The Federal University of Ouro Preto was founded in 1969, following a merger of the Ouro Preto School of Mines and a pharmacy college, in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, in the country’s south-east.
The university operates a number of campuses and institutions across the state of Minas Gerais, with the bulk of these being centred in and around the city of Ouro Preto.
Ouro Preto is one of the most culturally significant cities in Brazil and lacks much of the modern architecture found in other, newer Brazilian cities. Instead, Ouro Preto features Portuguese-style baroque buildings, and is home to a number of important Brazilian cultural and historical sites.
Meaning “black gold”, Ouro Preto was founded in 1698 as a mining settlement and within a decade, it was renowned as the centre of the most notable gold and silver rush in the Americas until that point.
University campuses in the city offer a number of options for accommodation, and this has led to Ouro Preto becoming known as a vibrant student city. While the university initially focused on the study of law following its founding, it has considerably diversified its academic portfolio in recent years.
This includes the addition of courses in metallurgy, geology and medicinal studies, as one would expect given the university’s heritage, but courses are also now offered in humanities and the arts. As well as this, the university’s size allows it to offer extensive research opportunities, with students having access to a variety of research labs among other things. More than 40 postgraduate degrees are also available to study, including master's, doctoral and post-doctoral degrees.
