FAI Unismuh Kembali Conducts Field Assessments for Religious Studies Education Program

The Faculty of Islamic Studies (FAI) of Universitas Muhammadiyah Makassar is undergoing another field assessment to open a new study program. Following last week's visit by BAN-PT for the "Akhwal Syakhsiyah" (Family Law) program, on Friday, April 10, 2026, FAI Unismuh also received a team of assessors for the assessment of the new Religious Studies Postgraduate Program (PPG) at the professional level.

The activity is organized by the Directorate of Islamic Higher Education, the Directorate General of Islamic Education, the Ministry of Religion of the Republic of Indonesia, at the 17th Floor of the Iqra Building at the Muhammadiyah University of Makassar Campus.

The assessor team present in the field assessment includes Prof. Dr. Arifuddin Ahmad, M.Ag and Prof. Dr. Miftah Arifin, M.Ag. Both have been tasked with conducting field assessments for the approval of new religious studies programs, specifically the Religious Studies PPG at the Faculty of Islamic Studies of Unismuh Makassar.

Also present and giving a speech at the event were the Secretary of the Directorate General of Islamic Education, Ministry of Religion of the Republic of Indonesia, Prof. Dr. M. Arskal Salim GP., M.Ag, and the Secretary of Kopertais Region VIII Sulawesi, Maluku, and Papua, Dr. Nur Taufiq Sanusi Baco, M.Ag.

In his speech, the Rector of Unismuh Makassar, Dr. Ir. H. Abd. Rakhim Nanda, S.T., M.T., IPU, expressed his appreciation for the presence of the Indonesian Ministry of Religion evaluators team. According to him, the field assessment is an important stage to match and validate all the documents submitted by the university.

"We are very grateful for the presence of the evaluators. This assessment process is an important step to validate the submitted documents, both in terms of resources and facilities," he said.

At the event, the Rector also presented several strategic achievements of Unismuh Makassar, including achieving "Excellent" Institutional Accreditation, ISO 21001:2018 certification, and inclusion in international rankings such as the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2025 and THE World University Rankings 2026. These achievements, according to him, are a strong foundation for the development of excellent and competitive new study programs.

The Dean of FAI Unismuh Makassar, Dr. Amirah Mawardi, said that in the past two weeks, FAI has been carrying out two important agendas, namely the BAN-PT visit for the "Akhwal Syakhsiyah" (Family Law) program and the field assessment for the opening of the Religious Studies PPG program. According to him, this pace reflects FAI's seriousness in expanding academic services while strengthening institutional quality.

He added that FAI is currently undergoing accreditation by three accreditation bodies, namely BAN-PT, LAMDIK, and LAMSPAK, which require meticulous academic and administrative readiness. Currently, FAI has three programs with "Excellent" status, namely Islamic Education, Sharia Economics, and Arabic Language Education. Therefore, he hopes that the "Akhwal Syakhsiyah" (Family Law) program, which was visited last week, will also achieve the "Excellent" status.

Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Task Force Team, Dr. Alamsyah, M.H.I., said that this field assessment is the result of intensive preparation by the team. According to him, all relevant parties have strived to meet all the requirements, starting from academic documents, governance, human resources, to supporting learning facilities.

In carrying out this task, the task force team was strengthened by Dr. Mursyid Fikri, as the Secretary of the Team, as well as other team members, including Dr. Ferdinan, Dr. Sulaeman Masnan, and Dr. Abdul Fattah. The presence of this team is an important part in ensuring that the entire process of the field assessment runs in a measurable and systematic manner.

In addition, the assessment process was also actively assisted by the faculty leaders, namely the Vice Dean I of FAI, Dr. Ilham Muchtar and Vice Dean II of FAI, Dr. Nurhidaya Muchtar, Vice Dean III Elly Oscar, M.Pd.I., and Vice Dean IV Ya’kub, M.Pd.I. The involvement of these leaders reflects FAI's seriousness in overseeing the opening of new programs as part of institutional strengthening.

Dr. Alamsyah emphasized that the opening of the Religious Studies PPG program is a strategic step in expanding the contribution of FAI Unismuh, particularly in preparing professional religious education teachers. Therefore, the task force team is committed to overseeing the entire process to ensure that the program can soon obtain approval.

For FAI Unismuh, the two visits in consecutive weeks indicate that this faculty is moving at an accelerated pace. Last week strengthened existing programs through the "Akhwal Syakhsiyah" (Family Law) visit, and this week opens the way for new programs through the Religious Studies PPG assessment. These two agendas, despite being different, have the same goal, namely strengthening the role of FAI Unismuh in producing outstanding, professional, and relevant graduates for the needs of the community and the nation.

Through this field assessment, FAI Unismuh hopes that the Religious Studies PPG program will soon obtain approval, so that it can contribute to preparing professional teachers in the field of religious education. The presence of this program is also expected to expand the contribution of Unismuh Makassar in developing Islamic higher education in Indonesia, particularly in the eastern region of Indonesia.