Graduation marks the beginning of a new journey for students in the fast-track program, an accelerated path that enables undergraduate students to continue directly to a master’s degree under specific requirements set by their study programs.
During the graduation ceremony for the bachelor’s and applied bachelor’s programs on Aug. 24-25, 2024, 82 graduates from the fast-track pathway completed their bachelor’s degrees while simultaneously continuing their master’s education.
Two of them are Muhammad Faris Al Rif’at from the Plant Protection program at the Faculty of Agriculture and Shafira Khairunnisa Subchan from the Civil Engineering program at the Faculty of Engineering.
Joy was certainly evident in Muhammad Faris Al Rif’at, one of the graduates who achieved a GPA of 3.93 in the fast track program from the Plant Protection Study Program.
Although he had just graduated with his bachelor’s degree, he was already enrolled in the master’s program in Plant Pest Science.
“Starting from semester 7 of my undergraduate program, while working on my undergraduate thesis, I also had to attend regular classes for the master’s program. I’m thrilled to have completed this phase of my education,” said Faris.
He began the fast track program during semesters 7 and 8 while simultaneously taking 14 credits in the first semester and 16 credits in the second semester of the master’s program.
Faris admitted that he had to be very good at managing his time between his undergraduate thesis research and his regular master’s classes.
“The biggest challenge while studying is adjusting the timeline between research, master’s classes, being a research assistant, and lab work,” he said.
However, Faris has a special strategy for tackling these overlaps. He always prepares his reading materials before starting class and focuses on class discussions.
“I think nothing is too heavy. I work on my thesis research in the afternoons or vice versa, although I often have to go to campus or the laboratory on weekends or holidays to complete my work,” Faris recalled.
His thesis research topic focuses on fruit flies, which remain a major pest that causes damage and hinders the export of salak fruit. He plans to continue this research in his thesis on the behavior patterns of fruit fly attacks on salak fruit at a field scale.
“We hope this research can help farmers, especially salak fruit farmers,” he stated.
Shafira Khairunnisa Subchan is another graduate who is participating in the fast-track program. The Civil Engineering graduate completed her studies with a GPA of 3.88 and applied for the program while still in her sixth semester.
This program allows her to “save one year” on her master’s degree, and she received a scholarship while pursuing it.
“I got a 50% reduction in tuition fees with the condition that I become a teaching assistant,” she said.
Shafira, who aspires to work in structural civil engineering, chose the Master’s in Civil Engineering program, which aligns with her undergraduate program.
She was also already interested in deepening her knowledge, innovation, and research in civil engineering.
“I am interested in this field because I want to contribute more significantly to infrastructure projects that impact society, improving quality and construction efficiency,” she explained.
Her interest in civil engineering solidified her commitment to continuing her research titled “Analysis of the Behavior of Bowstring-Type Pedestrian Bridge Structures Made of Ulin Wood” in depth during her master’s program.
“The essence of my research for my thesis was related to the behavior of wooden bridge structures without considering the configuration of the wood joints. In my thesis, the research became more specific to ulin wood joints, conducted using analytical, numerical, and experimental methods in the laboratory,” she clarified.
Shafira noted that the main obstacles and challenges in the fast-track program were related to study strategies, target achievement strategies, and time management patterns.
According to her, the biggest challenge is maintaining academic performance. She faced many challenges, particularly regarding time.
The effort put in must also be proportional. Although it was generally challenging, especially in managing time, sleep patterns, studying, completing assignments, exercising, etc.
“Sleeping only 4 to 5 hours has become a daily routine. Therefore, the biggest challenge is managing my healthy, smart, and cheerful lifestyle. At first, it was indeed tough, but eventually, I got used to it,” Shafira said enthusiastically.
The fast track program is an accelerated student learning initiative organized by UGM based on Rector’s Regulation No. 23 of 2024.
Each level of the fast-track program requires different conditions for selection, including GPA, English proficiency, and academic potential. The fast track program can be offered for master’s or applied master’s programs and doctoral or applied doctoral programs.
For master’s or applied master’s programs, you must have completed 6 semesters or not yet graduated from the undergraduate level.
In contrast, the requirement for doctoral or applied doctoral programs is to have completed at least 2 semesters and not yet graduated at the master’s level.
Reportage: B. Diah Listianingsih
Author: Lintang
Editor: Gusti Grehenson
Post-editor: Afif