Are you interested in studying agriculture? If so, consider enrolling at the UGM Faculty of Agriculture (Agriculture UGM). This faculty is a pioneer in agricultural and fisheries education in Indonesia, established on Sep. 27, 1946, three years before UGM was officially founded.
It originated from the merger of the Klaten Agricultural College and the Yogyakarta Agricultural Academy. To date, Agriculture UGM has significantly contributed to food security through research, innovation, and practical solutions addressing global challenges such as increasing food demand due to population growth, decreasing agricultural land, and mitigating the impacts of climate change.
“The Faculty of Agriculture is committed to preparing and producing excellent human resources in agriculture to develop policies and technologies oriented toward problem-solving,” stated Dr. Jaka Widada, Dean of Agriculture UGM, on Monday (May 13).
According to Dean Widada, alumni of the Faculty of Agriculture have significantly contributed as civil servants (ASN) in various ministries, government agencies, state-owned enterprises (BUMN), private companies, and regional organizations at the provincial and regency/city levels.
In addition to being bureaucrats, many alumni work as assistant researchers at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) and other research institutions focused on agriculture and fisheries.
“Some alumni also work in journalism and broadcasting, as we have a major in Agricultural Extension and Communication (PKP),” he added.
He noted that many alumni have decided to become entrepreneurs, successfully establishing businesses in various fields such as palm oil plantations, cocoa, coffee, horticulture, organic rice, and shrimp farming.
Dean Widada mentioned that the Faculty of Agriculture has nine programs: Agronomy, Plant Protection, Agricultural Microbiology, Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, Agricultural Extension and Communication (PKP), Soil Science, Aquaculture, Aquatic Resource Management, and Fisheries Product Technology.
Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness attract the most applicants among these programs, with 1,643 prospective students vying for 90 spots.
“This means that, on average, only one applicant is accepted out of 18 applicants,” said Dean Widada.
The faculty regularly conducts program accreditations to enhance academic quality. Three of the nine programs have received the highest accreditation rating from the National Accreditation Board for Higher Education (BAN-PT). Additionally, all programs except Agricultural Microbiology are fully accredited by the international accrediting agency ASIIN in Germany.
Dean Widada explained that faculty and student exchange programs are continually promoted to enhance the internationalization of the Faculty of Agriculture. In addition to regularly inviting foreign lecturers for public lectures, internationalization efforts include student exchange activities abroad.
“In 2023, we sent students to Gyeongsang National University, Ibaraki University, and Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology,” said Dean Widada.
Several students also participated in exchanges through the IISMA program with the University of Rome, Italy, and Sookmyung Women’s University in South Korea in the same year. He hopes that the internationalization process at the Faculty of Agriculture will continue to develop.
Currently, the faculty is initiating a partnership with Flinders University, Australia, to launch a dual degree program and a 3+1+1 program (fast track + dual degree program).
According to him, students who meet the requirements will have the opportunity to earn three degrees in five years: a Bachelor’s degree, a domestic Master’s degree, and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Flinders University.
Dicky Eka Setyawan, the 2024 Outstanding Student of the Faculty of Agriculture, explained his reason for choosing to study at the faculty. He wanted to help solve problems faced by farmers, leading him to choose the Plant Protection program.
“Pests and pathogens in food crops, horticulture, and plantations keep evolving. Proper plant health management is needed to maintain ecosystem balance and ensure production is not disrupted. Therefore, I am interested in learning this to educate farmers,” he said.
Regarding his plans after graduation, this 2020 fast-track program student hopes to work as a research and development (R&D) professional in a plantation, seed, or agrochemical company.
Meanwhile, Irene Raynitha Murdiki, a 2020 fast-track student in the Fisheries Product Technology (THP) program, shared that she gained a lot of knowledge during her studies, which will be beneficial when she enters the workforce and engages with the community.
“I was initially surprised in my first year because we not only learned about fishery product processing and organic waste management. It was exciting to learn so much,” said the student who aspires to join the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries.
According to Murdiki, in addition to learning food technology, THP students are also taught mechanical engineering to learn refrigeration technology for fish handling, architectural science to create industrial models, and nutrition and health to develop fishery-based processed products.
Author: Triya Andriyani
Editor: Gusti Grehenson