ABSTRACT
The Brazilian university is a relatively recent phenomenon. Although some professional schools-mainly law, medicine, and engineering-were created in the 19th century in different regions of the country, their evolution into higher education institutions started only in the 1930s. From this period on, the university system has expanded at a rather slow pace, with acceleration in the last 30 years (Schwartzman, 2007). Internationalization has been a key factor in its development. The circulation of European and American scholars through Brazil has played a decisive role in the consolidation of institutions and research fields in different areas, helping to connect these new academic institutions to international research networks.
