The professional master's degree in the context of continued training and the impact on the activity of education professionals

Abstract

Continuing education is  essential process for facing emerging challenges in a changing world. In this context, the Professional Master's Degree emerges as a training modality that fosters the improvement of academic and professional training, seeking to bring the academic world closer to the world of work. Among the aims of the professional master’s degree is the integrated articulation of professional training to the demanding institutions, aiming to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of private and public organizations, through the generation and articulation of innovation processes for the solution of specific problems. Based on these considerations, this research aimed to evaluate the results achieved by the Professional Master’s Degree in Public Policies and Educational Management (PPPG) of the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM), in order to identify the perception of the graduates of the classes 2015 and 2016 on the impacts of this professional and academic life, as well as the educational products and/or knowledge built and implemented in the institutions in which they are professionally linked. To achieve these objectives, a quantitative-qualitative study was conducted with thirteen graduates of the UFSM PPPG, through a semi-open questionnaire. The results were analyzed qualitatively and show that this course constitutes a mechanism of continuous qualitative training for its graduates, since it made possible the expansion, construction and [re] signification of professional and academic knowledge. However, there are indications that he implementation of educational products, even if satisfactory, can be improved through greater articulation and interlocution between the actors and educational scenarios.