I – SELECTION PROCESS:

1. Students who have completed higher education in a national institution recognized by the Brazilian Ministry of Education (MEC), or foreigner, may apply to the Graduate Program in Sciences - Toxinology (PPGTox). The revalidation of the diploma of higher education should comply with current legislation.

2. At the time of enrollment, the candidate must present a letter of acceptance from an accredited counselor in the program. The supervisor will be responsible for the development and completion of the thesis / dissertation project, and may be replaced in the course of the work, if necessary, at the request of the student or the supervisor, at the discretion of the Graduate Committee (CPG).

3. The criteria for selection and classification of candidates for master’s course, doctorate and direct doctorate will follow the norms described below, periodically reviewed by the CPG.

4. The Selective Process for the Program will occur annually for the Master's and Direct Doctorate. Exceptionally, there may be one more enrollment in the middle of the year, at the discretion of the CPG. The selection for the Doctorate will be in continuous flow for students who have completed the Master's in the PPGTox or in other Programs.

5. Master’s and Doctorate candidates must submit, at the time of registration for the selection process, proof of English proficiency.

6. For admission to a Master's or Direct Doctorate, the registration process, selection, necessary documentation and other procedures will be regulated in accordance with the corresponding “editais”.

- The selection process for admission to the Master's and Doctorate Programs will consist of three phases, as described below:

a) Written theoretical test, at the undergraduate level, on basic subjects related to Cell Biology, Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Immunology and Pathology, according to the program defined in the Call for Proposals. This test will be eliminatory for candidates with a grade lower than 5.0 (five);

b) Analysis of the curriculum of the candidate, taking into account the academic background, previous experience during undergraduate research, improvement and / or technical training, obtaining grants from funding agencies, participation in scientific meetings and publications. The candidacy of graduates who have participated in effective programs of undergraduate research and training (scholarships) will be valued;

c) Oral test about Curriculum vitae and knowledge of the research project. This test will have an eliminatory character for candidates with a grade lower than 5.0 (five).

- The final grade will consist of the average between written test scores, oral test and curriculum analysis.

- Selection Committee for admission to the Master's and Direct Doctorate programs, responsible for the written test, interviews and analysis of the documentation will be composed of 3 faculty, at least 1 of the program, designated specifically for each selection process.

- The selection process for masters and direct doctorates will be valid for a period of twelve (12) months from the date of disclosure of the result.

7. Admission to the doctoral degree will be in a continuous flux and members of CPG will carry out the evaluation during a monthly meeting of this Committee or by a committee appointed by members of the CPG, who may call the candidate for an interview, if necessary.

- The selection process for admission to the Doctoral Program for students who have already completed a Master's degree will involve the analysis of the following items:

a) Candidate's academic history (s) and Curriculum Vitae (Lattes);

b) Research project;

c) Interview, whose call is at the discretion of the CPG Committee, in case there is a necessity to clarify the project presented.

The evaluation in the admission process for doctorate degree will include objective criteria such as analysis of students’ Curriculum vitae and project questions (clarity, form and resourcefulness), showing the proposed approach and mastery in the project area, including the methodology.

II- REGISTRATION

1. The enrollment in the Program will be in continuous flow. Enrollments follow-up in disciplines will be held biannually, in periods defined by the CPG.

2. At the time of enrollment, students must submit the following documentation:

a) For the Master's and Direct Doctorate:

I. Completed registration forms;

Ii. Diploma or declaration of degree completion granted by a national institution recognized by the Brazilian Ministry of Education (MEC) or by a foreign institution, with a revalidation of the diploma according to the current legislation.

Iii. Letter from the advisor and student in common agreement, indicating 2 names of the Follow-up Teacher, to be defined by the CPG, who should be from a research group different from the advisor and have previous experience with full orientation of at least 1 Master's student degree, in the case of Master's or one Doctorate student, in the case of Doctorate and Direct Doctorate. In exceptional cases, the CPG may approve the Follow-up Teacher who does not fulfill these criteria, but is an expert in the area of the project to be developed.

b) For the Doctorate: In addition to all of the items defined for enrollment in the Master’s, the candidate must present the proof of completion of the academic Masters in the Program itself, or in another Graduate Program, recognized by CAPES.

3. Transfer of the Master's degree to the Direct Doctorate: The Master's student enrolled in the Program may be granted a transfer to the Direct Doctorate, upon justified request of his supervisor, to be evaluated at the time of the qualification examination and endorsed by the CPG. In this case, the time already accomplished in the Master program will be computed in the time of the Direct Doctorate;

III - SCHOLARSHIPS

1. Except for the existence of scholarships granted by funding agencies requested by the advisors, the allocation of scholarships to students enrolled in any level will be made by CPG in a competitive way among students, through the student’s classification during the selection process and based on the instructions and requirements of the Program's funding agencies.

