Gradually, the PPGCS has made internationalization a strategic priority, aiming to enhance both academic excellence and the global relevance of its activities. Through partnerships and international research networks, the program promotes the exchange of ideas, projects, and people, encouraging faculty and student mobility.
This commitment—outlined in the Strategic Plan over the past four years—reflects the program’s conviction that an engaged and relevant social science must transcend national borders, contribute to global debates, and simultaneously generate meaningful impact at local and regional levels. During the Institutional Self-Assessment Seminar held in October 2024, this vision was identified as one of the program’s main strengths, supported by three core pillars that will guide its development from 2025 to 2028: strong regional engagement, strategic national articulation, and substantial progress in internationalization, with the consolidation of key global collaboration networks.
In recent years, this agenda has gained coherence through its alignment with the internationalization policy of UFBA’s PRPPG and its participation in CAPES initiatives, such as CAPES-PrInt and the new CAPES Global program, set to launch in 2025. Simultaneously, PPGCS research groups have fostered thematic networks focused on contemporary challenges in the social sciences—particularly in sociology—connecting researchers and expanding the reach and impact of their work. The program has also made notable strides in building South–South partnerships, strengthening academic exchanges with institutions across Latin America, Africa, and Asia, while maintaining strategic collaborations with leading centers of excellence in the Global North. This combined approach reflects the program’s capacity to produce knowledge of global relevance, grounded in local realities.
The internationalization of the PPGCS extends beyond research networks, taking shape through concrete academic mobility initiatives. Calls such as the PDSE allow students to undertake "sandwich" doctoral programs abroad, while faculty participate in research missions, visiting scholar programs, and postdoctoral training. The program also stands out for welcoming both senior international scholars and foreign students. On one hand, it has successfully secured funding for visiting professors who now form part of its permanent faculty; on the other, it has reserved spots in its admissions processes for both resident and non-resident international candidates, diversifying its student body and enriching the academic environment. As a result, the PPGCS is becoming an increasingly connected and globally engaged program, while remaining firmly committed to its national mission.