The Faculty of Arts of the University of Porto

University of Porto
a modern European University
With origins dating back to the eighteenth century, the
University of Porto is one of the oldest and most prestigious
Higher Education Institutions in Portugal.
With more than one hundred years, the University of Porto was formally founded on
22nd March 1911, immediately after the Portuguese Republic was established. The
roots of the institution, however, date back to 1762, when the Nautical Class was
created by D. José I. This school, along with subsequent schools which were
created, (Sketching and Drawing Class, created in 1779; Royal Academy of
Maritime and Trade Affairs, in 1803; Polytechnic Academy, in 1837) were to be
responsible for training students in Porto over the course of the eighteenth and
nineteenth centuries, providing a response to the need for qualified staff in the fields
of naval affairs, trade, industry and the arts.
In 1825, the first medical school was founded in Porto, entitled the Royal School of
Surgery, which was transformed in 1836 into the Medical-Surgical School, as
another axis of training at the University of Porto.
In parallel, the Sketching and Drawing Class gave rise to other schools – the Porto
Academy of Fine Arts (1836), later the Porto School of Fine Arts (1881), and finally
the Porto Higher Institute of Fine Arts (1950). The latter transformed over the last
quarter of the twentieth century, into the current faculties of architecture and fine
arts at the University of Porto.
While the University of Porto was initially structured around two faculties (Science
and Medicine), during the twentieth century, there was a diversification of
knowledge and schools gained autonomy. Even during the 1st Republic, in 1915,
the Technical Faculty was born (renamed the Faculty of Engineering in 1926),
along with the Faculty of Arts in 1919 and the Faculty of Pharmacy in 1921.
During the authoritarian regime, created after the military movement on 28th May
1926, growth at the University of Porto was conditioned: the Faculty of Arts was
removed in 1928, and only restored in 1961; only the Faculty of Economics was
truly created from scratch during this period, in 1953.
After the revolution in April 1974, and until the end of the century, the University
of Porto finally began to expand. The six existing faculties at the time were
completed by a further eight: the Abel Salazar Institute of Biomedical Sciences
(1975), the Faculty of Sport (1975), the Faculty of Psychology and Education
Science (1977), Faculty of Architecture (1979), Faculty of Dental Medicine (1989),
Faculty of Nutritional and Food Science (1992), Faculty of Fine Arts (1992) and
Faculty of Law (1994).
Today, the University of Porto has fourteen faculties and one post-graduate school,
the Porto Management School, created in 1988 and whose name changed to
University of Porto Business School in 2008.
603 Training programmes
35
18
147
89
314
1st Cycle/Degree (3 years)
Integrated Master (5 years)
2nd Cycle/Master (1.5-2 years)
3rd Cycle/Doctorate (3 years)
Lifelong Education courses
The biggest producer of Science in Portugal
2,678
23%
14%
Papers indexed in the ISI Web of Science in 2011
Of the papers produced in Portugal
Average annual growth rate since 2006
Research Units by Field of Study
Engineering and Technology Sciences
Arts and Humanities
Health Sciences
Social Sciences
Exact Sciences
Natural Sciences
20
10
11
7
6
6
The Faculty of Arts of the University of Porto, with over 3000 students,
(with over 400 mobility students in the Academic Year 2013/2014) offers
13 undergraduate courses, 30 Master’s courses and 18 doctoral courses in
the following areas: Archaeology, Information Science, Communication
Sciences, Language Sciences, Teaching Methodology, Cultural Studies,
Philosophy, Geography, History, History of Art, Classical and Modern
Languages, Literature, Museology, Portuguese as a Foreign Language,
International Relations, Sociology, Translation Studies and Tourism.
Some of these courses are taught jointly with other Faculties of the
University of Porto and/or other universities.
Apart from the degrees offered, the Faculty also provides a wide variety of
vocational training courses as well as open courses (including a range of
language programmes, from Arabic, Chinese and Japanese to Hungarian,
Polish and Persian). Most of the vocational training courses are certified by
the Portuguese Pedagogical and Scientific Council for In-Service Training
and award credits for career development.
DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY, POLITICAL AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
E-mail: dh@letras.up.pt
The Department of History, Political and International Studies (DHEPI), accomplishing
the statutory rules of the Faculty of Arts of University of Porto, corresponds to a broad
area of knowledge, with aims, methodologies and specific research techniques.
In the Academic Year 2013/2014 the DHEPI has enrolled between 460 and 500
students.
Besides de Bachelor’s Degree in History it also covers a variety of Postgraduate
courses: Masters in Medieval Studies; Masters in Contemporary History; Masters
in History and Heritage; Masters in History, International Relations and
Cooperation; Masters in African Studies and Masters in the Teaching of History.
The Department is also responsible for the supervision of PhD students in History.
(Third cycle of Studies in History)
Running continuously since 1962/63, first just as Department of history and today as
Department of History, Political and International Studies the Department has already
passed four decades of existence.
INTERNATIONAL OFFICE
Person in Charge: Carla Augusto
Description:
The International Office, run by a senior officer, depending on the Director, has the following objectives:
- Promote and support cooperation activities, fostering the Faculty’s participation in international exchange programmes and networks;
- Plan and organise all of the Faculty’s internationalisation activities in close collaboration with its International Coordinator;
- Publicise and inform the Faculty’s academic community about international exchange and cooperation programmes, through the
available means;
- Cooperate with the University of Porto’s central International Offices in the establishment of
cooperation agreements and the management of international exchange processes for students and
staff;
- Provide support and guidance to outgoing and incoming students, researchers, teaching and nonteaching
staff;
- Organise and promote international institutional visits to the Faculty.
The International Office is also responsible for the activities developed by the Portuguese for Foreigners Office,
namely:
- Provide support to the Scientific Coordinator of the Portuguese Foreign Language Courses (PFL);
- Manage the Faculty’s PFL courses, with regard to the scheduling, organisation, dissemination,
enrolments, and logistical arrangements;
- Cooperate with the different institutions involved in organising the Faculty's PFL courses;
- Organise and manage the official Portuguese language exams for the ‘Centro de Avaliação de Português
- Língua Estrangeira (CAPLE)’ (Portuguese Language Evaluation Centre).
Address: Edifício FLUP
International Office Portuguese for Foreigners Office
Floor 0, room 073
Opening hours for students:: Monday to
Thursday: 14.00 – 17.00
Office hours:: 09.00 – 13.00 / 14.00 – 18.00
+351.22.607 71 40/ +351 226 07100 (ext.
3068)
gri@letras.up.pt
Floor 0, room 074
Opening hours for students:: Monday to Thursday: 10.00 12.30 / 14.30 às 18.00
Office hours: : 9.00 – 13.00 / 14.00 – 18.00
+351.22.607
The Faculty of Arts
Faculdade de Letras da Universidade do Porto
Via Panorâmica, s/n, 4150-564 Porto PORTUGAL
+351 226 077 100
+351 226 091 610
http://www.letras.up.pt flup@letras.up.pt
INTERNATIONAL OFFICE
FLOOR 0, ROOM 073
OPENING HOURS FOR STUDENTS:: MONDAY TO THURSDAY:
14.00 – 17.00
OFFICE HOURS:: 09.00 – 13.00 / 14.00 – 18.00
+351.22.607 71 40/ +351 226 07100 (EXT. 3068)
GRI@LETRAS.UP.
PORTO, PORTUGAL
The second largest city in the country
Historical Centre classified as UNESCO World Heritage
PORTO
Six bridges, six marvels of engineering by Gustave Eiffel and
Civil Engineers of the University of Porto like Edgar Cardoso.
PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE
250 million Portuguese speakers
- Portuguese Diaspora
- Emergent economies
COST OF LIVING
One of the Euro countries with still a relatively low cost of
living. Reference values for monthly expenses: Transport €25,
Accommodation €150 to €250, Meals €150.
THE “CASA DA MÚSICA”
A project of the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas conceived to
mark year 2001, Porto’s Cultural Capital of Europe.
SERRALVES MUSEUM
A project of Álvaro Siza opened in 1999 as a space dedicated
to contemporary art. Its current Director is Suzanne Cotter,
former Guggenheim Museum Curator.
LIVRARIA LELLO
A bookstore with a facade decorated in Art Nouveau with
some features of Gothic Revival. One of the most beautiful
bookstores in the world along with Selexyz Bookstore
(Netherlands) and El Ateneo (Argentina).
2 PRITZKER PRIZE, ARCHITECTURE’S NOBEL
Two architects of the University of Porto: Álvaro Siza and
Eduardo Souto Moura.
THE PORT WINE. A world famous wine
Since 1756, the port wine is produced in the Douro region, the
third oldest protected wine region in the world after TokajHegyalja in Hungary (1730) and Chianti in Italy (1716).
THE FC PORTO
One of Europe’s most prestigious football clubs:
2 Champions Leagues + 2 Europe Leagues
Stadium designed by the Portuguese architect Manuel Salgado
www.up.pt