History is more than just a record of the past. In the hands of a university, history becomes a space for reading change, understanding civilization, and shaping the future. That spirit underpins UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta's move to expand its doctoral education through a proposal to open a Doctoral Program in the History of Islamic Civilization at the Faculty of Adab and Cultural Sciences (FADIB).

This important milestone was marked by a field assessment (AL) of the proposed study program on Friday, August 14, 2026, at FADIB's 2nd Floor Meeting Room. The assessment was carried out by a team of assessors consisting of Prof. Dr. H. Ija Suntana, M.Ag., from UIN Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung, and Prof. Dr. Fauzan, M.A., from UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, accompanied by Sri Haryanti, M.M., from the Directorate of Islamic Higher Education (DIKTIS). The activity was also attended by Vice Rector I, the Dean of FADIB and faculty leadership, the Dean of FST, the Chair of the Quality Assurance Institute (LPM), unit heads, professors, and lecturers projected to become part of the new program.

Vice Rector for Academic Affairs and Institutional Development at UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, Prof. Istiningsih, affirmed that developing new study programs is part of the university's ongoing effort to expand and strengthen its academic ecosystem. This development remains grounded in UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta's defining character: the integration-interconnection of knowledge.

“We haven't left religious knowledge behind. Religious knowledge remains the soul of UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta; it is about how we bring about integration and interconnection between religious knowledge and secular knowledge,” she said.

According to her, the university strengthens its academic fields on parallel tracks. On one hand, UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta is preparing the development of Campus II in Pajangan, aimed at strengthening its STEM fields. On the other hand, the university continues to strengthen its Islamic studies and humanities disciplines through the development of study programs at various levels.

This step is part of the broader dynamics of UIN Sunan Kalijaga's development. In her remarks, Prof. Istiningsih noted that 13 new study programs have been established under the leadership of Rector Prof. Noorhaidi. The development of master's and doctoral programs continues to be pushed forward as well, including efforts to strengthen international programs to reach a global academic reputation.

FADIB Dean Prof. Nurdin described the field assessment as an important milestone for the faculty's development. He welcomed the assessment team and the DIKTIS representative, while also demonstrating FADIB's readiness, alongside the university, to deliver a doctoral program with a strong academic foundation.

“This is a very important activity, and one that will determine the progress of the Faculty of Adab and Cultural Sciences,” he said.

Notably, interest in this doctoral program was already evident even before the study program officially begins. Prof. Nurdin revealed that a number of prospective students have already been asking when the program will open.

“Even before it opens, there are already students waiting. Several people have asked when it will open. This is truly remarkable,” he said.

This readiness is reinforced by the academic resources of the professors and lecturers projected to serve as the program's core (homebase) faculty. Their presence is an important part of ensuring the doctoral program has adequate academic capacity, while also being able to develop in-depth studies in the History of Islamic Civilization.

On the assessment side, the assessor team verified the actual conditions of the proposed program. Prof. Dr. H. Ija Suntana explained that the team's visit was aimed at ensuring the submitted documents matched the conditions on the ground.

“What we want to confirm is that the documents submitted match the conditions in the field,” he explained.

Three main aspects were the focus of the assessment: curriculum, human resources, and facilities and infrastructure. The assessor team also made sure that assigning faculty to the new study program would not disrupt the faculty-to-student ratio in existing study programs.

This assessment also shows that opening a new study program at UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta is not only about expanding educational options, but is also prepared through a measured academic process and quality assurance. Support across units, from the faculty and LPM to professors and lecturers, forms part of the institution's readiness to deliver a new doctoral program.

For UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta, developing the Doctoral Program in the History of Islamic Civilization is more than simply opening a new degree track. Beyond that, this step represents an effort to strengthen the academic tradition of reading Islamic history and civilization both critically and contextually.

With the strength of its Islamic scholarly tradition, the support of its academic resources, and its integration-interconnection paradigm, UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta continues to affirm its position as a university that not only preserves scholarly heritage, but also develops it to address the challenges of the future. (humassk)