Evaluation of the dynamic efficiency of graduate programs

This article analyzes the relative efficiency of stricto sensu Graduate Programs in Production Engineering in Brazil that offer master's and doctoral degrees, using Dynamic Data Envelopment Analysis. The research uses secondary data from the Sucupira Platform, considering professors, students, scholarship holders, students in process, publications and average time of graduation. Dynamic modeling allows us to represent the intertemporal nature of graduate studies, since resources mobilized in one period can generate academic results in later periods. The results indicate an average efficiency of 58%, absence of fully efficient DMUs and performance oscillations over the three-year period, showing that good punctual results do not guarantee overall efficiency. The analysis also highlights the average time of graduation as a relevant variable for the performance of the programs. The study contributes to the management of graduate studies by supporting benchmarking, goal setting, self-assessment and strategic planning aimed at improving teaching and research in the contemporary Brazilian academic area.