Internal Regulation

Internal Regulation of the Graduate Program in Computational Modeling of the LNCC

CHAPTER I

OBJECTIVES

Art. 1. The Graduate Program in Computational Modeling of LNCC (PPG-LNCC) stricto sensu is primarily oriented towards the training of Masters and Doctors and for extension activities. 

Art. 2. The fundamental academic orientation of PPG-LNCC aims to train researchers with the capacity to conceive, apply, and understand mathematical and computational models and methods for the analysis of scientific and technological problems.

CHAPTER II

COORDINATION OF GRADUATE AND IMPROVEMENT - COPGA

Art. 3. COPGA has its competencies established in Art. 15 of the National Laboratory of Scientific Computation (LNCC) Regulations, being responsible for the teaching and graduate activities developed by LNCC, and is structured by a Committee and four auxiliary Commissions: 

I - The Graduate Committee (CPG) is the COPGA body, responsible for the didactic-scientific management of the PPG-LNCC, including extension activities. It is chaired by the COPGA Coordinator and is made up of five members and their respective alternates, appointed by the Research and Human Resources Training Council (CPFRH) from among the PPG-LNCC faculty members, and one representative from the student body, chosen by the regular students of the PPG-LNCC;

II - The Qualification Exam Committee (CEQ) is the COPGA body, responsible for the management of the Qualification Examination (see Art. 14, point VI and Art. 15) and is composed of five representatives of the Faculty appointed by the CPG;

III - The Evaluation and Selection Commission (CAS) is the COPGA body, responsible for the selection and evaluation of the student body of PPG-LNCC, for the allocation of institutional study grants granted to PPG-LNCC, for the selection by notice of postdoctoral fellows, and for the accreditation of teachers according to Art. 21, consisting of five representatives of the faculty appointed by the CPG.

IV - The Self-Assessment Commission (CAA) is the COPGA body, responsible for coordinating the PPG-LNCC Self-Assessment process, consisting of at least two representatives of the faculty of PPG-LNCC, one representative of the PPG-LNCC student body, one member of the LNCC technical-administrative staff, and one member external to LNCC, all appointed by the CPG.

V - The Library Commission (CBB) is the COPGA body, responsible for developing and coordinating the service policy of the LNCC Library, consisting of four representatives from the faculty of PPG-LNCC and two members of the LNCC technical-administrative staff, all appointed by the CPG. 

§1. The composition of CPG, CEQ, CAS, CAA, and CBB should reflect, as best as possible, the diversity of the research lines of PPG-LNCC. 

§2. Members of CPG, CEQ, CAS, CAA, and CBB have a term coinciding with the term of the COPGA Coordinator, with reappointments allowed for each term.

CHAPTER III

ACADEMIC STRUCTURE

Art. 4. PPG-LNCC has a maximum duration of 36 (thirty-six) months for the Master's degree and 72 (seventy-two) months for the Doctorate. 

§1. Upon justified request by the student and decision of the CPG, the deadlines provided in the caput may be extended, exceptionally, for up to 12 (twelve) months.

§2. The CPG's granting of an extension to the final deadline for completing the Master's degree or Doctorate in PPG-LNCC must respect the following limits of validity of credits for disciplines: 5 (five) years for the Master's degree and 10 (ten) years for the Doctorate. 

Art. 5. PPG-LNCC students must, among other requirements, obtain credits by enrolling in and completing academic disciplines, as well as preparing and defending an academic Master's Dissertation and Doctoral Thesis in the area of Computational Modeling. 

Art. 6. The academic year is divided into four periods, in which academic disciplines will be offered, divided into the following groups: 

I - GA: Basic or fundamental content disciplines;

II - GB: Advanced or specific content disciplines;

III - GC: Seminars organized by PPG-LNCC. 

§1. GA group disciplines are organized into three areas: Computing, Modeling, and Applied Mathematics. 

§2. The following disciplines are mandatory for both Master's degree and Doctorate in the GA group, belonging to the areas of Computing, Modeling, and Applied Mathematics, respectively: 

I - GA-024: Computer Science: Data Structures and Applications;

II - GA-041: Fundamentals of Modeling;

III - GA-018: Métodos Numéricos. 

§3. Each academic discipline will be assigned a number of credits. 

