The aim of this study is to analyze the distribution of undergraduate nursing programs in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, and make associations between them and public education policy. It is a descriptive cross-sectional study whose source was the e-MEC database from the Brazilian Ministry of Culture and Education, accessed in February of 2010, using the universe of undergraduate nursing programs. Data indicates that there are 126 courses with the traditional in-class modality which have presented expansion since 2000, concentrating in the state's more developed regions. Course offerings have increased mainly in private institutions and in night shifts. The expansion of nursing courses is related to public education policy. Educational, administrative, and the financial management autonomy of educational institutions favor the increased number of institutions
Education, nursing; Education, higher; Higher education institutions; Public Policies
