Indonesian Higher Education System
Dec 23, 2008
As a scientific community and institution, higher education has the responsibility to fulfill three functions: (a) education, (b) research and (c) community service. These three roles are known as Tri Dharma Perguruan Tinggi.
1. Forms and Types of Higher Education
Article 19 of the National Education System Laws states that Higher Education is the level of education following middle school and comprises diploma, bachelor's , master's, specialists and doctoral levels which are run by institutions of higher education using an open system allowing students flexibility in choice, duration of studies and levels of education.
Higher Education which consists of (1) academic education which focuses on the mastery of knowledge and (2) vocational education which focuses on preparing the graduates to apply their expertise.
Institutions of Higher Education offering academic and vocational education can be differentiated according to the level and the programs offered, i.e. colleges, polytechnics, schools of higher education, institutions and universities.
Colleges offer vocational education in one discipline or part of one discipline of science, technology, and/or art. Whereas polytechnics provide vocational education in particular fields of science. These two forms of higher education provide education at diploma level. Examples of these are Language Colleges and Agriculture Polytechnics.
Schools of Higher Education offer both academic and/or vocational education in one discipline in science. Thus, these schools offer both diploma and bachelor's degrees. However, when a school meets the requirements they can offer the next level of education after a bachelors degree. The School of Computer Science is an example of this.
Institutes and Universities are Institutions of higher education that provide education leading up to a bachelor's degree. Institutes offer academic and/or vocational education In certain groups of disciplines of science, technology and/or are On the other hand, universities provide academic and/or vocational education in several fields of science, technology or art. These institutions are also able to cater to the education at professional levels. The Institute of Art is one example
2. Education Levels and Study Requirements
Institutions of higher education providing academic as well as vocational education offer various levels of education. Those offering academic education can offer Sarjana (Bachelor's) degrees and are also able to offer professional programs and Magister (S2) or Masters programs, Specialist Programs (SP) and Doctoral Programs (S3). Whereas those catering to vocational education offer Diploma I, II III, and IV programs.
In order to complete the S1 or Bachelor's education, a student is required to take 144 - 160 semester credit units (SKS) 1) over a period of eight (8) up to twelve (12) semesters 2), At S2 or Master's level, a student must take 39 up to 50 SKS over a period of four (4) to ten (10) semesters and 76 up to 88 SKS for the S3 or doctoral level which are to be completed within eight (8) to fourteen (14) semesters.
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1) One credit unit (SKS) is awarded to a student who has
fulfilled a course of one semester consisting of weekly scheduled activities
comprising one hour et factures or 2 hours of practicum or 4 hours of field
work, each of which follow a schedule of 1-2 hours of structured activities
and about 1-2 hours of independent study. |
3. Methods of Learning and Academic Schedules
Higher levels of education can be implemented in several modes: regular or face-to-face and distance learning. Regular education is implemented using direct communication between the lecturers and the students, whereas distance learning is carried out using various channels of communication such as correspondence, radio, audio/video, television and computer networks.
In both methods of learning, academic activities or the academic year commences in September. One academic year is divided into a minimum of two (2) semesters, consisting of at least 16 weeks. An institution of higher education could also implement a short semester between the two regular semesters.
The recruitment of students at higher education levels is based on certain requirements, procedures, and objective selection which is not discriminative and is regulated by the Senate of each Institution. Recruitment of students is the responsibility of the management of those institutions.
Candidates for D1, D2, D3, D4 and S1 levels must have completed senior high school education or the equivalent and passed the entrance examinations of each respective institution. Candidates of S2 levels must have a S1 or bachelor's degree or its equivalent and passed the selection examination. For S3 levels, a candidate must have a S2 or master's degree or its equivalent and passed the selection.