UGM graduated 841 master’s, medical specialty, medical subspecialty, and doctoral students during the Postgraduate Ceremony for the 2024/2025 Academic Year on Thursday (Jan. 23) at Grha Sabha Pramana.
The graduates included 691 master’s graduates, 6 of whom were international students, 73 specialty graduates, 18 subspecialty graduates, 59 doctoral graduates, and 15 graduates from the previous period.
The average study duration for the master’s program was 2 years and 2 months, and 7 graduates achieved a GPA of 4.00.
For the specialty program, the average study duration was 4 years and 1 month, with 59.9% of the graduates achieving the distinction of Cum Laude.
The youngest graduate in the subspecialty program was from the Surgery program, who completed their studies at the age of 33 years and 4 months.
The average study duration for the doctoral program was 4 years and 8 months, and six graduates achieved a GPA of 4.00.
At this graduation, Nezar Patria, Deputy Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs and Secretary General of Kagama, delivered a message to the graduates urging them to be proactive in facing changes and challenges in the global job market.
This alumnus of UGM’s Faculty of Philosophy cited the Future of Jobs Report from the World Economic Forum, which states that technological changes, particularly the expansion of digital access, will be the most transformative trend by 2025.
Moreover, 60 percent of global companies see this as the main driver of their business transformation by 2030.
“Jobs that exist today are predicted to experience a decline in demand, and 39% of the skills you possess today will become obsolete or will at least need improvement,” he said.
Patria added that AI (Artificial Intelligence) and robotics advancements will affect almost all sectors, from government to industry and even the academic sector. AI specialists, big data analysts, and software developers are predicted to be the fastest-growing and most in-demand jobs.
However, the future job market will also require more human-centered skills, such as creativity, leadership, flexibility, and resilience.
“As UGM graduates, you have the strength to bridge traditional values and modern technology to lead innovation while maintaining harmony with nature and society. Let’s work together to build the nation and even contribute to the country’s advancement,” he said.
In her address, UGM Rector Professor Ova Emilia stated that UGM has a mandate to develop knowledge that impacts society, including preparing excellent future talent.
This is being prepared, in part, to address three major challenges in 2025: increasing global geopolitical tensions and divisions, misinformation and disinformation threatening stability and progress, and environmental crises leading to extreme weather and ecosystem destruction.
“On the other hand, in the technology sector, we are faced with an era of intelligence, an era where artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and blockchain innovations are growing. These advancements can be said to bring changes as well as evolving challenges,” said Rector Emilia.
According to her, the task of education is not merely to produce graduates equipped with skills and knowledge but also to ensure they are of strong character, adaptive, and competitive so they can become agents of change in solving transnational and global issues.
“Recently, an alumnus from the Faculty of Geography and an alumnus from Geological Engineering completed an expedition to Antarctica and became part of the Russian Antarctica Expedition (RAE). This achievement is one example of alumni making a mark on the international stage through the application of knowledge,” she concluded.
Dian Riana Ningsih, a representative of the graduates from the Doctoral Program in Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA UGM), also delivered remarks during the graduation ceremony.
She believes that the graduation of UGM students is not meant to exacerbate existing social problems but rather to signify the responsibility placed on the graduates’ shoulders to contribute to society’s well-being.
“We are all proud to be part of UGM, a university that continuously excels and establishes itself as a leading higher education institution in Indonesia,” said Dr. Ningsih.
She added that the graduates’ collective memory will never forget that UGM is the custodian of Pancasila’s sacred values, a university that history has entrusted with nurturing the principles of Unity in Diversity.
The public regards UGM as a campus of struggle and the people’s campus. Dr. Ningsih hopes UGM will continue to belong to the people, not to officials, relatives, or even conglomerates, a campus preserved with empathy and dedication.
“I invite my fellow graduates to always uphold the good name of UGM and to apply the knowledge we have gained to make Indonesia a better and more dignified country on the international stage,” she concluded.
Author: Triya Andriyani
Post-editor: Afifudin Baliya
Photographer: Donnie