Computer science is taking center stage these days. As more of our lives move into digital spaces, there is greater demand for professionals who can build, maintain, and secure computing systems and data-driven technologies. This is why knowledge in computer science is becoming more important.
Fortunately, you do not have to focus only on the United States’ most competitive computer science programs. Brazil has strong public and private universities with established computing departments and research programs.
Enjoy Brazil’s colorful culture while getting a quality education. Check out our curated list of the top universities for computer science in Brazil below.
Top Schools Offering Computer Science in Brazil
1. Universidade de São Paulo
The University of São Paulo (USP) is one of Brazil’s most prominent public universities and one of the most highly ranked universities in Latin America. USP offers tuition-free undergraduate courses in all areas of knowledge, and most university activities are conducted in Portuguese.
Computer science is available at the undergraduate level at USP campuses in São Paulo, São Carlos, and Ribeirão Preto. At IME-USP, the Graduate Program in Computer Science offers master’s and doctoral programs, including a direct doctorate route for highly qualified applicants. USP states that its graduate courses are free of charge for Brazilian and international students, including tuition, registration, and library fees.
The broader IME graduate school also lists Bioinformatics and Computer Science as separate graduate program areas, so students should check the relevant program page before applying.
2. Universidade Estadual de Campinas
Popularly known as Unicamp, the University of Campinas is a major public research university in the state of São Paulo. Its Institute of Computing notes that Unicamp created Brazil’s first bachelor’s degree in Computer Science in 1969.
Unicamp’s Bachelor of Computer Science is taught at night and is designed to be completed in ten semesters. The Institute of Computing also offers academic master’s and doctoral programs in Computer Science. The academic master’s typically lasts two years, and regular Unicamp courses do not charge tuition or fees.
Research at the institute covers areas such as algorithms and optimization, visual computing, bioinformatics and computational biology, big data management, information security, robotics and machine intelligence, computer networks, and distributed systems.
3. Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro
The Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) is a private, non-profit Catholic university in Rio de Janeiro and an important center for computing education and research. The university’s Department of Informatics lists teaching activities at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, while PUC-Rio’s own contact page lists a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science and a Graduate Program.
The Graduate Program in Informatics is composed of master’s and doctoral degrees. Its official concentration areas include databases, computer graphics, software engineering, hypertext and multimedia, human-computer interaction, programming languages, optimization and automatic reasoning, computer networks and distributed systems, and computation theory.
The university also has a long history in computing: PUC-Rio states that a mainframe was installed there for academic use in 1960 and that Rio Datacentro, created in 1972, was the first computer science center in a Brazilian university.
4. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande Do Sul
Our fourth entry is the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS), a public federal university in Porto Alegre. Its Institute of Informatics offers a Bachelor in Computer Science and a Bachelor in Computer Engineering, and UFRGS states that the Institute’s Computer Science course began in 1983.
The Institute of Informatics coordinates undergraduate programs in Computer Science and Computer Engineering and graduate programs in Computing. At the graduate level, UFRGS offers MSc and Ph.D. degrees in Computing.
Students and faculty work across core computing fields, and the institute’s Graduate Program in Computing has maintained CAPES grade 7, the maximum score in Brazil’s graduate evaluation system.
5. Universidade de Brasilia
Next on the list is the University of Brasília (UnB). Its Department of Computer Science offers undergraduate programs in Bachelor of Computer Science and Licentiate in Computer Science and coordinates the Graduate Program in Informatics.
The Graduate Program in Informatics lists master’s and doctoral degrees. UnB describes the program as the only PhD program in Computer Science in the Federal District since it was created in 2003.
The program’s research topics are grouped into Fundamentals and Computer Methods and Computer Systems. Doctoral candidates take 40 credits from the program’s course list, while master’s students take 24 credits.
6. Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
Like many federal universities, the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE) is a public institution with a strong computing center. Its Centro de Informática (CIn-UFPE), located at the Recife campus, offers undergraduate programs in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Systems, and Artificial Intelligence.
The Bachelor in Computer Science is in-person, lasts nine semesters, has a total workload of 3,200 hours, and awards the title Bachelor of Computer Science. At the graduate level, CIn-UFPE offers stricto sensu academic and professional master’s and doctoral programs, as well as lato sensu specializations and MBA programs.
CIn-UFPE states that its stricto sensu program is among the seven most highly rated computing programs in Brazil and has the maximum CAPES grade. Recent graduate selections have included research areas such as databases, software engineering and programming languages, computer networks and distributed systems, theory of computation, media and interaction, and computer architecture and digital systems.
7. Universidade Federal de São Carlos
Lastly, we have the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar). The university has campuses in São Carlos, Araras, Sorocaba, and Lagoa do Sino and offers dozens of undergraduate and graduate programs. Its Sorocaba-based Department of Computing was created in 2011 and includes a Bachelor of Computer Science and a Master’s Program in Computer Science.
The Computer Science course at the Sorocaba campus was proposed after the campus was established, with installation beginning in 2008, and was designed to connect computing with applied research and sustainability.
UFSCar’s broader Graduate Program in Computer Science also offers a doctorate; the university states that PPGCC students can conduct research at both the São Carlos and Sorocaba campuses. Research lines include machine learning, databases, software engineering, artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, computer networks, computer vision, robotics, and parallel and distributed systems.
We hope that this article on the Best Universities for Computer Science in Brazil was helpful. Make sure to also check out the Available Computer Science Programs for International Students!
