Competencies development and academic environment: a study in Administration courses of Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe aim of this study was to identify the perception of students, to what extent the practices of some undergraduate courses in Administration are aligned with the competencies demanded by the current knowledge society. The research began with a quantitative approach, through descriptive and multivariate statistics techniques, covering a total of 376 undergraduate students in Business Administration from six higher education institutions of Minas Gerais. Among the main results, we found that the scientific research and entrepreneurial competencies have been the less developed general competencies. Regarding specific compentencies to administrator training, we identified that the less devel oped skills are the legal-technological ones, especially with regard to the ability to manage information systems and knowledge of the legal framework applied to management. Moreover, significant differences between the perceptions of students from public and private institutions were identified, indicating different education profiles. The results allow us to conclude that the practices showed in the surveyed Administration courses do not follow the requirements of thecompetencies highlighted in the literature, emerging new thinking to improvement of administrators' education.