Yogyakarta, May 21, 2026─The Master’s Program in International Relations, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIPOL) Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), once again held a Master’s Open Day on Thursday (May 21). Taking place online via the Zoom platform, this event was specifically designed for prospective students interested in pursuing postgraduate studies within the UGM International Relations (IR) program.
In this year’s Open Day, participants not only received an in-depth presentation about the study program, curriculum, and registration procedures, but also had the opportunity to experience a lecture firsthand through a class sit-in session.
During the first session, which ran from 08:30 to 10:00 WIB, the Master’s Program in International Relations socialized the implementation of the 2024 Curriculum, which is designed to be more adaptive and efficient. One of the program representatives, Muhammad Rum, explained that the study duration is now designed so that students can graduate faster.
“The hope is to graduate within 3 semesters. So the duration of our curriculum is 1.5 years for you to earn a Master of Arts degree,” explained Mas Rum. He also emphasized another advantage of this system, “In our 2024 curriculum, there is a section on distinctive features… students can complete their studies in 3 semesters, and those 3 semesters already include writing the thesis.”
Furthermore, the credit system in this new curriculum has been aligned with the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) standards. The educational quality of the UGM Master’s Program in International Relations (MIHI) is also increasingly recognized globally after successfully obtaining international accreditation from the German-based agency, ACQUIN, in March 2026. Institutionally, UGM’s International Relations also ranks 156th globally and first nationally for political and international studies based on the QS World University Rankings.
Following the enthusiasm during the socialization and Q&A session regarding scholarship tracks, the event continued with a class sit-in. Participants were invited to join the “Contemporary Topics in International Relations” class, coordinated by Prof. Dr. Poppy S. Winanti, who is also the Vice Dean for Academic and Student Affairs at FISIPOL UGM.
“For this open day opportunity, the Head of the Study Program requested this to be a class that the general public can attend, as well as being part of the series to experience what lectures are like in the IR Master’s program,” said Prof. Poppy as she welcomed the participants. She added that this moment was a valuable opportunity for the participants because they could interact directly with the scheduled practitioner guest lecturer, namely Dr. Didik Triwibowo, General Manager of HSE at PT Adaro, who shared practical insights regarding the extractive industry. In his presentation, Dr. Didik highlighted the challenges of digital transformation and post-mining land management.
For prospective students interested in applying, the admissions committee also provided important information regarding the upcoming registration schedule. The department administrators explained that the Master’s Program in International Relations at FISIPOL UGM is preparing to open its fourth wave of registration from June 9 to June 30. Through this Master’s Open Day series of events, the UGM Master’s Program in International Relations hopes to provide a complete and comprehensive overview for prospective students in preparing for their academic journey at the postgraduate level and realizing a quality education.