Santa Catarina University was set up in 1965 as a multi-campus site, which up until 2004, had three campuses in Florianopolis, Joinville and Lages, in the Santa Catarina state.
Then it set up a new site in western Santa Catarina, in the city of Chapeco, with campuses in Ibirama (Ceavi), Balneario Camboriu (Cesfi), joining soon after.
Playing an important role in the development of the state, it is nationally recognised as “the Santa Catarina citizen’s university,” compromising between the land and people and has been largely recognised as one of Brazil’s best state universities.
UDESC offers free education with 55 undergraduate, 30 master’s and 12 doctoral programmes, with 12 colleges spread across nine cities.
There are over 15,000 students studying across eight major subject areas; these are agricultural sciences; biological science; health science; exact and earth sciences; humanities; applied social; engineering and linguistics, literature and arts.
Over 95 per cent of teachers are masters and doctors, with many of them involved in post-doctoral training. It also boasts a veterinary hospital (CAV in Lages City), School of Physiotherapy Clinic (Cefid in Florianopolis City), the Museum of Santa Catarina School, The University of Publisher, the Copyright Office and three FM radio stations in Florianopolis’, Joinville’s and Lages’ campus.
All campuses are equipped with libraries and laboratories. Sharing borders with Rio Grande do Sul to the south and Parana to the north, Santa Catarina is the most European of the Brazilian states, with most inhabitants descended from Portuguese, German and Italian immigrants. It offers the highest standards of living in Brazil. Its capital is Florianpolis, however its largest city is Joinville.
