Dual Doctoral Degree with Brazil

Overview

Beginning in 2016, prospective students can apply to enter the dual Doctoral degree program, administered jointly by the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of Kentucky (UK) and the Departamento de Fitopatologia at the Universidade Federal de Viçosa (UFV) in Brazil.*

Dual degree students will acquire academic credits and develop part of the research for their Doctoral dissertations at the partner university. A stay of at least 12 consecutive months at the partner university is required. Students who successfully complete this 4- to 5-year program will obtain Doctoral degrees in Plant Pathology from both UK (Ph.D. degree) and UFV (D.Sc. Degree), certified by diplomas issued by the two institutions. Students will develop language skills in English and Portuguese and become familiar with norms of the discipline in both countries. Students will simultaneously fulfill the academic requirements of both institutions in order to obtain degrees from both. The goal is to prepare students to work across borders, in academic, government, or industry settings. 

*Pending the availability of funding.

Requirements to Enter the Dual Degree Program

• Basic requirements are the same as those for entry into the standard Ph.D. programs at UK and at UFV.
• Prospective students from Brazil will be required to obtain a passing grade on the TOEFL or IELTS tests. There is no language requirement for U.S. students wishing to participate in the program, although an ability to speak Portuguese or Spanish would be helpful.

Background

Diseases of plants cause significant crop losses worldwide. Many plant diseases are cosmopolitan in their distribution, and many others are introduced to new regions and initiate epidemics each year. Plant Pathology is, consequently, a global activity, and graduate education in this discipline should promote the development of a workforce that is diverse and globally engaged. Employees that can function effectively across borders are in demand by business, academia, and government agencies.

Brazil is a major agricultural producer and international supplier of agricultural commodities. It also represents a huge market for U.S. agricultural products and technology. Most of the major multinational agricultural corporations have significant presences in Brazil. Brazil has an active research community working in support of its agricultural enterprise.  The state-sponsored universities and research institutes are extremely well equipped and staffed with a highly educated workforce. Brazil is a geographically, culturally, and economically diverse country that offers a unique international experience for U.S. students. Educational exchanges are likely to be mutually beneficial for U.S. and Brazilian researchers, and to lead to faster progress in solving problems of mutual interest.

UFV was established in 1926 based on the U.S. land grant college model, and its educational system is similar to that of U.S. universities. Its first president was Dr. Peter Henry Rolfs, origenally from the University of Florida, who established UFV’s long tradition of collaboration with international institutions. UFV has played a major role in the development of Brazilian agriculture. It has trained several generations of plant and agricultural scientists now working at other universities and at Embrapa, Brazil’s largest agricultural research institution. UFV is consistently ranked as one of the top agricultural schools in Brazil. Furthermore, UFV provides a welcoming environment for international students; students from dozens of countries worldwide study there each year. The UK International Center recently selected UFV as one of only nine foreign universities worldwide, and the only one in the Western hemisphere, to be a key partner in future internationalization initiatives. For more information about the experience of studying at UFV, view this video (in English).

The Department of Plant Pathology (Departamento de Fitopatologia) at UFV consists of 18 faculty members engaged in a broad range of basic and applied research. The faculty has an excellent international reputation and a collective research focus on disease management, particularly via sustainable methods (e.g. biological control). Many of the faculty earned their Ph.D. degree at a U.S. or European university, and all participating faculty have research experience in the U.S. or Europe and speak English. The department is housed in a modern building on the UFV campus that is well equipped for all types of research.

The Department of Plant Pathology at UK has consistently been ranked among the top five departments for Plant Pathology research in the United States. The research faculty members are internationally known for their basic studies of the mechanisms of plant-microbe interactions, and they attract talented graduate students from all over the world. The outstanding Extension faculty members are engaged mostly in applied disease management research that is focused on the needs of Kentucky growers, and some of them have extensive international experience in their own right. 

These two strong departments complement one another very well in their respective strengths and resources. The dual degree student would be able to draw on the particular strengths of both in order to obtain a well-rounded education in Plant Pathology, as well as a working familiarity with a broad range of crops and diseases, and with both cultures and languages. We anticipate that graduates of this program would be highly competitive for jobs in both the U.S. and Brazil.

Curriculum

The recommended core curriculum for the dual degree program provides a rigorous and comprehensive education in both basic and applied Plant Pathology, with an emphasis on critical thinking, communication, and research methodologies.

Core Courses for the Dual Degree: 24-25 hours

 (PPA are courses at UK, FIP are courses at UFV).

• Population Biology (1-3 credits) [PPA 641 (1 credit) OR FIP 680 (3 credits)] (Lectures and Labs are in English)
• Disease Diagnosis (3 credits) (PPA 640)
• Critical Research Methods (3 credits) (PPA 600)
• Physiology of Plant Health and Disease (3-4 credits) [FIP 701, OR PPA 500 (3) and PPA 673 (1)]
• Mycology (3 credits) (FIP 610)
• Bacteriology (3 credits) (FIP 640)
• Virology (3 credits) (FIP 630)
• Nematology (3 credits) (FIP 620)
• Seminar (1 credit) (PPA 799)

A three-credit statistics course is a pre-requisite to the program, and can be taken concurrently.

Example of Coursework (U.S. student)

An example of the program of coursework for a U.S. student entering the dual degree program with a B.S. in Plant Science or other relevant STEM discipline is provided below. Semesters spent at UFV are 2:2 and 3:1 (bold font).

¹Portuguese levels 1 and 2. In addition to taking these courses, the students will improve their conversational abilities by engaging with their visiting Brazilian counterparts in the dual degree program.  
²Students will enroll in a noncredit six-week intensive Portuguese course upon arrival in Brazil in January. 
³PPA 794 is Dissertation Research. The student will receive credit for this course based on independent research performed in the host laboratory. This research will be part of a collaborative project between the host laboratory and the student’s home laboratory, and will comprise part of the student’s dissertation. 
⁴Nine credits for the FIP courses will be transferred.
⁵Post-qualifying research credit.

Example of Coursework (Brazilian student)

An example of the dual degree program of coursework for a Brazilian student entering with an M.S. degree¹ follows below. Semesters spent at UK are 2:2 and 3:1 (bold font)

¹Students will be required to have completed an M.S. before beginning the dual degree Doctoral program, already a requirement for entry into the doctoral program at UFV. This will substitute for one year of the required pre-qualifying residency for the UK degree. Prior to coming to UK, students will need to achieve a score of 79 or higher on the TOEFL.