The Good Professor: A Comparison Between Public and Private Universities

In Brazil, like in most Latin America countries, the educational system is basically composed of private and public education institutions. Public universities depend almost exclusively on tuition fees paid by the students. Public professors are insolvent, and very rarely provided with the resources they desperately need, whereas private professors are governed by service contracts and can be dismissed when the institution deems it necessary. These characteristics also highlight the difference in the teaching profile of public and private institutions. Public universities cherish the high degree and familiarity with research, because private universities value more for practice than theory, although they require academic qualifications of their professors. That said, this study aims identify and enhance student’s perception of what makes a good professor in the social science and highlight the differences between those who work in private and public universities. Through gathering data from undergraduate business students, we searched for educator’s characteristics considered positive or ideal for the learning process. This research used primary data resources collected through online survey. Technical analysis of content was used for interpretation of the results. Students from private universities look for professors who can link practice with theory. Most of the students from the public universities look for dynamic professors and that they respect them. A lot of students who apply for a public university do so because of the University’s reputation or for not paying.