The Postgraduate Program in Economics (PPGE) at the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB – Campus I) was created in March 1980. Initially, the course was restricted to a single area of concentration, Labor Economics.

Currently, the PPGE/UFPB offers Master's and Doctorate courses in Economics, in the Concentration area of Applied Economics. The objective of the Program is to train professors, researchers, and professionals in Economics with excellence, developing in-depth studies within the lines of research Labor Economics, Regional Economics and Public Policies, and Applied Quantitative Methods, through the mastery and deepening of theoretical and instrumental knowledge and skills.

In 2013, when the last CAPES triennial evaluation was carried out, PPGE/UFPB went from Grade 4 to 5. This result accredits it as a center of excellence in the Master's and Doctorate course in Economics in the Northeast region.

Regarding the internationalization of research and teaching activities, PPGE/ UFPB has maintained the tradition of entering into international cooperation agreements. It is worth mentioning the agreements already made with the Universities of Manchester, Paris I - Sorbonne, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa, and Universidade Nova de Lisboa. In 2011, an agreement was signed with the University of Tennessee (United States), which opens space for exchanges between professors from PPGE/UFPB and professors from the Department of Economics at the University of Tennessee. This exchange is making post-doctoral and sandwich doctorate courses feasible for PPGE/UFPB professors and students, and providing study opportunities for undergraduate economics students.