Middle Education

The curriculum is similar for ensino fundamental – 2, which lasts for a further 4 years, except that 2 foreign languages (usually English and Spanish) are added. 800 hours of activities are prescribed. Each class is usually still served by a single teacher.

Secondary Education

Completion of ensino fundamental phases 1 and 2 are a necessary condition for entering ensino medio high school. Core subjects include Portuguese, Brazilian and a third language - usually English, plus a wide spread of academic subjects too. In parallel during years 2 and 3 professional training courses such as agriculture may be added.

Vocational Education

Brazil understands that its competitiveness depends to a large extent on the quality of its vocational training. In April 2011, the government announced a bold plan to create 8 million more vocational training opportunities by 2014.

Tertiary Education

Brazil EducationHigh school education is a prerequisite for entering tertiary institutions, as is a competitive vestibular entrance examination. Undergraduate bachareladodegrees require 4 year’s study. School teachers must follow a separate 4 yearlicenciatura. Others prefer to follow 2 to 4 years of technology training. The normal range of graduate education is offered too. 

The country has a fine spread of over 2,600 state and private universities and colleges. The oldest in continuous operation is the Academia de Artilharia,  founded in 1699 and illustrated on this page.