§4. Each credit unit corresponds to 12 hours of theoretical classes, or 24 hours of practical classes, or 36 hours of guided work, supervised internship, or laboratory activities, all duly approved by the CPG. 

§5. The student may take disciplines in other graduate programs accredited by CAPES when their advisor deems it necessary for their training. 

§6. The student may request validation of graduate disciplines previously taken in PPG-LNCC or disciplines taken in other graduate programs accredited by CAPES, provided they are related to the PPG-LNCC's lines of research.

§7. The student may request the assignment of equivalence for graduate disciplines taken in other graduate programs accredited by CAPES, provided they are related to disciplines offered by PPG-LNCC.

§8. The maximum number of credits assigned per discipline is 3, whether validation or equivalence, regardless of the hours attended.

§9. At the discretion of the CPG, up to 24 credits in graduate discipline may be validated or granted equivalence for the Doctorate and up to 15 credits for the Master's degree, when obtained in other graduate programs duly accredited by CAPES.

§10. If, in a given period, the student is not taking disciplines from the GA or GB groups, they must enroll in the GBM (research for Master's Dissertation) or GBD (research for Doctoral Thesis) monitoring, accompanied by a report from the advisor or COPGA coordinator.

§11. If the student does not enroll in any of the disciplines in the GA or GB groups, or does not enroll in the GBM or GBD monitoring, their enrollment in PPG-LNCC will be considered irregular and suspended until regularization with the CPG.

§12. If the student does not respond to the call to regularize their enrollment within the stipulated period by the CPG, the student's situation will be considered discipline abandonment, subject to removal from PPG-LNCC at the discretion of the CPG (Art. 11, item V).

§13. If the student requests the suspension of all disciplines in a semester, they fall into the situation provided in §10, and must, therefore, take the same action as outlined in this item.

CHAPTER IV

ADMISSION OF STUDENTS AND ALLOCATION OF SCHOLARSHIPS

Art. 7. The candidate must meet the following minimum requirements to enroll in PPG-LNCC:

I - Master's degree course: have completed a full undergraduate degree in Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Engineering, Computing, Biology, Economics, or a field related to the concentrations of PPG-LNCC; 

II - Doctorate course: have completed an academic Master's degree in Computational Modeling, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Engineering, Computing, Biology, Economics, or a field related to the concentrations of PPG-LNCC; 

III - Submit the required documentation within the established deadlines.

§1. The admission of students and the allocation of scholarships in PPG-LNCC occur through a selection process, the rules of which are defined by CAS and published in a specific notice, endorsed by the CPG. PPG-LNCC allows the accumulation of scholarships with paid activity or other income, following the regulations in force in the corresponding funding agencies.

§2. Regular students are those who enter PPG-LNCC through the selection process (see Art. 7, §1), and therefore, may be applicants for academic titles issued by PPG-LNCC. 

§3. Special students are those who are not regular but are enrolled in isolated disciplines. 

Art. 8. Each regular student will be guided in their research activities by a faculty member accredited with PPG-LNCC in accordance with the Regulations for Accreditation of PPG-LNCC Faculty, endorsed by CPFRH. 

§1. The deadline for choosing the main advisor and (possible) co-advisors is 1 (one) year after the start of the course (4 complete quarters) for doctoral students and 6 months (2 complete quarters) for master's students. If the student does not comply with this rule, they will be prevented from enrolling in the subsequent period. 

§2. In the period in which the student has not yet defined their guidance within the deadline established in Art. 8, §1, the COPGA coordinator will act as their academic advisor. 

§3. It is the responsibility of the regular student to keep their contact information up to date with the PPG-LNCC secretariat.

CHAPTER V

TEACHING REGIME AND EVALUATION

Art. 9. : The performance in each discipline of groups GA and GB will be assessed with a final grade expressed through concepts according to the following table:  

§1. The grade 'I' is assigned to a student who, for justified reasons, has not completed the required work and exams in the discipline during the academic period in which the discipline is offered. The grade 'I' can only remain on the record for 01 (one) academic period, and after this period, it must be converted into one of the other grades. 

