The interdisciplinary activities of the PESC are concentrated in two areas of COPPE:

The COPPE / UFRJ since 1963 is dedicated to the graduate teaching and research in different areas of Engineering, organized into 12 programs. More than 5000 master's theses and doctoral 900 were produced throughout its existence, contributing to the consolidation in the country of scientific engineering. Currently COPPE has approximately 270 teachers, 440 technical and administrative staff and 2600 students.
 
In recent years has occurred profound changes in the relationship between the various fields of engineering and basic sciences, rescuing calls engineering sciences that were the axis of the creation of COPPE UFRJ. This rapprochement highlight the role of the use of computers, not just in the traditional numerical calculation but today also in the simulation, optimization of processes and systems, in product design and mathematical solution of nonlinear problems present in engineering. COPPE has strengthened this trend through the initiative to promote intensive courses in Applied Mathematics and Computing Engineering.
 
Win importance to technological application renewed new knowledge of physics, chemistry, biology and other natural sciences, much shortening the time between scientific discoveries and their uses in engineering. This, in turn, joins the social sciences, economics and management in interdisciplinary areas, planning and management in search of efficient solutions to global problems of concern to society.
 
It develops new areas like engineering: focused on advanced products, such as composites; the frontiers of knowledge, as the technology for exploitation of marine resources; the application of science to engineering rapidly evolving, as the high-performance computing; on the border between engineering and planning, such as environmental engineering. In this sense, COPPE, with the support of Petrobras and the Ministry of Education, restructured its facilities through the I-2000 design, with more than 50 laboratories with consistent infrastructure with the high level of interaction.
 
The interdisciplinary areas of graduate and research, the fruit of human resources and research projects of outstanding importance in COPPE, are attuned to scientific developments in international standards.