PPGHIS was created four decades ago, and it is one of the most traditional history graduate programs in the country. PPGHIS is always at the cutting edge of innovation and quality in Brazilian academic production. Its focus is Social History, a polysemic concept that invites intense collaboration between Humanities and Social Sciences. The Program inaugurated its master’s degree in 1982 and the doctorate in 1992, and here important names from Brazilian historiography passed, acting as professors or as students, preparing their dissertations and theses. Even today, it is possible to verify the impact of PPGHIS, which is present, through its alumni, in universities in the country and abroad. The assessment carried out by the Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education (CAPES) comprises the annual monitoring and four-year performance evaluation of all programs and courses that are part of the Sistema Nacional de Pós-Graduação (SNPG) (National Graduate System). This assessment system is an instrument for the university community to seek a standard of academic excellence for national masters and doctorates. Programs in the top ranks 6 or 7 join the Academic Excellence Program.