The objective of the research is to analyze the work meanings of the graduate stricto sensu professors of the areas of Administration and Education of the Rio Grande do Sul State. The research carried out is of a descriptive nature with a qualitative approach. The data collection was conducted through a 27 semi-structured interview script and the information analyzed based on the technique of content analysis. For those interviewed, meaningful work provides personal satisfaction, achievement, and identity. It is a work that is organized to present clear goals and useful results, which provides possibilities for establishing interpersonal relationships, social insertion and that is morally acceptable. In this way, the results combine the meanings of the work found by Morin (2001) and Morin, Tonelli and Pliopas (2003), to those reported by Oliveira, Piccinini, Fontoura and Schuweig (2004) and Piccinini, Oliveira, Fontoura and Schweig (2005) in his studies, showing the characteristics of a job that makes sense. Managerially the results can help the HEIs in questions related to the organization of teaching work, such as bureaucracy, excess meetings, excessive workload, and poor division of management positions.