This study presents an analytical discussion on the Graduate Studies in the field of "Collective Health", in Brazil, based on three issues: 1) An evaluation process of the area under ABRASCO (Brazilian Association of Collective Health) leadership, from 1995 to 1996, covering an historical evolution of the training programs, their curriculum structure, the students input and output, and the technical and scientific production and its diffusion; 2) An analysis of the national system of graduate studies accomplished by the academic community and coordinated by CAPES (Coordination of Development of Human Resources in Higher Education), during the year of 1996; 3) And a contextual analysis of the cultural and institutional crisis the area of science and technology undergo nowadays, including the health sector, departing from the new challenges posed by globalization.
The article demonstrates that graduate studies in collective health share with the national system both their achievements and problems, being today a mature field of knowledge both in its conceptual developments and institutional channels, and one that preserves tradition and commitment with the academic scene and broad social questions.
Evaluation process; Science and Technology; Post-graduate courses; Collective Health
