Enrollment and dropout in Chemistry programs

reflections from a federal university in Minas Gerais

Abstract

This article aims to describe the decline in enrollment and the persistence of dropout rates between 2019 and 2024 in the Chemistry Licentiate (LQ) and Chemistry Bachelor’s (BQ) programs at a federal university in Minas Gerais, as well as to present the profile and formative intentions of first-year students in the 2024/1 academic term. The study is based on institutional records and a questionnaire administered to incoming students. The data reveal a decreasing enrollment trend and historically high dropout rates in the LQ, especially after 2020, when the effects of emergency remote teaching became evident. The students’ professional goals show a predominance of motivations oriented toward technical-scientific careers, with few references to teaching. This trend reflects the hierarchy of social prestige that values bachelor’s degrees over licentiate programs, contributing to the fragility of persistence among future teachers and to the projected shortage of educators by 2040. It is concluded that the combination of the low prestige of the teaching career, the consequences of the pandemic, and the professional intentions of freshmen contributes to persistent dropout, particularly in the LQ. Curricular reforms, institutional support, and public policies to value the teaching profession are therefore needed.