THE EXPANSION OF PHYSICAL EDUCATION IN BRAZILIAN HIGHER EDUCATION

ABSTRACT This documentary research aimed to present considerations on the scenario of the expansion of Physical Education in the context of Brazilian higher education, focusing, on its main developments for the area. For this, we used data from the Statistical Synopses of the Higher Education Census, which were interpreted in light of the concepts of Pierre Bourdieu and Ulrich Beck. The results indicated that, on the basis of the expansion, there was the creation and opening of new Physical Education courses, presenting a considerable increase (874%),between 1991-2015. The expansion was mainly due to the private sector, which accounted for the highest growth (1,381%). This brings up side effects that have implied a set of challenges forPhysical Education in the country.