Profile of graduates from the UFMG Nursing Graduate Program (2017–2020): a Freidsonian analysis

Abstract

Objective: To characterize the demographic, academic, and professional profile of graduates from the stricto sensu Graduate Program in Nursing at the School of Nursing of the Federal University of Minas Gerais during the 2017–2020 quadrennium, in light of Eliot Freidson’s sociology of professions. Method: A qualitative socio-historical study conducted according to COREQ guidelines. Data were collected between October 2024 and April 2025 from the Program’s graduate database and the Lattes Platform, analyzed through internal and external criticism based on pertinence, representativeness, and exhaustiveness, and interpreted using Eliot Freidson’s Sociology of Professions. Results: The Freidsonian analysis revealed credentialism, strengthening of professional status and autonomy, and greater insertion of PhD graduates into prestigious positions, while gender inequalities in leadership and salary disparities persisted. Conclusion: The study reaffirms the relevance of the Minas Gerais Nursing Graduate Program as a training space for critical professionals committed to science, teaching, and society. The graduates’ profile demonstrated individual and institutional impacts, consolidating the program as a national reference in academic excellence.