One of the main issues in discussions on design courses focuses on teaching project design and the field of knowledge encompassing the project design processes required to confi gure visual information systems or items. Historically, the development of project design has been viewed as a point of convergence and networking for various levels of knowledge acquired during the course, underpinning the conjugation of experiences, refl ections, analyses and practical actions. Due to these factors, it would take on a structural role, not only with regard to the syllabus but more specifi cally in the educational and cognitive senses. However, the full functioning of project design teaching focused on the backbone of the course and the driver behind the formation of specifi c design knowledge was hampered significantly during the time of the Minimum Syllabus, (introduced by the Federal Education Council in 1987), due to its somewhat rigid structure. With the establishment of the New National Syllabus Guidelines in 1996 through Law Nº 9,394, teaching institutions were endowed with greater autonomy and fl exibility for defi ning educational proposals and syllabuses for their undergraduate courses. Within this context, it is imperative to refl ect on the countless issues that still remain or arise within the project design teaching sphere. This thesis intends to outline an overview of the construction of the real situation of project design education in design courses as experienced in a variety of contexts in Brazil, based on the identifi cation and analysis of important aspects of the discourse built up through the teaching practices of a group of project design lecturers. It uses the discourse analysis method in order to disclose indicators refl ecting opinions, ideas, beliefs, confl icts and queries, among other aspects, generated by the experience of faculty members belonging to the selected group. The methodological detailing complies with some basic principles of the Underlying Discourse Unveiling Method developed by Nicolaci-da-Costa. The issues addressed are discussed from the standpoint of educational experience, perceiving it as a political territory, a social construct that is the outcome of a historical process. The key points relate to the concepts of knowledge and education, in addition to vision and stance on teaching paradigms and models.