Undergraduate teaching in public health: what the pedagogical projects say

Abstract

To standardize the teaching curriculum, the National Curriculum Guidelines for the Undergraduate Course in Public Health (DCNsCGSC) were set up in 2017. A qualitative and exploratory study with a documental approach was conducted, using the content analysis method, to analyze teaching in undergraduate courses in Public Health in Brazil in the light of Pedagogical Projects. After analysis of 22 projects, it was observed that the majority of the courses (31.8%) complied with the DCNsCGSC in terms of total workload, internship, final paper, and complementary activities. The term “bachelor’s degree in public health” is the main denomination (77.3%). Most courses are in the northern region (27%) and federal institutions (68.5%). In terms of teaching, 274 mentions of mandatory components were identified with the term of reference of the subareas of Public Health. Of these, the areas of health policies, planning, and management represent 66.42% (182) of the components and the social and human sciences in health 9.5% (26). The study elucidated how undergraduate teaching is carried out, adding reflections on the convergence of DCNsCGSC. In addition, it revealed possible gaps in the teaching content necessary for training for professional practice, especially for the consolidation of the Unified Health System.