# Molecular Sciences Course

The Curso de Ciências Moleculares (in English: Molecular Sciences Course), also known as CCM, CM, or CECM, is an undergraduate option at the University of São Paulo aimed at students seeking a professional career in research and development. Its curriculum emphasizes academic freedom, interdisciplinarity, and multidisciplinarity.
The ideal duration is eight semesters, divided into two cycles: in the first two years (the “basic cycle”), students take classes in biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, and computer science. In the final two years (the “advanced cycle”), students undertake scientific initiation or internships in research and development, building a schedule with courses offered at any recognized higher education institution worldwide, including graduate-level courses.
Previously located in “Favo 22” of the “Colmeias” (“the Hives”), the course is now housed in the Inova USP (Research and Innovation Center), located on the University City campus, in the Butantã district of São Paulo.

## History

The idea behind the course arose from discussions in the office of then–vice rector Roberto Lobo, where, according to him, there was debate over the “[need to] dismantle the rigid curricular structure [of] department-centered courses.” Its official date of creation—at the time named “Curso Experimental de Ciências Moleculares” (Experimental Course of Molecular Sciences)—can be considered 5 July 1991, when Resolution CoG (Undergraduate Council) no. 3836, of 3 July of that same year, was published in the State Official Gazette. However, its recognition by the then–Ministry of Education and Sport came only with Ordinance no. 613, of 13 June 1996, published in the Official Diary of the Union the following day.

## Admissions

Unlike other courses at the University of São Paulo, where students are admitted through a Vestibular exam prepared by the University Foundation for Vestibular (FUVEST), the CM program has its own internal selection process. Any student regularly enrolled at USP may apply, but it is common for top scorers in the vestibular to receive an invitation to the selection process.
Its selection process, usually taking place at the end of the first semester, consists of a written exam on general knowledge and a group dynamic. About 25 students are admitted each year to a class beginning in the second semester.
The written test is a discursive exam covering mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and English. Those who pass the written exam then proceed to an interview in groups of up to twenty candidates, which includes a scientific debate among the participants.

## Structure

Unlike most other courses at USP, the Curso de Ciências Moleculares is not attached to any department or school, but instead directly to the Provost for Undergraduate Studies. In this sense, it maintains a degree of independence from the other university units, although it relies on their existing resources, such as laboratories and faculty who teach the basic cycle subjects.
The course, intended to last four years, is divided into two cycles: in the first two years (the “basic cycle”), entering students attend classes in biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, and computer science; in the final two years (the “advanced cycle”), students carry out research and assemble a schedule with subjects offered at any recognized higher education institution worldwide, including graduate-level subjects. An admitted student may withdraw from the course at any time, returning to his or her original department.
In contrast to other courses at the university, the Course Steering Committee meets every semester to decide which students will remain in the course. In this meeting—formed by the university's provost for Undergraduate Studies, the course coordinator, faculty members, and student representatives—each student's individual performance is evaluated. Under certain circumstances, students whose performance is deemed unsatisfactory by the Committee may be dismissed and thus return to their original department.