The Graduate Program in Psychology Sensu Stricto (PPGSS Psychology) at USF concentrates on the area of Psychological Assessment, with four research tracks: instrument construction, education, mental health and work. Focus on Psychological Assessment was inspired by the need for instrument qualification and improvement in vocational training.
It is worth noting that, during the 1990s, certain events signaled the importance of choosing this focus. The first was the alert given by the Brazilian Psychological Society (SBP), in its Newsletter #20 (1996), which released the CNPq Psychology Advisory Committee’s report. This document pointed to Foundations and Measurements as one of five areas, among the 10 existing at the time, which deserved greater investment. Also, the Ministry of Education (MEC) began a deployment of large-scale educational evaluation, across a broad spectrum of educational levels. This initiative materialized with the implementation of the Basic Education Evaluation System (SAEB), National High School Exam (ENEM), and the National Courses Exam (ENC), which currently corresponds to the National Survey of Student Performance (ENADE) that applies to higher education. Concomitantly, in the specific field of Psychological Assessment, there were several actions by the Federal Council of Psychology, in order to improve the quality of psychological assessment instruments, which materialized through specific resolutions, establishing the need for further research on tests then available.
In recognition of these demands, USF began efforts to amplify university offerings of its undergraduate courses, but also to offer graduate courses. It proposed its first master’s programs in 2002, with the recognized master's degree in Psychology among them, and its doctoral programs in 2004.