§2. Disciplines validated as provided in Art. 6, §6, will be counted as a GB discipline in the case of external discipline validation outside PPG-LNCC. In the case of validation by equivalence (Art. 6, §7), the discipline will be counted as the GA or GB discipline to which it was deemed equivalent. The grade assigned to the student in the validated discipline will be the same as that obtained in the originally taken discipline or a grade equivalent to the performance obtained, at the discretion of the CPG at the time of validation evaluation. 

Art. 10. The Student's Grade Point Average (GPA) is defined for each period as the average of the equivalent numerical grades obtained in the disciplines of the GA and GB groups taken in that period, weighted by the number of credits taken in the period. The Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) is defined as the average of the equivalent numerical grades obtained in all disciplines of the GA and GB groups taken, weighted by the total number of credits taken. 

Art. 11. The student will be dismissed from PPG-LNCC if: 

I. Exceeds the maximum time limit for completing the course, as per Art. 4;

II. Does not achieve a GPA of 2.0 (two) or higher at the end of the first period;

III. Obtains a GPA of less than 3.0 (three) in two consecutive academic periods in which they are enrolled in at least one GA or GB discipline, disregarding intermediate periods with GBM or GBD enrollment, except in cases judged exceptional, evaluated by the CPG after a comprehensive analysis of the student's performance;

IV. Configures course abandonment, as defined in Art. 6, §12;

V. Fails to meet any of the provisions in Art. 13 for the Master's degree or Art. 14 for the Doctorate;

VI. Displays behavior considered unethical by the CPG. 

Art. 12. The student is allowed justified enrollment suspension at PPG-LNCC. The maximum period of the student's presence in the program with suspended enrollment is 3 academic periods, whether sequential or not.

§1. The student can only request the suspension of enrollment at PPG-LNCC after completing at least one academic period in its entirety. 

§2. Requests for enrollment suspension must be submitted to the CPG at any time.

§3. The time elapsed with suspended enrollment is not counted towards the other deadlines established in this regulation

Art. 13. The Master's degree in Computational Modeling will be awarded to the student who cumulatively satisfies the following requirements: 

I. Obtain a grade (numerical equivalence of the concept) greater than or equal to 2.0 (two) in each of the three mandatory disciplines of the GA group (Art. 6, §2);

II. Obtain a minimum of 24 credits in disciplines from the GA or GB groups within the period of 15 months (5 academic periods), counted from the enrollment date at PPG-LNCC, with a CGPA equal to or greater than 3.0 (three);

III. Attend seminars in the GC Group with a frequency of more than 80% within the 12 months following the enrollment date at PPG-LNCC;

IV. Pass a reading and writing exam in English, as a pre-requisite for the proposal of their Examining Board;

V. Have their Master's Dissertation approved in accordance with Chapter VI of this regulation. 

§1. At the discretion of the CPG, additional requirements established in specific resolutions may be demanded. 

§2. If not satisfied with item I, the student may retake the mandatory discipline the next time it is offered, provided that the other requirements for their continued stay in PPG-LNCC are met. Both grades obtained will be kept in the record. If the student fails to achieve a grade of 'C' or higher on the second attempt, they will be dismissed, regardless of the CGPA. 

Art. 14. The student will receive the degree of Doctor in Computational Modeling if they meet cumulatively the following requirements:

I. Obtain a grade (numerical equivalence of the concept) greater than or equal to 2.0 (two) in each of the three mandatory disciplines of the GA group (Art. 6, §2);

II. Obtain, within the period of 24 months (8 academic periods), counted from the enrollment date at PPG-LNCC, a minimum of 27 credits in GA group disciplines, counting at least 9 credits in disciplines from each of the three areas: Computing, Modeling, and Applied Mathematics.

III. Obtain, within the period of 24 months (8 academic periods), counted from the enrollment date at PPG-LNCC, a minimum of 27 credits in GB group disciplines. Credits completed in GA group disciplines beyond the mandatory minimum can be converted into GB group discipline credits;

IV. Obtain a CGPA equal to or higher than 3.0 (three), after completing the credits required in items II and III;

V. Attend seminars in the GC Group with a frequency of more than 80% within the 24 months following the enrollment date at PPG-LNCC;

VI. Pass the Qualification Exam within a maximum period of 2 (two) and a half years, counted from the enrollment date at PPG-LNCC, in accordance with Art. 15;

VII. Present an Evaluation Seminar within a maximum period of one year after passing the Qualification Exam, in accordance with the provisions of Art. 16;

VIII. Pass a reading and writing proficiency exam in two foreign languages, one of them being in English, as a pre-requisite for proposing their Examining Board;

IX. Have their Doctoral Thesis approved in accordance with Chapter VI of this regulation. 

§1. At the discretion of the CPG, other requirements established in specific resolutions may be demanded.

