This article highlights the principal arguments that have led Capes to bet on Professional Masters Programs (MP), reconsidering and developing points discussed during the Seminar “Beyond Academia – graduate study contributing to society”. The role of the MP in the social and economic development of Brazil is defended in terms of three postulates. First, today’s society requires a formation that is increasingly qualified, even in those sectors that do not deal with sophisticated levels of research and teaching. Second, with the increase in degree holders in the country, a good part of those with master’s degrees and a significant portion of those with doctorates are pursuing careers outside the field of higher education. Third, Capes is not prejudiced against the transfer of scientific knowledge to companies or to the marketplace, as long as society as a whole and the public sector and social movements in particular are also targets of such a transfer. The author also formulates suggestions regarding how the MP could be constituted, emphasizing ways in which it not only can increase economic production but also promote significant advances with respect to repaying our social debt.