Acoustical engineering: A complete academic undergraduate program in Brazil

Abstract

This article is a Portuguese translation of the article originally published in 2022 in the special issue on Education of the Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (its layout has been made similar to the original). The article describes various aspects of the Acoustical Engineering Program created at UFSM. Reproduced from "William D'Andrea Fonseca, Eric Brandão, Paulo H. Mareze, Viviane S. G. Melo, Roberto A. Tenenbaum, Christian dos Santos, Dinara Paixão; Acoustical engineering: A complete academic undergraduate program in Brazil. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 1 August 2022; 152 (2): 1180–1191. https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0013570", with the permission of the Acoustical Society of America.

Original Abstract:

Acoustics is a broad field of knowledge that extends branches all over the physics of wave phenomena, psychology, natural sciences, and engineering. It is taught, in general, as part of engineering, physics, or architecture programs, or even in graduate programs specialized in the theme. In Brazil, acoustics was taught in graduate programs until the creation of Acoustical Engineering in 2009, at the Federal University of Santa Maria, an integral undergraduate program dedicated to acoustics, audio, and vibration (lasting ten semesters). This article presents its complete academic program, its creation process, and the professional establishment of the acoustical engineer. In the following, the program of study and subjects are elucidated and detailed, and the teaching methodologies used are also discussed. The program employs several active learning strategies, like project-based learning, aiming to transform abstract into concrete knowledge. The interaction of the university, the acoustical engineer, and society is also presented and clarified. The placement of graduates in fields and their workplaces are presented as outcomes. As a fundamental part of the engineer’s formation, the infrastructure used, whether state-of-the-art or cost-effective equipment, is detailed in the context of teaching and research. Finally, some of the ongoing research projects of the students are described.