Our program is characterized by an academic focus and an international vocation, with its central objective being the creation of an environment for critical and interdisciplinary legal education of excellence. It seeks to qualify individuals to work in higher education (undergraduate and graduate), in research, in extension activities, in the analysis of public institutions—particularly within the justice system—and with a commitment to addressing social demands. Thus, the profile of graduates from the Graduate Program in Law (PPGD) is, fundamentally, that of professors and researchers, and, secondarily, of individuals engaged with social demands who employ scientific knowledge and research methodologies to address such needs.

The PPGD faculty at PUC-Rio consists exclusively of professors holding doctoral degrees, with diverse academic backgrounds shaped in different institutions and contexts. The faculty body enjoys recognition within the academic community and demonstrates leadership in the areas of knowledge in which their research is developed. Their participation in international activities has been steadily increasing, supported by the institutional backing of PUC-Rio, its agreements, and its partnerships.

Among the program’s specific objectives, we highlight:
I – To foster the production and broad, accessible dissemination of legal knowledge, with emphasis on issues addressed within the program’s concentration area and research lines, at international, national, regional, and local levels;
II – To contribute to strengthening graduate legal studies by increasing the number of graduates in the field of Law and expanding research and extension networks (international, national, regional, and local) that directly affect the discipline or its relation with other fields of knowledge;
III – To strengthen technical and scientific exchange with academic and research institutions, civil society organizations, and public and private entities operating in the same or related areas; and
IV – To promote integration between graduate and undergraduate studies, thereby broadening opportunities for students at different stages of their education to engage in teaching, research, and extension activities.