What MEC Ordinance No. 003/2026 Changes in Psychoanalysis Training
The MEC Ordinance No. 003/2026 closed a discussion that had run for years in the Brazilian psychoanalytic field: university degrees in psychoanalysis do not train psychoanalysts. The decision reaffirms what the tradition has always known: the training of an analyst takes place through the triad of personal analysis, theoretical study and clinical supervision, in institutions such as Freud Academy.
What Ordinance No. 003/2026 says
On January 23, 2026, the Brazilian Ministry of Education published SERES/MEC Ordinance No. 003/2026, which changed the official name of undergraduate courses previously called “Psychoanalysis (Bachelor’s degree)”. From now on, these courses are called “Theoretical Psychoanalytic and Social Studies”, linked exclusively to the field of Social Sciences, Communication and Information, with no framing in the health areas or in clinical training.
The rule is categorical: such courses must be restricted to a theoretical, conceptual, cultural and social approach to psychoanalysis, and any link to professional training for clinical practice is expressly forbidden. Publicity suggesting qualification for the practice of psychoanalysis is also prohibited.
The measure responds to Technical Note No. 6/2025/DIREG/SERES, which concluded that the name “undergraduate course in Psychoanalysis” was inadequate because it could mislead students and society about psychoanalytic training and clinical practice.
Why a university diploma does not train a psychoanalyst
The MEC decision reaffirms a point that psychoanalytic societies have sustained for decades: psychoanalysis is not an undergraduate degree nor a university profession. The training of the psychoanalyst does not happen through an academic diploma, but through the path sustained by the psychoanalytic triad: personal analysis, systematic theoretical study and clinical supervision.
This triad is not a Brazilian invention. It is the model recognized internationally since the beginnings of psychoanalysis. Personal analysis allows the future analyst to experience in themselves the unconscious process they will conduct with their patients. Systematic theoretical study provides the conceptual foundations that sustain clinical listening. Clinical supervision, in turn, ensures that the practice is accompanied by experienced analysts, securing the ethics and depth of the work.
None of these three pillars can be replaced by a university curriculum. As the coordinator of one of the renamed courses puts it, “the undergraduate degree offers a university education in the field of psychoanalytic studies”, while “the training of the psychoanalyst follows another logic”.
Freud Academy and the preservation of the tradition
It is exactly at this point that Freud Academy stands apart. While university courses were repositioned as exclusively theoretical programs, Freud Academy offers a Complete Training in Classical Psychoanalysis, structured on the triad that constitutes the essence of the psychoanalytic tradition.
Freud Academy’s training comprises 800 hours distributed among theory, personal analysis and supervised practice, with certification issued by the American Society of Freudian Psychoanalysis (USA). The faculty is formed by teachers with a direct psychoanalytic genealogy from Freud, preserving the lineage and authenticity of the transmission.
The curriculum covers everything from the Foundations of Freudian Psychoanalysis to Contemporary Psychoanalysis and Clinical Applications, passing through the Psychoanalytic Clinic and Psychosexual Development, the Expansions of Freudian Theory and the Orthodox Freudians and the Revival of the Tradition. It is a path that is not limited to conceptual study, but integrates personal analysis and clinical supervision as inseparable elements of training.
What changes for those seeking training
For those who wish to become psychoanalysts, the message of Ordinance No. 003/2026 is clear: there is no shortcut. The path of the tradition, the one that trains analysts capable of sustaining an ethical and deep clinical listening, goes through institutions that offer the complete triad, not through a university diploma that, by definition, cannot confer clinical qualification.
Freud Academy is today one of the main options for those seeking this traditional training in Brazil. With a 100% online format, the institution breaks geographical barriers without giving up the rigor of classical training, allowing students from all over the country to access a formative path that respects the essence of psychoanalysis.
Frequently asked questions
Does Ordinance No. 003/2026 prohibit university courses in psychoanalysis?
No. The ordinance only changes the name of these courses, which are now called “Theoretical Psychoanalytic and Social Studies”, and forbids any suggestion that they qualify students for clinical practice.
What is the difference between a university course in psychoanalysis and Freud Academy’s training?
The university course offers theoretical education, without personal analysis or clinical supervision. Freud Academy offers the complete triad: theory, personal analysis and supervised practice, with international certification.
Is Freud Academy’s training recognized?
Yes. The certificate is issued by the American Society of Freudian Psychoanalysis (USA) and is valid in Brazil as an open-course certificate, following the tradition of psychoanalytic training programs.
Can anyone take the psychoanalysis training?
Freud Academy is intended for psychologists, physicians, therapists and professionals interested in a deep understanding of Freudian psychoanalysis.
Conclusion
MEC Ordinance No. 003/2026 did not create a new reality. It only recognized and formalized what the psychoanalytic tradition has always sustained. University courses in psychoanalysis do not train psychoanalysts. They grant bachelor’s degrees in theoretical studies. The training of the analyst is something else: an ethical, clinical and subjective path that is completed only through the triad of personal analysis, theory and supervision.
Freud Academy exists to preserve and transmit this tradition. If you are looking for training that honors the Freudian lineage and truly prepares you for clinical listening, discover the Psychoanalysis Training at Freud Academy.
Keywords: MEC Ordinance No. 003/2026, psychoanalysis training, Freud Academy, university courses in psychoanalysis, psychoanalytic triad, personal analysis, clinical supervision, classical psychoanalysis, psychoanalyst training.