Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The IPRI Thesis and Dissertation Repository (BTD) is a project launched in 2011 with the aim of facilitating access to Brazilian academic production in the field of international relations and related areas. It is a catalog of doctoral theses and master’s dissertations, as well as the theses defended by diplomats in the Curso de Altos Estudos (CAE) of the Rio Branco Institute. The catalog contains more than 6,750 documents. The oldest entry dates back to 1968. 

At the time this project was conceived, academic production was dispersed across the databases of graduate institutions, making access difficult for researchers and for the broader public interested in building theoretical references. In this context, the IPRI Thesis and Dissertation Repository was created by unifying the lists of public agencies (CAPES, IBICT) and higher education institutions (public and private) with research lines in International Relations and related areas (History, Political Science, Economics, Sociology, Public Administration, Anthropology). 

Beginning in 2013, CAPES’ Plataforma Sucupira—the information collection, analysis, and evaluation system of the National Graduate System (SNPG)—started to make academic production publicly available. However, theses and dissertations from earlier years remain scattered across the databases of their respective institutions. 

The BTD does not store the defended works themselves but, whenever available, provides links to the theses and dissertations on the websites of the graduate institutions where they were defended. Works from the Curso de Altos Estudos (CAE) published by the Alexandre de Gusmão Foundation (FUNAG) are available in its digital library for full and free download. 

The updating of doctoral theses and master’s dissertations by IPRI ceased in 2023. However, updates continue for theses defended by diplomats in the Curso de Altos Estudos (CAE) of the Rio Branco Institute and published by FUNAG. Thus, to continue offering convenient access to academic production in international relations—without creating redundancy with the work carried out by Plataforma Sucupira—the search system now provides two types of searches using the same keyword: one within the IPRI Thesis and Dissertation Repository, and the other within Plataforma Sucupira. 

To search the Thesis and Dissertation Repository using keywords in both platforms, click here. 

This is an ongoing project of IPRI, and we welcome your collaboration to improve it. To request the inclusion of new theses and dissertations or to suggest improvements, please contact us.  

Contact

Institute for Research on International Relations – IPRI

Esplanada dos Ministérios, Bloco H, Anexo II

Brasília, Federal District

70170-900

Brazil

+55 (61) 2030-9115

https://www.gov.br/funag/pt-br/ipri/

BTD–IPRI Statistics 

The IPRI Thesis and Dissertation Repository (BTD–IPRI) contains 6,787 registered master’s dissertations and doctoral theses, from 68 Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and 97 graduate programs, as well as 151 theses defended by diplomats in the Curso de Altos Estudos (CAE) of the Rio Branco Institute and published by FUNAG.  

Frequently Asked Questions 

Is it possible to search by author, university, or year? 
No. The search system on the website functions similarly to Google and searches for the term(s) entered across the entire database. 
Thus, if you wish to locate a dissertation from university ABC defended in 2010 on the environment, type: ABC master’s 2010 environment 

Why does the BTD not provide downloadable files? 
The rights to make works publicly available belong to the institutional repositories of the universities. Therefore, whenever possible, we provide the link to the university’s page. In this sense, the BTD is an intermediation service between producers and users of knowledge in international relations (students, scholars, diplomats, and the general public). 

Are there predefined criteria for inclusion to ensure a minimum quality standard? What are they? 
The BTD includes works defended and approved in stricto sensu graduate programs recommended and recognized by CAPES. Thus, it is not the role of the BTD to judge the quality of the works themselves. 

What is the “Curso de Altos Estudos (CAE)”? 
The Curso de Altos Estudos (CAE) is a course offered by the Rio Branco Institute (IRBr), required for diplomats to be promoted from Counselor to Second-Class Minister. The first edition of the CAE was held in 1979. Since then, more than 60 uninterrupted editions have taken place, forming a rich repository for Brazilian diplomacy. For more information on the CAE, click here. 

Theses defended in the CAE are not available online. However, selected works have been published by the Alexandre de Gusmão Foundation (FUNAG). To access the books based on CAE theses published by FUNAG free of charge, click here.   

What is the “IRBr Master’s Degree”? 
This term refers to the master’s dissertations from the professional master’s program for diplomats offered by the Rio Branco Institute (IRBr). Created in 2002, the Master’s in Diplomacy is now discontinued; its last class graduated in 2012. For more information about current courses offered by IRBr, click here. 

How can I include my work in the repository? 
If you defended a thesis or dissertation on International Relations or related areas and do not find it on the website, simply send us the relevant information by email at ipri@funag.gov.br, or use the contact form available in the menu (/ipri/btd/index.php/contact-us). Our analysts will include your work. 

Please note that works not defended, or defended abroad, are not part of the scope of the IPRI-compiled Thesis and Dissertation Repository. Our focus is on national academic production in International Relations.