University of São Paulo

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**Universidade de São Paulo**

Motto	Scientia Vinces (Through science you win)
Established	January 25, 1934
Type	Public
Rector	Suely Vilela
Staff	4,953
Undergraduates	44,696
Postgraduates	31,410
Location	São Paulo and other 6 cities, São Paulo, Brazil
Campus	Urban
Website	www.usp.br

The University of São Paulo (in Portuguese Universidade de São Paulo, USP) is one of the three public universities funded by the State of São Paulo.

USP is one of the largests institutions of higher education in Brazil and Latin America, with approximately 75,000 enrolled students. It is comprised of seven campi, two of them being in the City of São Paulo [1] (the main campus is called Campus Armando de Salles Oliveira, with 7,443,770 m² of area). The other five are located in the cities Bauru, Piracicaba, Pirassununga, Ribeirão Preto and São Carlos. USP is involved in teaching, research and university extension in all areas of knowledge and has been recognized as being the best academic university in Latin America according to the 2005 Academic Ranking of World Universities.

In the "search for alternatives" period in the 1930s, political centralization and the first attempt to provide Brazil with modern administrative, military, and educational institutions took place. The main initiatives included the University of São Paulo, which was created in 1934. Its nucleus was a School of Philosophy, Sciences, and Letters, with professors coming from France, Italy, Germany, and other European countries. USP also brought together several research and higher education institutions in the state, such as the School of Medicine (Faculdade de Medicina), the Polytechnic School (Escola Politécnica), and the School of Law (Faculdade de Direito). (The Polytechnic School includes civil, electrical, mechanical, mining, metallurgical, naval and oceanic, and chemical engineering departments).

USP is considered as Brazil's top academic and research institute. In its 2005 edition, The Times Higher Education Supplement considered USP to be the 196th best university institution in the world. According to the 2005 Academic Ranking of World Universities, published by the Shanghai Jiaotong University, USP is placed in the group of the 101-152nd top world universities. The EGI (European Graduate Institute) reported that USP is the 58th best university in the world, according to the 2006's edition.

According to the results of the Webometrics Ranking of World Universities (Top 200), USP is the best university of the set of countries named BRIC (est. population: 2.7 billion - 07/2006).

1 Admissions
2 Academic Career
3 Notables
4 Schools and Institutes
5 External links
6 See also

[edit] Admissions

Students are admitted by an entrance exam, known as Fuvest, composed by two steps:

- Part I is composed of 90 multiple-choice questions (Portuguese, English, Chemistry, Math, Physics, Geography, History and Biology).

- Part II is composed of up to 40 descriptive questions related to their career choice.

Moreover, candidates who only studied in public schools, during their high-school term, get a 3% bonus in their Part I and Part II scores, due to the low quality of Bazilian public education, with some exceptions.

It is ruled and applied by FUVEST (University Foundation for Vestibular). [2]. At the end of 2006, about 141,977 students will try to be admitted in this university.

Last year, one of the most demanded courses was Journalism, with about 53 applicants per vacancy.

A renowned publication (Guia do Estudante - Student's Guide) indicated that USP is 2006's best university in Brazil.

[edit] Academic Career

Teaching Assistant (Auxiliar de Ensino) - MS-2 (must have a Master degree and be enrolled in the PhD graduation program)
Professor Doutor - MS-3 (must have a PhD or equivalent title)
Professor Associado - MS-5 (must have a Livre Docente title or recognition by the academic community)
Professor Titular - MS-6 (top rank, only MS-5 is allowed to be conducted to main positions in the University such as Director or Rector)

[edit] Notables

[edit] Former Presidents

Fernando Henrique Cardoso (1995-2003)
Jânio Quadros (1961)

[edit] São Paulo state governors

[edit] Poets

[edit] Novelists

Antônio de Alcântara Machado

[edit] Others

César Lattes - physicist, co-discovered the pi meson
Fernando Meirelles - film director, he did City of God and The Constant Gardener
Henrique Meirelles - the current president of the Banco Central do Brasil (Brazil's Central Bank)
Mário Schenberg - physicist
Miguel Nicolelis - physician and neurobiological researcher
Miguel Reale - jurist, he is considered the chief architect of Brazil's current civil codes
Ruy Barbosa - jurist, politician and diplomat
Sebastião Salgado - photographer and photojournalist

[edit] Schools and Institutes

Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades

Courses: Marketing, Information Systems, Nursing, Tourism, Environmental Management, Textile Industry, Physical Education, Science Education and Public Policy Management