On Thursday (26/09), the Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia (FTUI) held a meeting with a delegation from Monash University, Australia. This meeting aims to evaluate the sustainability of existing cooperation programs and explore new cooperation opportunities, such as 3+2, where students will spend three years at FTUI and two years at Monash to obtain a bachelor’s degree from UI and a master’s degree from Monash.
Opening the meeting, Prof. Ir. Mahmud Sudibandriyo, M.Sc., Ph.D., as the Vice Dean for Resources, Ventures, and General Administration, said, “The collaboration between FTUI and Monash University has provided many opportunities for our students to gain international experience. We hope that the new programs being explored can expand academic opportunities as well as the development of more in-depth joint research in the future.”
“The collaboration between FTUI and Monash University through the articulation agreement 2+2 has been going on for a long time, where currently FTUI sends 26 students who are taking part in the Double Degree (DD) program at Monash. This number is the most when compared to other partner universities,” said Fadhilah Muslim S.T., M.Sc., Ph.D., DIC, as the International Head of FTUI.
In this discussion, Monash University proposed to expand the DD program to several new study programs, namely Bioprocess Engineering, Environmental Engineering, and Computer Engineering. In addition, Monash University offers a scholarship program for 2025, awarding 3 to 4 merit scholarships based on the student’s GPA and academic performance in the first semester at Monash.
Monash University also introduced the Ambassador Program, where students involved in the program will help promote and provide information related to study life at Monash, including departure preparation and study tips. Students who are selected as Monash ambassadors will receive incentives. In addition, Monash University also proposes a Short Camp Program aimed at students who are interested in participating in or continuing the DD program at Monash.
The discussion then continued with the topic of opportunities for the 3+2 fast track scheme which allows students to complete 3 years at FTUI and 2 years at Monash. This program allows students to earn one bachelor’s degree from FTUI and one master’s degree from Monash, namely Master in Advanced Engineering (M.AE). Students who take part in this program will be involved in joint supervision for undergraduate final projects and capstone design projects that can be done at FTUI or Monash.
“Monash University will implement a change in internationalization strategy, where we will limit the number of international students. However, we want to offer deeper cooperation through joint research, joint publications, and joint supervision involving lecturers and students from both universities. This is expected to further strengthen the relationship between Monash and FTUI,” said Prof. Aijun Huang, Associate Dean, International Monash University.
Met on a separate occasion, the Dean of FTUI, Prof. Dr. Ir. Heri Hermansyah, S.T., M.Eng., IPU, said, “New opportunities such as the 3+2 scheme will expand wider opportunities for students to gain academic experience in a global scope. Of course, we also welcome other new initiatives such as the Merit Scholarship, the Ambassador Program, and research collaborations that can be a strategic step to improve the quality of education and research at both universities.”
At this meeting, Prof. Aijun Huang was accompanied by Prof. Sankar Bhattacharya, Head of Chemical Engineering Department of Monash University. Meanwhile, a number of heads of departments and study programs at FTUI were also present, including Dr. Eng. Arief Udhiarto, S.T., M.T., Dr. Deni Ferdian, S.T., M.Sc., Dr. Tania Surya Utami, S.T., M.T, and Dr. lr. Muhammad Salman, S.T., M.I.T. Through this meeting, it is hoped that the cooperation between FTUI and Monash University will grow, not only in the double degree program, but also in joint research and publications.
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Public Communication Office
Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia
