By carefully choosing a research area and electives, graduate students can expand their opportunities for in-depth theoretical and practical exploration in their field. FGV News recently discussed this subject with Adriana Arcuri, a student on the Academic Doctorate in Business Administration Program (CDAE) at the Sao Paulo School of Business Administration (FGV EAESP), and Alexandre Leão, a student on the Professional Master’s in International Management Program (MPGI) at FGV EAESP. 

In master’s and doctoral programs, research areas are explored through research projects that seek to push the boundaries of scientific and technological knowledge while solving practical problems that are relevant to society and the markets. Students have the opportunity to actively participate in these projects, collaborating with renowned professors and researchers and contributing to the production of innovative, high-quality knowledge.

As for elective courses, they are carefully selected to offer a comprehensive and up-to-date education, covering emerging themes and market trends, as well as tools and methodologies relevant to professional work. In this way, students can develop the skills and competencies they need to excel in their chosen fields and successfully enter the job market.

“In my case, in a corporate career, I think it’s a distinctive advantage to have the experience of a professional master’s degree or a doctorate, because it gives you the depth and rigor of research work, which helps generate soft skills and other capabilities,” said Alexandre. 

Read on to see the full interview. 

What was it like to take electives for your master’s/doctorate? 

Adriana – It greatly expands our ability to understand other subjects, to expand the discussion and even to look for topics of affinity. We have the chance to design our course schedule, which will help us later when it comes to writing our thesis and dissertation. 

Alexandre – As well as significantly complementing my education, I’ve gained knowledge to use in my thesis, which is related to the topic of sustainability. 

How did research areas affect your thesis? 

Adriana – Research areas are fundamental when it comes to choosing the subject of your dissertation or thesis. In my case, I’m doing a doctorate, so I’m writing a dissertation. I chose the marketing research area, due to my greater affinity with it and because my whole career has been in this area.

How are electives and research areas part of your everyday academic routine? 

Alexandre – This possibility of choosing topics that you have a greater affinity with already drives you and motivates you to want to know more about this subject, to do research. So, in a way, this freedom to choose electives or different research areas also makes for a much better thesis, because we actually work on subjects that we like, have an affinity with and would like to develop further. 

What has been the impact on your career? 

Alex – In my case, in a corporate career, I think it’s a distinctive advantage to have the experience of a professional master’s degree or a doctorate, because it gives you the depth and rigor of research work, which helps generate soft skills and other capabilities. It goes far beyond just carrying out research at the end of the day. I work with a lot of people who have a master’s or doctorate, and this is valued. I think companies should increasingly recognize this as a strength. 

Adriana – I worked in the corporate world in marketing, and then I started to specialize, so I did a master’s and a doctorate and now I want to build an academic career. However, I may also go back, because between my master’s and doctorate, I also had an opportunity and went to work in the corporate world. This exchange is important and even though I’ve had previous experience, it helps me a lot to delve deeper into theoretical topics and I think it also helps me in the classroom with real examples that I’ve experienced, so I don’t just stick to theory. Therefore, I think this exchange is very important.

To find out more about the master’s and doctoral programs available at FGV EAESP, visit the school’s website.

This article is part of our Beyond Academia series. See the previous articles in the series below:    

#01 | Scholarships: Find out more about the types available for master’s and doctorates

#02 |  Master’s degree: See how it’s possible to combine work and study during the course