ABOUT

The American Academy (AA) is a dual-enrollment program offered jointly by Kent State University and the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUCPR), located in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil.

Launched in July 2018, the program allows students to complete their first two years of undergraduate study in Brazil at the PUCPR campus, taking Kent State classes taught in English by Kent State faculty members, and earning academic credit from both universities simultaneously. The program consists of a liberal arts fixed-curriculum offered in a four-semester carousel, with new student intake at every semester. At the end of the two years, students will earn a KSU Associate of Science degree and can then choose whether to finish their bachelor’s degree in the United States at Kent State’s Kent Campus, or in Brazil at PUCPR. Depending on which degree path they choose, students will receive a Kent State bachelor’s degree, a PUCPR bachelor’s degree, or a double degree from both universities. Students who choose to complete their degree at the Kent Campus will be able to choose from any of the more than 200 undergraduate degree programs offered, 36 of which can be completed in four years.

The American Academy aims to provide a smoother pathway to a U.S. education for Brazilian students, including those who have not yet decided on a major. We do this by offering a liberal arts curriculum, which aims to give students exposure and knowledge on a variety of disciplines, along with academic and career advising designed to help students find their purpose. This approach represents a higher education option that was previously unavailable to students in Brazil. In addition, American Academy students may find their transition to the Kent Campus is easier than for other international students as they will have a Kent State advisor who has already been working with them for two years, they will already be familiar with the U.S. style of learning and teaching, and they will transition along with a cohort of Brazilian students with whom they have already been studying for two years.

• AA website (English version)
• AA Launch video
• PUCPR and Kent State University - American Academy Commencement Ceremony - December video
• PUC American Academy Formatura - September video

News articles about the AA:

• How The American Academy Kept Students on Track in Brazil During COVID-19
• The American Academy Celebrates First Commencement
• American Academy Growing in Brazil, Poised to Bring Students to Kent State
• Kent State and Brazil’s Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná Partner to Launch the American Academy
• Classes Begin at the New American Academy in Brazil
• Main websites: PUCPR and KSU