Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo

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Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo


Motto	Sapientia et Augebitur Scientia (Latin for: "Wisdom and Science will be increased")
Established	August 13, 1946
Type	Private, non-profit, pontifical since 1947
Rector	Maura Pardini Bicudo Véras
Students	34,000
Undergraduates	29,000
Postgraduates	5,000
Location	São Paulo City (headquarters), Sorocaba and Barueri, SP, Brazil
Campus	Five campi, all of them in urban area
Affiliations	Roman Catholic Church
Website	http://www.pucsp.br

The Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo, PUC-SP) is a private and non-profit Catholic university. It's one of the largest and most prestigious universities in the State of São Paulo, in Brazil. It is maintained by the Catholic Archdiocese of São Paulo.

PUC-SP was the first Brazilian university which elected the rector and other administrative functions by direct vote from the students and teachers. It was founded by the archbishop of São Paulo, Carlos Carmelo de Vasconcellos Mota as the "Catholic University of São Paulo", receiving the title of "Pontifical Catholic University" in 1947, by the Pope Pius XII.

During the Militar Dictatorship in Brazil, many students and teachers in PUC-SP were present in manifestations against the Government, and the archbishop at that time Paulo Evaristo Arns admitted teachers from the public universities which were dismissed by the militaries.

Most of the scientific production in PUC-SP are in the areas of Law, Philosophy, Social Sciences, Education and Communication, and, in these areas, it's considered one of the most important universities in Latin America, and internationally recognized by the issues and researches in disturbs of the human communication, semiotics and psychology. The Law College of PUC-SP is the second most prestigious in Brazil, after the law school of the University of São Paulo. The Business School is also one of the largest of the state of São Paulo.

1 Location and Campi
2 Admission
3 Notable alumni
4 External link
5 See also

[edit] Location and Campi

Inside PUC-SP

The headquarters of PUC-SP are located in Perdizes, a middle-class neighbourhood in the subprefecture of Lapa, in the west side of São Paulo City. It's placed near the subway stations of Barra Funda and Sumaré, and comprises most of courses, the University Theater (TUCA) and the University Church. Most of these buildings, built between 1920 and 1940, are part of the historical patrimonium of the city. São Paulo City has is also two campi: the Computing and Math School, also part of the historical patrimonium, with a modern architecture by Rino Levi and gardens built by Roberto Burle Marx, located near the downtown; the Business and Economy School, in the district of Santana, in the north side of São Paulo City; the Medicine College in the city of Sorocaba (90 km far of São Paulo) and a new campus in the city of Barueri, which will have new courses.

[edit] Admission

Like other Brazilian universities, students are admitted by an entrance exam called vestibular. It's composed by two tests: the first test is composed of multiple-choice questions in the disciplines: Portuguese, English (or French), Chemistry, Math, Physics, Geography, History and Biology, and the second test is composed by descriptive questions between the disciplines. The vestibular of PUC-SP also selects students for other colleges and universities in the state of São Paulo.

Last year, the most demanded course was International Relations, with about 17 applicants per vacancy.