“My master’s degree completely changed my career and professional trajectory,” says Monique Cardoso, who took the Professional Master’s in Management for Competitiveness (MPGC) program at Fundação Getulio Vargas’ Sao Paulo School of Business Administration (FGV EAESP). Although many professionals wonder whether it is really worth doing a master’s, she says the course gave her more credibility in her career and played a key role in her subsequent professional development.

Likewise, Letícia Marcolan is currently doing an academic master’s degree at Fundação Getulio Vargas’ School of Social Sciences (FGV CPDOC). She says that the school is an excellent and interdisciplinary institution. “As well as helping me take a step up in my career, my master’s degree at FGV CPDOC is allowing me to have different experiences at university,” she says.

In the following interview with FGV News, the two women share their different but complementary experiences in relation to their professional and academic courses. Monique and Letícia highlight the courses’ importance, the value provided by FGV and their professional expectations.

Why did you decide to do a master’s degree at FGV?

Letícia Marcolan (academic master’s student at FGV CPDOC): I decided to do a master’s at FGV CPDOC because it is one of the best schools in Brazil and also because my interdisciplinarity research involves both history and anthropology.

Another important point is that I already knew some of the school’s professors before joining, so I already knew of their excellence, both as professors in their fields and as mentors.

Other than that, FGV’s entire infrastructure is extremely attractive. You really feel you are at a world-class education institution.

Monique Cardoso (MPGC graduate of FGV EAESP): My decision to do a professional master’s degree was the right decision. It combined what I needed in terms of depth with a very practical executive managerial vision. The professors contributed a lot to that.

My professional master’s degree allowed me to achieve my personal dream, by balancing classes, work, studies and research, even though I was already progressing in my career.

So, it made everything much more tangible to me. I knew I would be able to immediately apply all the knowledge in my everyday work and I would be able to handle all the academic challenges that come with doing a master’s degree.

What aspects of the master’s course do you think are worth highlighting?

Letícia Marcolan (academic master’s student at FGV CPDOC): I believe that one of the main advantages of the academic master’s degree at FGV CPDOC is the course’s excellence. It is also important to highlight the interdisciplinary character of the program. The professors have backgrounds in different areas of the humanities and so the classes cover various perspectives. In general, the classes are in line with the latest discussions in the field.

The institution also provides many options for extracurricular activities, which are essential in the academic world. Finally, FGV’s commitment to providing international experiences is evident, whether through the Capes Print program or through events, publications and courses.

Monique Cardoso (MPGC graduate of FGV EAESP): The master’s completely changed my career and my professional path. I had already been working with sustainability at a consulting firm for some years and the master’s degree really added what I needed to reach greater heights.

In fact, I got a managerial position as soon as I enrolled in the master’s, as I gained more credibility on top of what I already knew in practice, thanks to the course’s combination of in-depth academic and executive education.

I think it’s also worth sharing that I was able to recoup my investment in my education in the first two years, so it really was one of the best personal and professional investments I’ve ever made in myself.

What has the master's added to your career? What transformations has the course brought to your goals? 

Letícia Marcolan (academic master’s student at FGV CPDOC): I intend to pursue an academic career, so the master’s course at FGV CPDOC is an essential part of my trajectory. As well as a step in my career, the program is also providing me with different experiences within the university.

My research is focusing on soccer and politics. My main objective is to investigate the political career of Eurico Miranda, who started off as an executive at Vasco da Gama Soccer Club.

Since I started the course, I have had the opportunity to help organize the Study Day event and I am also a member of the editorial board of Revista Mosaico, a student magazine. I am also a member of the Laboratory for Sports Studies (LESP) and have already done a teaching internship. All these activities involve the three central pillars of academic life: research, teaching and extension work. Finally, my next goal is to get some international experience.

Monique Cardoso (MPGC graduate of FGV EAESP): The subject of my master’s thesis in the field of sustainability was “The ESG Agenda: How the presence of women in senior leadership has influenced the social and environmental performance of Brazilian companies.” When I chose this subject, I already knew it would become a hot topic. The ESG agenda has become very prominent along with the corporate agenda, and my focus on gender made a big difference in examining this topic.

So, I am continuing to share all my results, in executive and academic circles, as well as in journals. I am also using these results in my practical everyday life, at the company I work for, always placing a gender focus when looking at social and environmental indicators, to help understand where we have opportunities for improvement, bearing in mind that diversity improves companies’ results.

Click here to read an article about the difference between professional and academic master’s degrees.

To learn more about FGV’s master’s and doctoral programs, click here.