2. The continuity of the scholarship is conditioned to the delivery of annual reports by Master's and Doctorate students, with a favorable endorsement of the Follow-up Teacher, attesting that the activities of the student is satisfactory.

3. The Masters scholarships granted through the Program will have a maximum duration of 24 months, and those of Doctorate of 48 months, from the date of initial enrollment of the student.

IV - DEADLINES

1. The maximum deadlines for the deposit of theses and dissertations are:

Master's degree: 24 months from the date of initial enrollment;

Doctorate with a Master's Degree: 48 months from the date of initial enrollment;

Direct Doctorate: 60 months from the date of the initial enrollment.

a) The deadlines may be extended by a maximum of 6 months, as recommended by the committee of the qualification examination or with a justified requirement by the supervisor, before the student completes 18 months in the Master’s program, 40 months for Doctorate and 50 months for Direct Doctorate and approved by the CPG;

b) Applications for closing up registration will only be accepted in exceptional cases and evaluated by CPG. In the cases approved by the CPG, the period in which the student has the enrollment closed up will not be computed in the deadline established for deposit of the dissertation or thesis.

V - CREDITS

1. The assignment of credits to the students of the PPGTox will be related to the fulfillment of obligatory and elective activities, including disciplines and special activities.

2. One credit in the PPGTox corresponds to a minimum of 15 hours of effective work;

3. Minimum credits required:

Master's degree: 24 (twenty-four) credits in disciplines and special activities, and 64 (sixty-four) in the elaboration of the dissertation;

Doctorate with Master's degree: 36 (thirty-six) credits in disciplines and special activities, and 136 (one hundred and thirty-six) for the thesis elaboration. For the Master's degree homologated by the Graduate Commission will be awarded 24 credits in disciplines to be counted for the Doctorate, regardless of the number of credits completed during the master's degree;

Direct Doctorate: 36 (thirty-six) credits in disciplines and special activities, and 136 (one hundred and thirty-six) credits for the thesis elaboration.

4. Credits related to courses taken in other Institutions might be recognized and computed for the student, upon request to CPG, and endorsed by the supervisor. Total credits transferred from another institution may not exceed the limit of one-third of the credits of disciplines and special activities required to obtain the corresponding degree in the PPGTox.

5. Courses will be considered for the calculation of credits up to 12 months before the student's enrollment, and with CPG approval. The inclusion of these credits will not change the period for the completion of the degree.

VI - ACTIVITIES:

1. The mandatory activities to obtain the title are:

a) Experimental work, with preparation of report according to the norms of the Program;

b) Qualification exam

c) Teaching or extension activity, being 1 credit for Master's students and 2 credits for Doctorate students.

d) Participation in the Discipline: "Seminars of Scientific Development Division" for 2 semesters, for Master and Doctoral students;

e) Participation in the Discipline: "Seminars about Discussion and Scientific Integration", for 1 semester for Master's and Doctoral students;

f) Discipline "Introduction to Toxinology", for Master's students and for Doctorate students who have not yet completed this discipline.

2. The elective activities to obtain the title are:

a) Regular disciplines;

b) Disciplines offered by other institutions

3. Special activities for the calculation of credits to obtain the title:

a) Publication of scientific work;

b) Internships in other institutions

c) Participation in scientific events with presentation of research (panels and / or oral presentation)

d) Co-orientation of students doing “Scientific Initiation” (for Doctoral students) with guidance from the Advisor of the Doctorate student. Provided that it is previously submitted for approval by the CPG and results in publication or paper presentation in Meetings in co-authorship with the undergraduate student.

DESCRIPTION OF ACTIVITIES

Experimental work:

The execution of the research project is a fundamental and compulsory activity for all students enrolled in the PPGTox. In exceptional cases, and with the authorization of CPG, the development of the experimental part of the thesis or dissertation may be carried out in other research centers, and in this case, the supervisor of these centers should be accredited in PPGTox.

Qualification Exam: 

1. The Qualification Exam will be compulsory for all students of the Program and will aim to assess the student's academic maturity and performance in their specific area, as well as the progress of their research project.

2. The maximum deadline for the application will be 15 (fifteen) months for Master's students, 36 (thirty-six) months for Doctoral students who already hold a master's degree and 48 (forty-eight) months for Direct Doctorate students starting from the date of initial registration. In the event of noncompliance with these deadlines, the student will be automatically disconnected from the Program, unless an extension of time is authorized by the CPG.

