South Tangerang, FAH Online News – Faculty of Adab and Humanities (FAH) UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta goes further in welcoming the opening of the Doctoral Study Program (S3) History of Islamic Civilization. In the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) which was held on Friday (23/5/2025) in the Main Courtroom on the 2nd floor, Campus 3 FAH, stakeholders gathered to discuss the strategic direction and readiness of this program curriculum.

The FGD atmosphere is warm and dynamic, occasionally interspersed with jokes to lighten the atmosphere, but still productive and full of ideas. FAH UIN Jakarta is optimistic that the opening of the Doctoral Study Program in the History of Islamic Civilization will strengthen UIN Jakarta's position as a center of excellence in the study of Islamic civilization in Southeast Asia.

The FGD focuses attention on curriculum aspects, student admission pathways, and academic quality assurance strategies. The draft curriculum being designed includes 44 credits, with an emphasis on Islamic historiography as well as a flexible research approach— including possible pathways by research and regularity.

This event was chaired directly by the Dean of FAH, Dr. Ade Abdul Hak, M.Hum., CIQnR, and attended by a number of professors and senior lecturers, including Prof. Muhammad Zuhdi as, M.Ed., Ph.D. as a direct resource person, there is also Prof. Dr. Sudarnoto Abdul Hakim, MA, Prof. Dr. Jajat Burhanuddin, MA, Dr. Ida Farida, MLIS., and Prof. Dr. Abd. Wahid Hasyim, MA, Dr. Awalia Rahma, MA, Prof. Drs. H. Amirul Hadi MA, Ph.D. Their presence shows the seriousness of FAH in building an international standard doctoral program.

Prof. Sudarnoto emphasized the importance of this program as a forum for strengthening the study of the history of Islamic civilization which is able to contribute to the reconstruction of Islamic scientific narratives in a fair and inclusive manner, both at the national and global levels. This program is also expected to become a magnet for students from within and outside the country.

Discussions were raised on doctoral education models, including the application of fast tracks and by research. Prof. Zuhdi reminded that master's degrees should not be jumped, even though fast track opportunities remain open in the future. Dr. Ida Farida, MLIS., cited practice at UI, where pathway by research requires scientific publication from the start, while regulars place more emphasis on output at the end of the study.

Prof. Zuhdi added that the fast-track is still not possible to implement, because UIN Jakarta must guarantee master's degree graduation before continuing to doctorate. He emphasized the importance of maintaining academic distinctions between levels.

The question of the language of instruction and the prerequisites for admission also came to the fore. Prof. Zuhdi proposed that selection should not equalize standards with undergraduate levels. Meanwhile, a light but sharp discussion also considers whether the Al-Qur'an reading ability test and Arabic language test need to be used as entry requirements, or whether an English language test is sufficient to support scientific research.

From the FGD, three main agendas were agreed: final preparation of the curriculum, integration into the academic system, and uploading to the e-Universe platform. Apart from that, regulations for the acceptance and governance of the head of the Prodi–sekprodi will also be prepared. Adoption of Minister of Education and Culture Regulation No. 53 of 2023 is one of the important references, including the division of 2 semesters of learning and 4 semesters of research.

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