The mission of the Graduate Program in Applied Informatics (PPGIA) is to carry out innovative research in Applied Informatics to solve problems and ensure quality in the training of people in the field of Computing. PPGIA's vision is to be recognized for its focus on solving interdisciplinary problems, contributing to scientific production, and training researchers nationally and internationally. PPGIA's values are innovation, collaboration, quality, relevance, social commitment, and creativity.
PPGIA's organizational identity reflects its insertion in the Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco - UFRPE, a century-old institution with a strong tradition in agricultural areas. With its origins in 1912, UFRPE approved the creation of the first course in the area of Computing in 1999, and PPGIA was approved in 2011, an initiative by professors from Departamento de Estatística e Informática (DEINFO). Today, the Program also has several professors from Departamento de Computação (DC). Thus, Computing is new at UFRPE and has been seeking consolidation. A distinguishing feature of PPGIA is the wealth of opportunities for collaboration at UFRPE with agricultural sciences, rural technology, aquacultural engineering, and zootechnics. Furthermore, UFRPE has a tradition in teacher training, with licentiate degree courses in nine areas, providing research opportunities in educational technologies. Research by professors in partnership with these areas reinforces the proposal to deal with applied information technology, focusing on real problems.
The activities developed in the MSc courses aim to exercise scientific reasoning and familiarize students with the techniques, equipment, and methodology of scientific work. The Program's guidelines and lines of research are integrated with state, regional, and national development policies.
PPGIA/UFRPE is a new graduate program in computer science, but it has been working exhaustively in the search for constant improvement. The Program currently has CAPES Concept 3 and receives scholarships from CAPES and FACEPE (state funding agency).