The origins in Brazil of the university go back as far as the 19th century, when it first appeared in the Republic as a continuation of a process that began during the Empire, with the opening of the first institutions of higher education.

In Minas Gerais, the first institution of higher education, the School of Pharmacy in Ouro Preto, was founded in 1839. In 1875, the School of Mining was created and, in 1892, already under the Republican regime, the School of Law was established in the ancient capital of the state.

In 1898, when the capital was moved to Belo Horizonte, the School of Law was moved as well. Then, in 1907, the Free School of Dentistry was created and, four years later, the Schools of Medicine and Engineering opened. In 1911, the School of Pharmacy was added to the Free School of Dentistry.

A group of patriots, the "Inconfidentes," who rebelled against Portuguese domination, conceived of the idea of a university in the state of Minas Gerais, which was founded as the Universidade de Minas Gerais (UMG) in 1927. The state-subsidized private institution brought together the four institutions of higher learning that existed in Belo Horizonte. UMG remained within the state system until 1949, when it was federalized.

In the 1940s, a large area in the Pampulha region became the site for the construction of University City. The first structures erected were the Institute of Mechanics (now the Vocational School) and the Main Building. The effective occupation of the campus by the university community started only in the 1960s, when the construction of the buildings that today house most of the academic units was started.

The present name – Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG) – was not adopted until 1965.When the university was federalized, the Schools of Architecture, Philosophy, and Economics had already been integrated into UFMG.

Afterward, as part of its expansion and diversification, the university incorporated and created new units and schools: the Schools of Nursing (1950) and Veterinary Medicine (1961), the Minas Gerais Conservatory of Music (1962), and the Schools of Library (1962), Fine Arts (1963), and Physical Education (1969).

In 1968, the organization of UFMG was reformed, which resulted in the division of the old School of Philosophy into various schools and institutes. Thus, the present School of Philosophy and Human Sciences, the Institutes of Biological Sciences and Exact Sciences, the Institute of Geo-Sciences, and the Schools of Letters and Education appeared.

Today, firmly established as a model of excellence for the rest of the country, UFMG continues to expand. Agronomy (in Montes Claros), Drama, Control and Automation, Computational Mathematics, Audiology and Speech Pathology, and Nutrition have been added in the last five years, bringing the total of courses offered at the undergraduate level to 48.

COURSES

UFMG offers its courses in the following areas:

Agriculture Biological Sciences Engineering Exact and Earth Sciences Human Sciences Health Sciences Applied and Social Sciences Linguistics, Letters, and Arts

UNDERGRADUATE COURSES

At present, UFMG offers 44 undergraduate courses in all areas of knowledge to 19,016 students. Most courses are offered in Belo Horizonte at 19 academic units, of which 11 are located on the Pampulha campus. There six off-campus units, and the Schools of Medicine and Nursing, together with the Hospital das Clínicas, constitute the Saúde campus. Only the Agronomy course is taught outside the State capital, at the Center for Agriculture, in Montes Claros, in northern Minas Gerais.

GRADUATE COURSES

UFMG offers graduate courses in Agriculture, Biological and Physiological Sciences, Exact and Earth Sciences, Human Sciences, Health Sciences, Engineering, Linguistics, Letters, and Arts. Of the 141 courses offered, 51 are at Specialization, 55 at Masters', and 35 at Doctoral level. In the first semester of 2000, there were 6,729 students enrolled, of which 2,293 in Specialization, 3,094 in Masters', and 1,343 in Doctoral programs.

EXTENSION PROGRAMS

UFMG's extension programs are characterized by the broad range of services provided for the community, from professional updating courses to environmental revitalization projects to cultural events, such as the Winter Festival. In 1999, around 2.2 million people received some kind of assistance from UFMG via extension projects. The University is present in all the 856 municipalities of Minas Gerais, with 650 extension projects and activities developed in nine strategic areas.

UFMG IN NUMBERS

Teaching Programs

Undergraduate: 49 Baccalaureate: 34 Teaching Licensure: 1 Baccalaureate and Teaching Licensure: 14

Distance courses

Undergraduate:4 Post-Baccalaureate: 4

Graduate

Doctorate: 56 Master's: 65 Post-Baccalaureate: 77 Medical Internship: 38 Total openings: 5,780

Research

Research groups : 645 (2008) Research topics : 817 Scientific publications : 10,816 (2006) National patents : 238 International patents : 55 Contracts of Technologic Transfer: 14 Registered Trademarks and software: 46

Extension

Projects: 281 Programs: 436 Events promoted: 310 Services rendered: 445 Public reached: 5.639.115

Monthly grants

Undergraduate : 703 Master's : 1,005 Doctorate : 689 Extension : 369 Undergraduate Research : 900

University population

Enrollment

Undergraduate: 23.709 Post-Baccalaureate: 5.027 Master's: 3.129 Doctorate: 2.409 Medical Internship: 285 Vocational School and Primary School: 1.343 Total UFMG students: 35.324

Degrees and certificates

Undergraduate: 4,017 Post-Baccalaureate: 1.220 Master's: 1.115 Doctorate: 304 Total degrees and certificates until 2003 : 114,247

Degrees held by Faculty

Graduate: 102 (4,2%) Post-Baccalaureate: 152 (6,2%) Master's: 600 (24,5%) “Livres Docentes” and Doctorate: 1.592 (65,1%)

Staff

Staff : 4,445

Territory

Total area: 8,794,767 square meters Built area: 592.053 square meters Campi: 3 Academic units: 19 Special units: 3

Libraries

Built area (square meters): 24,130 Number of libraries: 28 Registered users: 60.642 Number of documents: 707.007 Journals: 18.280 Loans: 838.700

Publications (yearly)

Editora UFMG New titles: 32 Issues of Vestibular 2004: 16 Revised and expanded editions: 5 Catalogs: 1 Reprints: 10 Revista UFMG Diversa: 150.000 year Boletim da UFMG: 368,000 copies

Support

University Hospital – Hospital das Clínicas Area: 50,562 sq. m. Installed capacity: 450 beds Outpatient care: 306,284 patients/year Number of patients cared for: 323,904/year Emergency care: 48,057/year In-patients: 17,620/year Lab exams: 1,152,934/year

Dentistry

Clinics: 214 Appointments: 9,138 patients/year Surgeries: 7,278/year

Student support (FUMP)

Maintenance grants: 1.310 Daily care grants: 31 Apprenticeship grants: 1.542 Meals served: 955,839 University housing tenants: 550 Students helped: 5,500