Indonesia
Malang – Doctoral in Multicultural Islamic Religious Education (S3 PAI) at the Postgraduate Program of Universitas Islam Malang is intensifying efforts to produce high-caliber graduates through rigorous examinations and structured academic supervision. On Tuesday, December 3, 2024, the program conducted two consecutive dissertation defenses in a single day.
In early December 2024, UNISMA’s Postgraduate Program officially conferred a doctoral degree upon candidate Taufik for his dissertation titled “The Implementation of Multicultural Islamic Religious Education Values at Pesantren Karay Gending, Sumenep.”
Taufik, who serves as Chair of the PCNU Pamekasan, was formally declared to have passed his doctoral examination.
In the subsequent session, the committee also conferred a doctorate upon candidate Imam Alfafan for his dissertation entitled “The Spirit of Multicultural Islamic Religious Education as a Framework for Religious Conflict Resolution in Pancasila Village, Dompu Regency.”
The examinations were held at the East Java Study Center. The Director of Postgraduate Studies, Prof. H. M. Mas’ud Said, M.M., Ph.D., invited distinguished internal and external senior academics to ensure the highest academic standards in the evaluation process.
External examiners included Prof. Abdul Haris from UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang and Prof. Dr. Suko Susilo, M.Si from Universitas Islam Tribakti Kediri.
The Board of Professors was chaired by Prof. Junaidi Mistar, Ph.D., who also serves as Rector of UNISMA, with Prof. H. M. Mas’ud Said, M.M., Ph.D. acting as secretary. Other internal examiners included Prof. Dr. H. Imam Suprayogo, Prof. Dr. Maskuri Bakri, M.Si., and Prof. Dr. Junaidi Ghoni.
Read also: UNISMA Awards Four Doctoral Degrees in Islamic Religious Education in June 2025
The Postgraduate Program is committed to ensuring that doctoral candidates complete their studies on schedule. “Multicultural Islamic Religious Education dissertations must contribute genuine novelty to the discipline and advance new theoretical perspectives,” said the Flinders University graduate.
As Director, Prof. Mas’ud Said and his team continue to work systematically and strategically to support UNISMA’s vision of becoming a world-class university, driven by internationally recognized research and academic innovation that produces highly competent graduates.
Doctoral candidate Imam Alfafan presenting his dissertation research.
“We strongly encourage our doctoral students to publish their dissertation findings in Scopus-indexed journals,” he emphasized.
Prof. Junaidi Ghoni, Head of the Doctoral Program, further underscored the importance of strengthening students’ field research capacity to ensure their dissertations generate substantive and original findings.
As a result of what the institution describes as “good university governance,” the Doctoral Program has produced 104 doctoral graduates who are now contributing actively across various sectors of society. (MMS/AL/PPS)
