The Federal University of Santa Maria ( pt, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, UFSM) is a Brazilian

public university A public university or public college is a university or college that is in state ownership, owned by the state or receives significant government spending, public funds through a national or subnational government, as opposed to a private unive ...

located in Santa Maria, in the state of

Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, , ; "Great River of the South") is a state in the southern region of Brazil. It is the fifth-most-populous state and the ninth largest by area. Located in the southernmost part of the country, Rio Grande do Sul is border ...

, funded by the

federal government A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...

of Brazil. It was founded in 1960, by Professor José Mariano da Rocha Filho. Its campuses span over 1,837.72 ha, with a total of 386,968 m² of buildings and 28,307 students. UFSM's presence in the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality ...

of Santa Maria is one of the reasons why the city is sometimes called "university city" or "culture city". It is located in western

, approximately 290 km far from the

capital city A capital city or capital is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state, province, department, or other subnational entity, usually as its seat of the government. A capital is typically a city that physically encompasses the ...

of the state, Porto Alegre, thus being set in the heart of the

pampas The Pampas (from the qu, pampa, meaning "plain") are fertile South American low grasslands that cover more than and include the Argentine provinces of Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos, and Córdoba; all of Uruguay; and Bra ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. As a public university, students do not pay tuition fees. It is the oldest federal university not located in a Brazilian state capital city, and the largest in number of undergraduate courses offered in

state. As for 2015, the university was ranked at position 15 at national ranking from MEC.

Admission

Like most other Brazilian higher education institutions, the admission for undergraduate courses in UFSM is mainly based on an annual open test called '' vestibular''. The only request to be filled in order to apply for it is to have completed a high school course. UFSM's vestibular comprises a multiple-choice exam and a written essay and lasts for 3 mornings and 1 afternoon. The multiple-choice exam contains 15 questions on each of the following subjects:

Portuguese Language Portuguese ( or, in full, ) is a western Romance language of the Indo-European language family, originating in the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. It is an official language of Portugal, Brazil, Cape Verde, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau ...

, Brazilian Literature, Chemistry,

Mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

, Physics,

Geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, a ...

History History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

Biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditar ...

Philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, Epistemology, knowledge, Ethics, values, Philosophy of mind, mind, and Philosophy of language, language. Such quest ...

and Foreign Language (the applicant may choose one among English, Spanish,

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, German and Italian). The written essay is usually an argumentative text on a theme. UFSM offers also a serial admission program, called PEIES (or Programa de Ingresso ao Ensino Superior), which consists of a multiple-choice exam applied at the end of each of the three years of Brazilian high school, plus a written essay only in the third year. UFSM was the first university in Brazil to adopt such a program, through which 20% of all the undergraduate students are admitted. UFSM's vestibular and PEIES are both prepared and administered by ''Coperves'' (Permanent Commission for Vestibular). In 2011, the most competitive course was

Medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, and Health promotion ...

, with over 96 candidates per opening. Since 2015, vestibular was replaced by "SISU", a national wide selection system for general university entrance, as it happens to most of federal universities on the country.

Campuses

UFSM has four campuses: the main one in

Camobi Camobi - is a bairro in the District of Sede in the municipality of Santa Maria, in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. It is located in east Santa Maria. Villages The bairro contains the following villages: Santa Maria Air Force Base ...

, Santa Maria; one campus in the municipality of

Silveira Martins Silveira Martins is a municipality in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. See also *List of municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul This is a list of the municipalities in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS), located in the South Region of Braz ...

, near Santa Maria; and two smaller ones in northern

, in the municipalities of Frederico Westphalen and

Palmeira das Missões Palmeira das Missões is a municipality in the state of Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, , ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative_u ...

. In Santa Maria, however, the courses of Law, Business, Accounting, Psychology,

Economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analy ...

, International Relations, and

Dentistry Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, disorders, and conditions ...

are still offered off-campus, in the city centre.

Academic centres and courses offered

The university is divided into nine academic centers, which administer and organize the undergraduate and postgraduate courses offered. * '
Centro de Artes e Letras (CAL)
'' — ''Centre of Arts and Languages'' :: Undergraduate courses offered at the Campus of Santa Maria:
Theater ( Acting and Directing), Visual Arts (

Drawing Drawing is a form of visual art in which an artist uses instruments to mark paper or other two-dimensional surface. Drawing instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, various kinds of paints, inked brushes, colored pencils, crayons, ...

and Sculpture),

Industrial Design Industrial design is a process of design applied to physical Product (business), products that are to be manufactured by mass production. It is the creative act of determining and defining a product's form and features, which takes place in advan ...

Languages Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of met ...

and Literatures ( Portuguese; English; Spanish), and

Music Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact definition of music, definitions of mu ...

( Licentiate; specific

musical instrument A musical instrument is a device created or adapted to make musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can be considered a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. A person who pl ...

; Singing). * '
Centro de Ciências Naturais e Exatas (CCNE)
'' — ''Centre of Natural and Exact Sciences'' :: Undergraduate courses offered at the Campus of Santa Maria:

, Physics,

, Meteorology,

, Chemistry, Industrial Chemistry, and

Statistics Statistics (from German: '' Statistik'', "description of a state, a country") is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data. In applying statistics to a scientific, indust ...