§2. If not satisfied with item I, the student may retake the mandatory discipline the next time it is offered, provided that the other requirements for their continued stay in PPG-LNCC are met. Both grades obtained will be kept in the record. If the student fails to achieve a grade of 'C' or higher on the second attempt, they will be dismissed, regardless of the CGPA. 

Art. 15. The Qualification Exam must be carried out according to the Regulations for the Preparation and Application of the Qualification Exam, proposed by the CEQ and approved by the CPG. 

Sole paragraph. The Qualifying Exam can only be taken by students who fulfill the requirements provided in Art. 14, items I and II. 

Art. 16. The Evaluation Seminar must be conducted according to the Regulations for the Preparation and Application of the Evaluation Seminar, approved by the CPG.

CHAPTER VI

THE MASTER'S DISSERTATION AND DOCTORAL THESIS

Art. 17. The Master's Dissertation shall consist of a monograph that demonstrates mastery of the chosen topic, the ability to systematize it, a critical scientific spirit, and adherence to the PPG-LNCC proposal. 

Art. 18. The Doctoral Thesis shall consist of a monograph containing original work, providing an innovative technical-scientific contribution adhering to the PPG-LNCC proposal. 

Art. 19. To prepare the Master's Dissertation or Doctoral Thesis, the student must be guided by a faculty member accredited by PPG-LNCC in accordance with the Regulations for Accreditation of Teachers of PPG-LNCC, proposed by the CPG and approved by the CPFRH. 

Art. 20. The Master's Dissertations and Doctoral Theses will be judged by an Examining Board, constituted for this purpose and approved by the CPG in accordance with the Regulations for the Composition of Boards for the Defense of the Master's Dissertations and Doctoral Theses, approved by the CPG. 

§1. The student must submit an electronic version (PDF) of the Dissertation or Thesis to the COPGA secretary for subsequent sending to the members of the Examining Board, at least 30 (thirty) calendar days before the scheduled defense date. 

§2. The candidate must present the essential results of their Master's Dissertation or Doctoral Thesis in a public session lasting 50 (fifty) minutes, followed by questioning by the examining board. The Examining Board, in its deliberation, will decide on one of the following results: (a) APPROVAL; (b) APPROVAL WITH RESTRICTIONS, where the modifications required by the Examining Board for approval must be recorded in the minutes with the respective deadline for completing these modifications. A member of the Examining Board (possibly the Supervisor) will be designated to confirm the completion of the required modifications within the indicated period, leading to approval or disapproval; (c) REJECTION. 

§3. Within a maximum period of 30 (thirty) calendar days after the approval date by the Examining Board, the candidate must submit to the PPG-LNCC secretary the final version of their manuscript (Dissertation or Thesis), according to additional documentation provided by the PPG-LNCC secretary, which lists the items required to complete the process and request the diploma.

CHAPTER VII

GENERAL AND TRANSITIONAL PROVISIONS

Art. 21. The faculty members of PPG-LNCC must be accredited in accordance with the Regulations for the Accreditation of Teachers of PPG-LNCC, approved by the CPFRH. 

Art. 22. Unforeseen cases will be resolved by the CPG. 

Art. 23. Appeals to the decisions of CEQ or CAS may be made to the CPG in writing within 15 calendar days from the date of notification of the decision to the interested party. 

Art. 24. Appeals to the decisions of the CPG may be made to the CPFRH in writing within 15 calendar days from the date of notification of the decision to the interested party. 

Art. 25. The approval of resolutions regulating the application of this regulation will require a minimum quorum of two-thirds of the members of the CPFRH. 

Art. 26. Ordinance LNCC/MCTI No. 125 of April 9, 2021, is hereby revoked.

Art. 27. This regulation shall enter into force, after approval by the CPFRH, on the date of its publication.