency, must include an acknowledgment to CAPES in their dissertation/thesis, since all research receives PROAP/CAPES support (used for reagents, lab materials and equipment, maintenance, or other costs). Also acknowledge CNPq if receiving a scholarship and/or bench fee, and FAPEMIG if benefiting from its scholarship or bench fee.

Suggested text:
“This work was supported by the Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education (CAPES) – Finance Code 001, the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), and the Research Support Foundation of the State of Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG).”
(see checklist for UFV theses and dissertations: www.ppg.ufv.br)

• ⇒ All students receiving scholarships from any funding agency must complete the program with a defense and obtain the degree. Failure to comply with this requirement will result in the return of the scholarship amount, adjusted for inflation.

FAPEMIG SCHOLARSHIP HOLDERS

Any student who receives a FAPEMIG scholarship, even for only one month, must complete the program and obtain the degree. Otherwise—regardless of (a) withdrawal, (b) dismissal, or (c) course dropout—the scholarship funds must be reimbursed with monetary correction to FAPEMIG.

FAPEMIG Scholar Obligations:

• The Annual Monitoring Report must be completed yearly.
• The Scholarship Activity Report must be completed at the end of the scholarship term.
• In case of enrollment suspension, the Activity Report must also be submitted at the end of the scholarship term.
• If the student does not complete the program, after reimbursing the funds with correction, proof of reimbursement must be attached to the Activity Report and submitted to the PPGCTA office.
• All scientific output generated, individually or collaboratively, must acknowledge FAPEMIG support. Failure to comply renders the researcher ineligible for future FAPEMIG support.

Suggested text:
“This work was supported by FAPEMIG, the Research Support Foundation of the State of Minas Gerais.”

• The scholarship holder must reside in the state of Minas Gerais (PAPG Manual – FAPEMIG – Item 3 – letter b) (See Ordinance 017/2021 for remote period).

CNPq SCHOLARSHIP HOLDERS

• All publications resulting from CNPq-funded activities must include an acknowledgment, using the following phrases (in the language of the publication) (RN-017/2006 – Item 5.3):
  • For individual authorship: “This work was supported by CNPq, the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development – Brazil.”
  • For co-authorship: “CNPq Scholarship Holder – Brazil.”
• Students who received a CNPq scholarship, even for just one month, must:
  “Reimburse CNPq for the amounts received, adjusted to the current monthly rate at the time of reimbursement, in the event of dropout without just cause or for failure to comply with regulations, within 30 days from the date the dropout is confirmed. After this deadline, the amount will be subject to legal penalties.” (IN 35/2000, Art. 11, III, TCU) (RN-017/2006 – Item 4.3.2);
• Return to CNPq any undue payments received. These may be deducted from future payments or subject to administrative collection.
• Partial Technical Report: Submit the partial results form to CNPq following the structured model (access through CNPq reporting portal), according to the deadlines:
  • Master’s: after 12 months from the scholarship start.
  • PhD: after 24 months from the scholarship start.
• Final Technical Report: Submit the final report electronically via CNPq’s platform upon scholarship completion.
• Scholarship with Bench Fee (RN-008/2008 – Bench Fee): The scholarship holder must submit a financial report within 30 days after the scholarship period ends, together with the technical report.
• The beneficiary must retain receipts for 5 years after the end of the scholarship for potential audits.
• CNPq may audit spending and compliance by sampling.
• If reported expenses are disallowed, the student will be considered delinquent, payments and new grants will be suspended, and legal measures may be taken until the issue is resolved.
• Delinquent students must fully reimburse CNPq, adjusted to inflation, within 30 days of notification.
• Upon graduation, withdrawal, or cancellation, the final expense report must be submitted within 60 days, along with the final technical report, using the specific electronic form.
• Scholarship Cancellation or Suspension: A scholarship may be canceled or suspended at any time for technical or administrative reasons.
• Suspended scholarships cannot be reassigned to another recipient.
• When suspension is for an internship or another scholarship (e.g., sandwich PhD), the scholarship term continues running (24 months for Master’s, 48 months for PhD; verify grant letter), even without payment.
• When suspension ends, the scholarship can be reactivated with confirmation by the holder. The scholarship duration will never exceed the original period stated in the grant letter (24 months for MS, 48 months for PhD).

