Three study programs in the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS), the Accounting, Management, and Development Economics Study Program, are applying for the Agency for Quality Assurance by Accreditation of Study Programs (AQAS) International Accreditation this 2021. The study programs’ AQAS Self Evaluation Report (SER) was submitted in early August 2021 along with two other study programs in UNS. If the desk evaluation review returned a favorable result, the study programs would undergo a virtual site assessment in early November. In this regard, FEB UNS organized a hybrid AQAS Accreditation Dissemination and Preparation for the faculty members on Wednesday, September 1, 2021.

The event, which was attended by all faculty members, academic support staff, and student organizations representatives, invited two speakers, Dr. Heni Hendrayati, SIP, MM., from the Indonesian Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia Bandung, and Irwan Trinugroho, SE, M.Sc. Ph.D., the Director of Partnership, Development, and Internationalization UNS, who is also a Lecturer at FEB UNS.

The Dean of FEB UNS, Prof. Drs. Djoko Suhardjanto, M.Com Hons, Ph.D., Ak., in his speech, states that AQAS is one of the international accreditation institutions recognized by the Directorate General of Higher Education (Dikti). The accreditation was established in 2002 and is headquartered in Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.

“Since UNS was determined as a State University with Legal Entity (PTNBH) starting of October 6, 2019, we have been given the mandate to be the top 500 global universities. This is an arduous assignment and has become our collective responsibility; therefore, an international accreditation is very much needed,” he said.

Furthermore, the Ministry set a target for the Universitas Sebelas Maret to have 15 out of its 167 study programs accredited internationally. It is clear that for the FEB UNS, the target is to get all of its study programs accredited internationally.

In fact, before UNS was designated as PTNBH, the study programs at FEB had been accredited and certified internationally. The Bachelor in Management and Development Economics Study Program has received AUN QA certification, while the Bachelor in Accounting Study Program received EPAS certification. As for the postgraduate study programs, the Masters in Accounting, Masters in Management, Masters in Accounting, and Doctoral Programs in Economics, have been certified by ABEST 21. However, all those previous accreditation institutions are currently not recognized by DIKTI. Hence, the Faculty need a slight amendment to find a recognized international accreditation agency.

At the end of his remarks, the Dean wishes that the two speakers will enlighten the Faculty members on the focal point of AQAS Accreditation to assist the study programs at FEB UNS in earning the international certification. According to BAN-PT criteria, if a study program has received international accreditation, it will automatically be granted superior status. Hopefully, by the end of this year, all undergraduate study programs will be internationally accredited.

The two invited speakers for the session explained in detail the preparation process, the site visit, and the description AQAS accreditation assessment. The invited speakers also explained the strategies needed to ensure the assessment process went smoothly.

Dr. Irwan emphasized that the most crucial aspect of the assessment is the preparation of lecturers, students, and any other stakeholders invited to the interview session. The study program task force must discuss and communicate all assessment material and criteria to the invited stakeholder to establish a similar understanding according to the study program’s SER. Furthermore, the study programs must prepare and arrange all potential documents in a virtual drive to facilitate the ease of access. Additionally, the assessed study programs must follow the approved schedule and focus on the assessment process. (Humas FEB)