The text discusses the gaps in Brazilian graduate degrees that the professional masters course can fulfill, with emphasis in the field of regional and urban planning. In this field, the role of this course modality becomes relevant due to matters related to regional development, administrative decentralization and the implementation of the Estatuto da Cidade (City Statute) and the Lei de Responsabilidade Fiscal (Fiscal Responsibility Law), which require an improvement in the quality of local public administrations.