SCHOCAPES SCHOLARSHIP HOLDERLARSHIPS

(Ordinance No. 76, dated April 14, 2010 – New Regulation – Social Demand)

• Scholarship Suspension: The scholarship may be suspended for a maximum period of eighteen months, upon justification, in the following cases:
  • Up to six (6) months in the case of a serious illness that prevents the student from participating in the program’s activities, or for childbirth and breastfeeding (this suspension will not be counted toward the total scholarship duration);
  • Up to eighteen (18) months for PhD students who undertake an internship abroad related to their academic plan, funded by CAPES or another agency;
  • It is not permitted to substitute a scholarship holder during the suspension period.
• Teaching Internship: For programs that offer both Master’s and PhD degrees, the teaching internship is mandatory only for PhD students and must be carried out over a minimum of two and a maximum of three semesters.
• Reimbursement Requirement: Any student who receives a CAPES scholarship, whether for the entire duration of the course or for only one month, must reimburse the total amount received, adjusted for inflation, to CAPES.

MATERNITY LEAVE REQUEST

Procedures for requesting maternity leave (CAPES/CNPq/FAPEMIG)
Law No. 13.536, of December 15, 2017: Provides for the extension of scholarship periods granted by research funding agencies in cases of maternity or adoption.

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROGRAM

• Master’s Degree: Standard duration is 24 months. UFV allows students to remain enrolled for up to 36 months without needing to request a deadline extension. After 36 months, the student must request an extension through the PPGCTA office, with the advisor’s approval.
• Doctoral Degree: Standard duration is 48 months. UFV allows students to remain enrolled for up to 60 months without needing to request a deadline extension. After 60 months, the student must request an extension through the PPGCTA office, with the advisor’s approval.
• Course Extension due to the COVID-19 Pandemic:
  • Master’s: 24 months + 140 days or 36 months + 140 days (Extension granted to all students in either situation, regardless of months completed).
  • Doctorate: 48 months + 140 days or 60 months + 140 days (Extension granted to all students in either situation, regardless of months completed).
    IMPORTANT: This extension is only available to students who were enrolled in 2020. Students who joined the graduate program from the first semester of 2021 onward are not eligible.
• Maximum Duration: For the purpose of calculating the maximum duration, all periods during which the student is away from the University will be counted, except in cases of health-related leave or maternity leave, as provided for in the applicable legislation. According to paragraph 1 of Article 32 of UFV’s Graduate Program General Regulations:

“Art. 32 – The Master’s and Doctoral degrees will have their maximum duration defined by the Internal Regulations of each program, respecting the limits of 3 (three) and 5 (five) years, respectively, counted from the admission date.
§ 1 – Periods during which the student is away from the University for any reason will be counted toward the maximum duration, except in cases of health problems or maternity leave, as provided by law.”

• Enrollment Hold: According to Article 27 of UFV’s Graduate Program General Regulations, students who, due to force majeure, must interrupt their studies, may request an enrollment hold within the deadlines defined by the academic calendar. This request must be approved by the advisor and the Program Coordinating Committee (and evaluated during a committee meeting).
  • Doctorate: Standard duration is 48 months. UFV allows students to remain enrolled for up to 60 months without needing to request a deadline extension. After 60 months, the student must request an extension through the PPGCTA office, with the advisor’s approval.
  • Once approved by the Coordinating Committee, the enrollment hold form is sent to the University’s Academic Records Office. If the request is made after the official calendar deadlines, a formal process must be opened (students should avoid delays to prevent this).
  • Each student may request an enrollment hold twice, with each instance corresponding to one regular academic semester. These periods are included in the student’s total time (36 months for Master’s and 60 months for PhD), except when justified by health issues, as the total time already accounts for unforeseen events.
  • In all cases, approval by the advisor and the Coordinating Committee is required.
• Deadlines Required by PPGCTA: According to PPGCTA’s Internal Regulations, Master’s and PhD students must meet the deadlines for project defense, qualification exam, and final defense.
  • Project Defense:
    • Master’s: by the second academic semester.
    • PhD: by the third academic semester.
    • Failure to meet this deadline will result in a grade of “N” (Fail) in TAL 799 – Research.
  • Qualification Exam (PhD only): Must be passed by the fifth academic semester, with the research results written in the form of a scientific manuscript. Failure to meet this deadline will result in a grade of “N” (Fail) in TAL 799 – Research.
  • Final Defense:
    • Master’s: The dissertation must be defended by the fourth academic semester and based on scientific research.
    • PhD: The thesis must be defended by the eighth academic semester and based on original research.
    • Master’s students are only eligible to defend after submitting at least one article related to their dissertation to a Qualis A1, A2, or A3 journal.
    • PhD students are only eligible to defend after having at least one article accepted in a Qualis A1, A2, A3, or A4 journal.
• Seminar: Both Master’s and PhD students must enroll in the course TAL 797 – Seminars for two academic semesters. The seminar presentation takes place during the second semester of enrollment in this course.