Ph.D. Program in Portuguese and Brazilian

Brown University in Providence is an Ivy League research university founded in 1764, serving about 10425 students and offering 82 programs across arts, sciences and professional fields. The university’s Open Curriculum encourages intellectual freedom, enabling students to design individualized study plans, combine disciplines and learn directly from distinguished faculty. Brown blends long academic traditions with a modern emphasis on creativity, rigorous scholarship and collaborative problem solving in classrooms and labs.

Campus life is academically intense but supportive, with research opportunities across the humanities, engineering, medicine and social sciences. Undergraduates frequently join faculty labs, community initiatives and entrepreneurial projects, while the city of Providence offers cultural venues, internships and industry connections that broaden learning beyond the classroom. State-of-the-art facilities, libraries and interdisciplinary institutes support hands-on projects and entrepreneurship, and a vibrant student community fosters inclusive dialogue and extracurricular engagement.

International students benefit from dedicated advising, language assistance and a global alumni network that supports internships and careers worldwide. Brown’s focus on original inquiry cultivates critical thinking, communication and leadership skills prized by employers and graduate programs. Prospective students should emphasize curiosity, cross-disciplinary interests and collaborative experience in applications to take full advantage of Brown’s flexible curriculum, research opportunities and richly resourced campus.

This is an advanced graduate program for study in the language, literatures, and cultures of the Portuguese-speaking world. Students can concentrate on Brazil, Continental and Insular Portugal, Lusophone Africa, or Luso-America. The program emphasizes Portuguese language and Luso-Brazilian literature and culture, while allowing for interdisciplinary components and the application of research tools.

Focus areas include Brazil, Continental and Insular Portugal, Lusophone Africa, Luso-America.

The program involves approximately 16 courses distributed over the first three years, alongside general examinations, a major paper, and a dissertation. A three-year residence requirement is standard, which may be reduced for students entering with a Master's degree.

Applications are accepted annually in early January via the Graduate School website.

The program is expected to take 5-6 years to complete, with a standard three-year residence requirement. For international students, tuition is well above the median for US programmes. The institution admits about 5% of applicants.