Development Economy Study Program (DESP), Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta, hosted a Dissemination of Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) Program to DESP students, especially for the 4th-semester students, on 28 February 2023 at Soedarah Soepono Building FEB UNS. This agenda aims to prepare students to understand the stages, procedures, and process dynamics of MBKM application in DESP FEB UNS.

Bhimo Rizky Samudro, S.E., M.Si,. Ph.D., the Head of DESP, delivers an overview of the MBKM Program hosted by the Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek), which the objective to give liberty and autonomy to education institutions to be independent of bureaucracy, while lecturers are freed from complex bureaucracy, and students are given the freedom to choose their preferred field of study.

Bhimo Rizky Samudro, Ph.D., the Head of DESP

Several MBKM programs provided by the Ministry of Education are student exchange, independent study/project, entrepreneurship, research, humanities project, rural development, internship, and teaching assistance.

The DESP has provided various supporting accommodations to facilitate MBKM Program implementation.

“The Study Program always provides support and assistance for students who wish to participate in MBKM to improve student’s individual quality and competency,” he explains.

To this day, the Study Program has delegates outbound students through the Permata Sakti Program and welcomed inbound students through an internal program in collaboration with the Economics Education Study Program FKIP UNS under the HRM course.

Moreover, DESP also establishes a reciprocal partnership, student exchange (inbound and outbound) with Development Economy Study Program FEB in Universitas Brawijiaya, Universitas Negeri Jember, Universitas Jenderal Soedirman, and Universitas Negeri Semarang. DESP FEB UNS also received inbound students from the reciprocal partnership with Development Economy Study Program FEB Universitas Lambung Mangkurat and participated in Permata Merdeka MBKM Program.

Further, Dr. Bhimo explains the system for Kampus Merdeka Program applied in DESP FEB UNS, established by the Study Program to assist students through their participation in the Program.

Participants of the Dissemination Session: Second-Year DESP Students

For instance, in the student exchange program, DESP chose non-block learning for MBKM Program. Through this model, the Study Program offers General Courses and Study Program-specific courses at the introductory level in the first and second semesters.

In the third and fourth semesters, the Study Program offers intermediate-level Program-specific courses, while in the fourth to sixth semesters, students have the right to take courses from other Study Programs, either out of university, internship (fifth and seventh semester), or courses offered by other Study Programs in their home university (sixth semester). After completing the MBKM Program, students will continue their studies to the eighth semester to finish their final student thesis.