Enrolling in a professional master's program is an important career step for any professional seeking further development beyond their academic career.
Continuing studies at an educational institution is a great option for those who wish to pursue an academic career. Similarly, for those seeking high-quality professional development, an interdisciplinary professional master's degree fits perfectly into both situations.
We've compiled crucial information about the master's program and an interview with Professor Dr. Mônica Sapucaia , Coordinator of the undergraduate Law program at IDP SP. If you're interested in pursuing a master's degree in Law but don't know how it works, this text is for you! Keep reading and don't miss any details!
What is a professional Master's degree in Law?
The Interdisciplinary Professional Master's Degree in Law is a stricto sensu postgraduate course. Approved and recommended by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) , its objective is to connect theory and practice.
This type of training provides qualifications geared towards advanced professional practice . Furthermore, it also confers a Master's degree and qualifies the graduate to teach in higher education and to enter doctoral programs.
What does it mean to be interdisciplinary?
Firstly, a master's degree is considered interdisciplinary when, throughout the course, related social problems are discussed from the perspectives of disciplines beyond Law, such as: Sociology, Economics, and Political Science.
The course is also interdisciplinary, as it aims to connect various areas of knowledge to produce strategic answers to the research questions formulated.
What is the importance of interdisciplinarity?
Interdisciplinarity is a concept that seeks to unite the content of two or more disciplines. Above all, its main objective is to allow the student to develop a broader and more integrated view of the subjects.
In other words, interdisciplinarity seeks to break patterns that prioritize the fragmented construction of knowledge. That is, it reveals common points between different approaches, favoring analyses of diverse perspectives on the same subject.
Interview with Professor Dr. Mônica Sapucaia
Author of the book “Women's Rights: Higher Education, Work and Autonomy”, Professor Mônica Sapucaia holds a PhD and a Master's degree in Political and Economic Law . She is also the coordinator of the Women's Rights anthology and a founding partner of the International Center for Studies, Applied Research and Innovation in Lisbon, Portugal.
Furthermore, she is a permanent professor in the Professional Master's Program in Law and the Program in Law, Justice and Development at IDP. Therefore, we invited her to explain how an interdisciplinary professional master's degree in Law works. Check it out!
How does the interdisciplinary professional master's program in Law work?
Mônica Sapucaia: “Our program engages with more than one area of knowledge, more than one dialogue process, and more than one line of research.
In the Master's program at IDP São Paulo, for example, Law is the subject matter. We discuss Law and development as objects of study, which allows us to cross-reference many areas of knowledge in the debates. This is because our goal is to seek complex solutions and build a way out of society's problems.
So this program aims to think about solutions in a broad way, fostering other dialogues. Not just dialogues within the fields of Law, Economics, or Sociology. It's about understanding how these areas of knowledge interact with each other in the search for solutions.
"And that's why we built this program – with this complex perspective on society's problems. It never focuses on just one side of the debate, because it needs to be broad and inclusive to build the best solution."
How important is a master's degree for a legal career?
Mônica Sapucaia: “When you decide to pursue a master's degree, it's because you've decided to shift your perspective to a learning process. A master's degree isn't just a course for receiving information; it's a time when you produce knowledge, expertise, and research.”
It is a learning process model where you are the main actor. In it, you are the one who will build something on the subject and, most importantly, decide how to produce it for the scientific and professional community, and for society as a whole.
When you finish your master's degree, nobody knows more about your research than you do. In other words, you are a true expert on that topic. The research learning process is transformative because you look at the problem differently and see yourself capable of creating a solution.
In the professional market, this subject often impacts your work and field of expertise. I think that's the great achievement of a master's degree: guaranteeing a perspective that basic education and even undergraduate studies don't offer. Before a master's degree, you are merely a learner, and after it, you become someone who produces knowledge.”
What can a student expect from a master's program?
Mônica Sapucaia: “I think the main thing is to learn methodologically how to research. It's very important because Law is the set of norms of a society, and we want to build a more pluralistic, inclusive, democratic, and efficient society.”
Therefore, it is very important for Law to have a deeper understanding of other areas, and a master's degree will provide this ability to look at complex problems and build connections with other skills and branches of knowledge.
Those who complete the process gain the tools to build diverse solutions and foster methodological dialogue around real-world problems. In addition, they learn how to research and teach. The master's degree helps shape the professional's understanding of academia and learning.
The closing thought
The great advantage of this type of program is that the faculty is completely plural and diverse . Furthermore, another interesting aspect is everyone's commitment to the academic freedom of each professor.
You'll notice that several professors disagree during the debates. Sometimes they agree, sometimes they disagree, and so on. This is because they present different perspectives on the same issues. This is a great benefit to the program and the student body.
“You can meet people who think differently, who present different solutions, theories, and practices. I think that's the great benefit of the program. Another great benefit is that the students come from diverse places; it's very common to have students from various states in Brazil, and this exchange is really great ,” comments Professor Mônica.
Did you enjoy learning more about this type of training? Then check out the IDP SP interdisciplinary professional master's program . Don't waste any time and register now on our website!