3. The request for the Qualification Exam shall be made by the student together with the advisor, upon presentation of the required forms and documentation.

4. For Master's students, the experimental results may be presented in the form of a preliminary thesis, containing an introduction, objectives, material and methods, results, preliminary discussion, future planning and bibliography, as well as a copy of the respective institutional committee certificates where applicable, or a declaration of exemption. Alternatively, will be accepted the presentation of one or more articles in the form of a publication in English that is submitted or already accepted for publication. These articles published or submitted for publication will only be accepted as long as they are part of the student dissertation work. In the case of presentation in the form of an article, future planning should be included in the appendix, together with a copy of the respective certificates of the Institutional Regulatory Commission or Declaration of exemption.

5. For Doctorate students, the experimental results should be presented in the form of a manuscript for publication, written in English and in the format of a specialized journal with Qualis higher than or equal to B1. In addition, the student should include the initial objectives of the project and the future planning, as well as a copy of the respective certificates of the Institutional Regulatory Commissions or Declaration of exemption. The student will be evaluated by the presentation and discussion of the results and by the quality of the written work, that is, the potential of data publication.

 6. The Qualification Exam shall be held within 60 (sixty) days after the date of approval of the thesis defense committee by CPG.

7. The Examining Board shall be chosen by the CPG and shall be composed of 3 (three) members with at least a doctoral qualification. Two alternate members will be nominated. One of the members of the committee must be accredited in the Program. It is forbidden the participation of the advisor and / or the co-supervisor in the qualification exam.

8. The evaluation process will consist of a public oral presentation from thirty (30) to forty-five (45) minutes, in which the student will discuss the subject of his work and his results, followed by a discussion, reserved for the student and the committee, about the progress of the project and future prospective, all based on the oral presentation and the manuscript presented to the examination committee. The advisor or co-advisor may not participate in the discussion.

9. The student who obtains the approval of the majority of the members of the examination committee will be considered approved.

10. The student failing the Qualification Exam will only have one additional opportunity to render it up to 120 (one hundred and twenty) days after the first exam, when the same criteria will be applied and the student will be dismissed in the event of a new disapproval. The members of the second examination should have at least one examiner of the previous qualification exam committee;

11. The completion of the credits for the Program will not be required for the Qualification Exam, 

12. Foreign students from countries whose official language is not Portuguese will be required to be proficient in Portuguese

Teaching activity:

1. The teaching activity includes, in addition to the disciplines "Educational Practices in Non-formal Environments I and II", the participation of the graduate student, supervised by the counselor or a faculty member and indicated by the CPG, in extension activities offered by the Butantan Institute. Participation includes classes in theoretical and practical courses for undergraduates, elementary and high school students or extension courses, internships in the Biological and Microbiological museums of the Butantan Institute or in undergraduate courses of other educational institutions, provided that they have been previously approved by CPG. Students who have been teaching at other educational institutions for at least 6 months in the last 24 months may be exempted from this activity at the discretion of the CPG.

2. Each credit for teaching activity corresponds to 15 hours of teaching work. Each student must fulfill 1 credit of teaching activity in the Masters and 2 in the Doctorate.

Special Activities - Assignment of Credits

1. Publication of scientific papers:

A maximum of four (4) credits for thesis-related papers published in Qualis A journals or two (two) for Qualis B1 journals will be computed as long as the student is ranked as the lead author. In case the student is a collaborator, a maximum of one credit per article published in journals qualis A or B1 may be computed. The number of credits in each case will be defined by the CPG.

2. Internships in other institutions:

Up to 1 credit will be computed for each minimum period of 3 months of internship held in national laboratories and up to 3 credits for the same period in laboratories from abroad. If the internship results in conference communication or publication of the student's activity, one more credit will be awarded.

3. Participation in scientific events with presentation of data:

Special Activities - Assignment of Credits

1. Publication of scientific papers:

A maximum of four (4) credits for thesis-related papers published in Qualis A journals or two (two) for Qualis B1 journals will be computed as long as the student is ranked as the lead author. In case the student is a collaborator, a maximum of one credit per article published in journals qualis A or B1 may be computed. The number of credits in each case will be defined by the CPG.

2. Internships in other institutions:

Up to 1 credit will be computed for each minimum period of 3 months of internship held in national laboratories and up to 3 credits for the same period in laboratories from abroad. If the internship results in conference communication or publication of the student's activity, one more credit will be awarded.