. * '
Centro de Ciências Rurais (CCR)
'' — ''Centre of Rural Sciences'' :: Undergraduate courses offered at the Campus of Santa Maria:
Agronomy, Forestry, Veterinary Medicine, Animal Husbandry, and Technology on Food. * '
Centro de Ciências da Saúde (CCS)
'' — ''Centre of Health Sciences'' :: Undergraduate courses offered at the Campus of Santa Maria:
Nursing,

Pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links heal ...

and

Biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology ...

Physiotherapy Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patient ...

, Speech and Language Therapy,

Occupational Therapy Occupational therapy (OT) is a global healthcare profession. It involves the use of assessment and intervention to develop, recover, or maintain the meaningful activities, or ''occupations'', of individuals, groups, or communities. The field of ...

, and

(some classes offered in downtown Santa Maria). * '
Centro de Ciências Sociais e Humanas (CCSH)
'' — ''Centre of Social and Human Sciences'' :: Undergraduate courses offered at the Campus of Santa Maria:
Archival science, Sociology, Communications (

Journalism Journalism is the production and distribution of reports on the interaction of events, facts, ideas, and people that are the "news of the day" and that informs society to at least some degree. The word, a noun, applies to the occupation (pro ...

; Public Relations;

Advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

and

Publishing Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...

, and

. :: Undergraduate courses offered at downtown Santa Maria:
Business Administration, Accountancy,

, Law, Psychology, and International Relations. * '
Centro de Educação (CE)
'' — ''Centre of Education'' :: Undergraduate courses offered at the Campus of Santa Maria:

Pedagogy Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken ...

, and Special Education. * '
Centro de Educação Física e Desporto (CEFD)
'' — ''Centre of Physical Education and Sports'' :: Undergraduate course offered at the Campus of Santa Maria:
Physical Education. * '
Centro de Tecnologia (CT)
'' — ''Centre of Technology'' :: Undergraduate courses offered at the Campus of Santa Maria:

Architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...

and

Urban Planning Urban planning, also known as town planning, city planning, regional planning, or rural planning, is a technical and political process that is focused on the development and design of land use and the built environment, including air, water ...

Computer Science Computer science is the study of computation, automation, and information. Computer science spans theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, information theory, and automation) to practical disciplines (includin ...

, Computer Engineering, Acoustical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering,

Civil Engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewa ...

, Control Engineering,

Electrical Engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

, Mechanical Engineering, Production Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Sanitary and Environmental Engineering, and Information Systems. :: Graduate courses offered at the Campus of Santa Maria:

, Process Engineering,

, Production Engineering. * '
Centro de Educação Superior Norte-RS (CESNORS)
'' — ''Centre of Higher Education of Northern Rio Grande do Sul'' :: Undergraduate courses offered at the Campus of Frederico Westphalen:
Agronomy, Communications (

; Public Relations with emphasis on Multimedia), Environmental Engineering, Forestry, Technology on Food, and Technology on Internet Systems. :: Undergraduate courses offered at the Campus of

:
Animal Husbandry,

, Business Administration, Nursing, and Nutrition. * In addition: ** the '
Coordenadoria de Ensino Médio e Tecnológico (CEMTEC)
'' — ''Coordination of Secondary and Technical Education'' offers 4 other undergraduation courses at the Campus of Santa Maria:
Technology on Cooperative Management, Technology on Geoprocessing, Technology on Mechanical Fabrication, and Technology on Computer Network; ** the Unidade Descentralizada de Ensino Superior de Silveira Martins (UDESSM) — ''Descentralized Unit of Higher Education of Silveira Martins'' offers 4 undergraduate courses at the Campus of

:
Technology on Agribusiness, Technology on Environmental Management, Technology on Tourism Management, and Technology on Management Process. UFSM offers 11 distance education courses and 66 graduate courses.

Secondary and technological education

The Federal University of Santa Maria also has three

technical Technical may refer to: * Technical (vehicle), an improvised fighting vehicle * Technical analysis, a discipline for forecasting the future direction of prices through the study of past market data * Technical drawing, showing how something is co ...

and secondary education institutions: * The '
Colégio Técnico Industrial de Santa Maria
'' ''(Industrial Technical School of Santa Maria)''; * The '
Colégio Politécnico da UFSM
'' ''(UFSM's Polytechnic School)'', also in Santa Maria; and * The '
Colégio Agrícola de Frederico Westphalen
'' ''(Agricultural School of Frederico Westphalen)''. They are administered by UFSM's Coordenadoria de Ensino Médio e Tecnológico — ''Coordination of Secondary and Technical Education''. The schools offer the plain high school syllabus, plus optional vocational education.

Paleontology

UFSM is a center for studies of paleontology, since the city of Santa Maria sits on a deposit of fossils. It is considered an important institution of Paleorrota.

Paleontological Sites

* Paleontological Site Arroio Cancela. * Paleontological Site Largo Padre Daniel Cargnin. * Paleontological Site Bela Vista. *

Paleontological Site Jazigo Cinco Paleontological Site Jazigo Cinco is located in the city of Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. And belongs to Santa Maria Formation. It is located in the neighborhood Kilometro 3 near Castelinho, is to 2.7 kilometers away from the Paleont ...

. * Paleontological Site Sanga da Alemoa.

References

External links

*
University website (in English)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Santa Maria, Federal University of Educational institutions established in 1960 1960 establishments in Brazil Universities and colleges in Rio Grande do Sul Federal universities of Brazil