Facens University Center considers Internationalization one of its institutional pillars, alongside Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Sustainability.
Founded in 2015, the Department of International Relations (DRI) has the mission of creating opportunities to promote knowledge and leadership in a global context, aiming, among other factors, to foster a global perspective on human challenges in support of values and activities that encourage a responsible, humanistic, and solidarity-driven global citizenship.
In addition to managing study abroad programs, the DRI is also responsible for assessing and ensuring the coherence of international partnerships and initiatives within the institution. This guarantees that the institution’s international level is visible both institutionally and at the student level, promoting not only the exchange of knowledge across borders but, above all, enhancing the excellence of Facens’ teaching. Through this ongoing evaluation, it is possible to produce increasingly robust sustainability reports, reflecting Facens’ commitment to the SDGs while also strengthening internationalization by ensuring that its partnerships are both active and accessible. Active, because agreements remain valid and operational; accessible, because they provide a greater number of students with concrete opportunities for international experiences on and off campus.
Facens’ mission is to develop professional citizens prepared for life. Among the many commitments to achieving this mission is providing a global perspective—that is, complete campus internationalization—across teaching, citizenship development, and the delivery of increasingly qualified professionals to the job market.
Throughout their undergraduate studies, all students have the opportunity to engage in different activities that directly or indirectly foster internationalization, contributing to the development of technical and intercultural skills, cultural exchange, and, most importantly, the appreciation of knowledge sharing.
All of this is made possible by the integrative role of Facens’ Department of International Relations (DRI) together with Innovation Centers, enabling joint initiatives with international partners based in Asia, the Americas, and Europe.
To enhance the development of their professional résumés, in addition to participating in activities that grant international certificates, students may also receive, upon completion of their undergraduate program and alongside their Facens diploma, the Facens international certificate. This certificate attests to the acquisition of a global perspective—through the record of participation in international activities during their academic journey and proof of foreign language proficiency at level B1 or higher.
Global Study (sandwich undergraduate program): a student mobility program at the undergraduate level that enables Facens students to study at partner international institutions, based on international cooperation agreements. In the 2024 call for applications, 61 scholarships were offered at 11 universities across 7 countries. Fifteen students were approved, with placements at: Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt (Germany), Universidad Mayor (Chile), Universitat de Lleida (Spain), Universidad Europea de Madrid (Spain), Lawrence Technological University (United States), Università della Calabria (Italy), Università degli Studi di Firenze (Italy), Shibaura Institute of Technology (Japan), Universidade de Aveiro (Portugal), Instituto Politécnico da Guarda (Portugal), and Universidade do Porto (Portugal).
Dual Degree: dual degree agreements allow Facens students to study abroad at partner institutions, with credit validation in both institutions, and graduate with diplomas from Facens and the international partner university. In the 2024 call for applications, the following were included:
For the Dual Degree at Universitat de Lleida (Spain), 15 scholarships were offered to students in Agronomy Engineering, Computer Engineering, Production Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Chemical Engineering, with two Computer Engineering students approved.
For the Dual Degree at Instituto Politécnico da Guarda (Portugal), 5 scholarships were offered to Civil Engineering students, with two students approved.
386 Students sent abroad for study and paid internships (since 2017)
41 International partnerships among HEIs, thematic networks, research centers, and certifications from the Language Institute (active in 2024)
168 Visiting students, interns, professors, and researchers on campus (since 2015)
17 International academic publications (since 2020)
42 Achievements in international competitions (since 2017)
7 Multinational laboratory-classrooms on campus (in 2024)
17,479 International experience activities on campus (since 2018)
German
Spanish
English
Italian
Japanese
Mandarin
Portuguese for foreigners
Linguistic and cultural activities offered on campus
Administration of the TOEFL iBT exam on campus
Access to the E-library USA platform
Virtual intercultural exchange with China and MOOCs — certified online course (NYTech and U.S. Embassy & Consulate)
Free access to the Minato platform (Japanese classes)
In 2024, four TOEFL iBT (English proficiency test) sessions were held on campus, with 15 seats available per session and two time slots per test date.
A total of 12 registered candidates took the test, most of whom were external participants from São Paulo, Sorocaba, neighboring cities, and the state’s coastal region.
Aspire Institute
Founded in 2017 by Harvard Business School professors, the Aspire Institute is a nonprofit organization created with the mission of unlocking the potential of university students worldwide through a leadership program.
In more than 180 countries, the institute has already impacted over 100,000 people!
With the partnership established between the institutions, Facens students now have free access to the Aspire Leaders Program, a 100% online initiative aimed at training first-generation university students¹ around the world to become leaders and generate local social impact.
Learn more about the partnership with Aspire.
Shandong University of Science and Technology (SDUST)
SDUST currently has three campuses, located in Qingdao, Tai’an, and Jinan, China. With more than 120 international partners in about 23 different countries, the university welcomes over 100 international students each year and will soon begin hosting Brazilian students — including those from Facens.
Learn more about the partnership with SDUST.