3. Participation of scientific events with presentation of works:

It will be computed up to 1 credit per participation in a national congress with presentation of papers related to the thesis or dissertation subject and up to 2 credits for international congresses. The total number of credits in each case will be defined by the CPG.

4. Co-guidance of students of Scientific Initiation

The orientation of an undergraduate student in a Scientific Initiation project with the supervisor's supervision will be a highly recommended activity for doctoral students. When such orientation results in communication in congress and / or published work, 1 or 2 credits will be granted, respectively, at the discretion of the CPG.

Assessment by the follow-up teacher:

1. The annual evaluation for Master's and Doctoral students by the follow-up teacher is a mandatory activity for obtaining the degree

2. The follow-up teacher will evaluate through analysis of reports.

3. The reports shall be annual with a delivery date every twelve months after the initial registration date. The third annual report of the Doctorate (36 months) should be the copy presented in the Qualification exam, together with the opinion of the members of the Qualification exam. The deposit of copies of the thesis will replace the second report of the Masters’ and the fourth report of the Doctorate. In case of extension of the deadline for submission of the dissertation or thesis, the student must submit another report at 24 or 48 months, respectively, of the initial enrollment date, indicating compliance with the work schedule. The reports should be attached to the specific forms.

4. Reports should be sent in the specific forms containing a summary of the results already obtained, a description of the results obtained in the period, the courses taken and credits obtained, presentations at congresses and similar, completion of scientific papers submitted or published, and other forms of scientific production (patent applications, sequencing deposits, etc.).

5. Failure to present the report to CPG within the established time limit may result in temporary suspension of the student's scholarship and/or lock-in/ dismissal of the PPGTox student.

VII - PROCEDURE FOR DEPOSIT OF DISSERTATIONS AND THESIS

The authorization of CPG for the defense of Thesis or Dissertation will only be granted to the candidate who has obtained all the credits provided in the Rules of the PPGTox and has been approved in the Qualification Exam.

1. Dissertations or Thesis may be presented in the conventional way or in the form of scientific papers published by the candidate as the main author on the subject of the thesis / dissertation and in the period of its accomplishment. In this case, the papers will be annexed together with a comprehensive introduction on the subject of the thesis, a detailed discussion of the results of each paper, relating them to the others, and a general conclusion on the set of results and papers presented, all in Portuguese. The thesis or dissertations must contain the certificate and protocol number of the Institutional Regulatory Commissions or Declaration of Exemption.

2. For the defense application of a Dissertation or Thesis, must be presented:

a) Letter signed by the supervisor, containing the definitive title of the thesis or dissertation and the expected date of the defense;

b) Suggestion of names for the composition of the Defense Committee, completed and signed by the advisor and the student;

c) Letter authorizing or not the reproduction of all or parts of the work;

d) 01 complete copy of the Thesis or Dissertation, corrected and with the cataloging card approved by the librarian of the Butantan Institute. The candidate has a period of 15 days after the request to deliver 07 (seven) copies of the Master's thesis or 11 (eleven) copies of the Doctoral thesis.

VIII- THESIS OR DISSERTATION DEFENSE 

1. The Examination Committee indicated for the final judgment of the Master Dissertations will be made up of three members, including the supervisor and at least one of them external to the PPGTox, all with a doctorate degree and designated by the CPG. The Examination Committee work will be chaired by the PPGTox Coordinator or, in his absence, by the candidate supervisor. The defense will take place in a public session, at a place and date previously disclosed, consisting of the presentation of the work by the student from 20 (twenty) to 30 (thirty) minutes, that will not be considered for evaluation, followed by discussion and questions by members of the Committee. The members of the Committee will issue an Approved or Disapproved grade. It will be considered approved the student that obtains more than 50% of favorable report. After the evaluation, the grade of each examiner on the Dissertation and the final result will be said to the candidate and the supervisor, with no obligation for the presence of the Examination Committee.

2. Examination Committee constituted for the final judgment of the Doctorate Thesis will be composed of five examiners, with a doctor degree, including the supervisor and at least two external members to the PPGTox, designated by CPG. The procedure of the defense will occur in the same way as described for the Master’s defense.

IX - TITLE REQUEST 

Once the regulatory requirements for Doctorate or Master degrees have been met in PPGTox, the Dean, Vice-Dean and the Program Coordinator will issue the diploma. The Program Coordinator will send to MEC the pertinent documentation for homologation together with a formal request for granting the specific degree and diploma, by the Butantan Institute, to the respective candidate.

X - TITLE NOMENCLATURE

After the homologation of the title, the candidate will receive the title of Master or Doctor in Sciences