The Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul ( pt, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, PUCRS) is a private non-profit

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

university. With campuses in the Brazilian cities of

Porto Alegre Porto Alegre (, , Brazilian ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of 1,488,252 inhabitants (2020) makes it the twelfth most populous city in the country and the center of Brazil's fif ...

and

Viamão Viamão is a city in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. In size it is the largest municipality in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre and the seventh most populous in the state. The origin of the name Viamão is controversial. The more common explan ...

, it is the largest private university of the state of Rio Grande do Sul and the first university founded by the Catholic religious institute of the

Marist Brothers The Marist Brothers of the Schools, commonly known as simply the Marist Brothers, is an international community of Catholic religious institute of brothers. In 1817, St. Marcellin Champagnat, a Marist priest from France, founded the Marist Brothe ...

. PUCRS is considered the best

private university Private universities and private colleges are institutions of higher education, not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. They may (and often do) receive from governments tax breaks, public student loans, and grants. Dep ...

of Brazil's Southern Region by the Ministry of Education (MEC), and one of the best private universities in the country, with FGV,

PUC-Rio The Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro ( pt, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro, PUC-Rio) is a Jesuit, Catholic, pontifical university in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the joint responsibility of the Catholic Ar ...

and the PUC-SP.

Facilities

The university has 22 faculties. The educational system is organized in courses and programs, which are responsible for

undergraduate Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-le ...

and graduate studies, continuing education, outreach activities and research. the university had 25,000 undergraduate students, 1,800

postgraduate Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and ...

students, 6,300

master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

students, and 1,400 PhD students. 130,000 students have graduated over the years. PUCRS offers 55 courses of graduation, 23 of master's degree, 19 of doctorate level, and more than 70 specialty training courses. University facilities include over 200

laboratories A laboratory (; ; colloquially lab) is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. Laboratory services are provided in a variety of settings: physici ...

for teaching and research, as well as

university hospital A university hospital is an institution which combines the services of a hospital with the education of medical students and with medical research. These hospitals are typically affiliated with a medical school or university. The following i ...

science Science is a systematic endeavor that Scientific method, builds and organizes knowledge in the form of Testability, testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earli ...

and

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and Reproducibility, reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in me ...

park,

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make thes ...

of sciences and technology,

sport Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...

s park,

theater Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

and convention center.

The Central Library

Academics

the university had 10 courses with 5 stars (Administration, Computer science, Biological sciences, Computer engineering, History, Dentistry, Education, Psychology, Advertising and Information systems) and 21 with 4 (Urban

Architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

, Aeronautical sciences, Accounting, Social sciences,

Law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...

, Physical Education,

Civil engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewa ...

, Control and Automation, Electrical engineering, Production engineering, Pharmacy, Philosophy, Physics, Physiotherapy, Journalism,

Medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...

, Chemistry, Public relations, Social services and

Tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

). And

champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, a ...

in two more categories of private institutions in the Guia do Estudante: Computing and Mathematical sciences and Engineering and Production. The university has won the National Award for Innovative Entrepreneurship, "The Best

Technological Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, science, ...

Park of the Year:" TECNOPUC (conducted by the National Association of Entities Promoting Innovative Enterprises - Anprotec, Sebrae, Ministry of Science and Technology, Financing of Studies and Projects - FINEP and the National Confederation of Industry - CNI). The Museum of Science and Technology of PUCRS: The only five star attraction in Porto Alegre, according to the 2010 Guia Quatro Rodas 2010, by

Editora Abril Editora Abril is a major Brazilian publisher and printing company and one of the biggest media holdings in Latin America. The company was founded in 1950 by Victor Civita in São Paulo and is now part of Grupo Abril. Civita had initially founded ...

History

The origins of the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul date to the arrival in Brazil of the

, the religious congregation founded by Saint

Marcellin Champagnat Marcellin Joseph Benedict Champagnat (20 May 17896 June 1840), also known as Saint Marcellin Champagnat, was born in Le Rosey, village of Marlhes, near St. Etienne (Loire), France. He was the founder of the Marist Brothers, a religious congregati ...

. In 1900 the first Marists arrived at the town of Bom Princípio (RS), following the request of Dom Cláudio José Gonçalves Ponce de Leão, bishop of Rio Grande do Sul. A number of Marists began to come from Europe and started founding schools throughout the region, culminating with the founding of the Nossa Senhora do Rosário School in Porto Alegre. That school eventually hosted college-level courses of accounting, from which the School of

Political Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that stud ...

and

Economic An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the ...

Sciences (

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

''Faculdade de Ciências Políticas e Econômicas''), which started in March 1931 with nine students, under the guidance of Brother Afonso, and expanded. In 1940 the School of Philosophy, Sciences and Literature opened, followed by the School of Social Services in 1945, and by the School of

in 1947. With these four schools, the Southern Brazil Union of Education and Teaching (

''União Sul Brasileira de Educação e Ensino'', USBEE), the civil entity of the Marist Brothers, requested recognition as a university by the Ministry of Education. On November 9, 1948, these schools became the Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (''Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul''). On December 8, 1948, the Archbishop of Porto Alegre and University Chancellor, Dom Vicente Scherer, inaugurated the first administration of the university with Armando Pereira de Câmara as

rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

and Brother José Otão as vice-rector. The rectors that followed are

Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

Alberto Etges (1951 to 1953), Brother José Otão (José Stefani) (1954 to 1978), Brother Liberato (Wilhelm Hunke), who completed Brother Otão's term from 5 February 1978, Brother Norberto Francisco Rauch (1979 to 2004), and Brother Joaquim Clotet from December 2004. On November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII, by request of the Marist Brothers and Archbishop Dom Vicente Scherer, granted the title of

Pontifical A pontifical ( la, pontificale) is a Christian liturgical book containing the liturgies that only a bishop may perform. Among the liturgies are those of the ordinal for the ordination and consecration of deacons, priests, and bishops to Holy ...

to the university, signaling the Brothers' submission to the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

References

External links