Faculty of Social and Political Sciences UGM has opened Double Degree Sociology master’s Program in cooperation with Master of Social Policy, University of Melbourne, Australia. Registration starts this February. The students need to conduct studies for 2 semesters at UGM and 2 semesters at Melbourne and will earn Master of Arts (MA) Sociology degree from UGM and Master of Social Policy degree from University of Melbourne.
Dean of Faculty of Social and Political Sciences UGM, Dr. Erwan Agus Purwanto, said the international double degree programme was the real work of the Faculty to make each of their study programme have international level. “Faculty of Social and Political Sciences UGM highly appreciates Sociology Department that has gone international. Hopefully, this can be followed by other departments,” said Erwan during the Double Degree programme launching at the Faculty of Friday (27/1).
According to Erwan, the current era’s globalisation challenge has driven universities to establish more extensive cooperation at the global level, thus producing graduates with global insight. “In response to the globalisation, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences UGM is prepared and already has several international study programmes, both in undergraduate and graduate levels,” he said.
The launching event is also marked by signing of cooperation agreement with BPJS Ketenagakerjaan agency that wants to send their staff to join this programme. “We hope this will produce graduates that are excellent that can lead the BPJS forward, facing the dynamics in manpower area, whether in the country or Indonesian migrants” he said.
Chairman of Sociology department, Dr. Arie Sudjito, said the programme launching started from the commitment of Faculty of Social and Political Sciences UGM and BPJS Ketenagakerjaan related to education, research, and training for the development of BPJS Ketenagakerjaan. “This started from the ideas of the two parties on social policy issues. Through this study programme, we hope there will be more research that facilitates studies and discussion on manpower,” he said.
Director of General Affairs and Human Resource of BPJS Ketenagakerjaan, Naufal Mahfudz, appreciated the establishment of study programme that concentrates on development of expertise and protection of manpower. He said, “The dispatch of our staff to UGM is an effort to achieve our vision and mission in manpower affairs and enhance our organisational capacities,” he added.
He also explained that they were currently facing tough challenges as only some 48 million of 118 million workforce are already covered by the BPJS Ketenagakerjaan. Even so, the BPJS Ketenagakerjaan will continue to recruit manpower and to cover them along with the increasing figure of productive age. “We know the productive age is increasing, so we will recruit the potential of this workforce,” he concluded.