Enviro News Asia, Deli Serdang — The Doctoral Program in Law at the Faculty of Law, Universitas Pembangunan Nasional Veteran Jakarta (UPNVJ), is taking the lead in accelerating curriculum adaptation to align with global academic standards and national quality assurance frameworks.
Coordinator of the Doctoral Law Program, Dr. Handar Subhandi Bakhtiar, S.H., M.H., M.Tr.Adm.Kes., emphasized the urgency of curriculum reform following the issuance of Ministerial Regulation on Higher Education, Science, and Technology (Permendiktisaintek) No. 39 of 2025 on Higher Education Quality Assurance.
His remarks were delivered during the Western Region Law Faculty Deans Cooperation Agency (BKS FH Wilayah Barat) meeting, held at The Hill Hotel and Resort, Sibolangit, Deli Serdang, North Sumatra, from October 27–30, 2025. The event gathered doctoral program coordinators and heads of law faculties from both public and private universities across western Indonesia.
The plenary session, moderated by Prof. Dr. Ningrum Natasya Sirait, S.H., M.Li., and Dr. Tengku Keizerina Devi Azwar, S.H., C.N., M.Hum., focused on key topics such as credit hour adjustments, academic governance, publication requirements, and hybrid learning implementation. Prof. Ningrum highlighted the importance of maintaining consistent academic quality standards across universities to ensure equal competency among doctoral law graduates at both national and international levels.
Participants agreed to uphold academic autonomy while adhering to the minimum standards set by the ministry. The forum also addressed the flexibility of scientific publication requirements, allowing doctoral candidates to publish either in reputable international journals (minimum Scopus Q4) or nationally accredited journals (Sinta 2).
In line with digital transformation goals, the forum endorsed a 50:50 hybrid learning model combining face-to-face and online classes. Prof. M. Hawin, S.H., LLM., Ph.D. of Universitas Gadjah Mada proposed a more efficient Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)—including a maximum three-week timeframe for dissertation proposal seminars after draft submission.
Most participants expressed their support for maintaining accreditation through the National Accreditation Board for Higher Education (BAN-PT) rather than independent accreditation bodies, to ensure nationwide quality integration.
Dr. Handar reaffirmed UPNVJ’s commitment to proactive adaptation under the new regulation.
“Our curriculum must foster legal innovation that responds to societal needs and global development,” he stated.
He added that the UPNVJ Doctoral Program in Law would strengthen cross-university research collaboration through the Western Region BKS network and expand international publication partnerships. (www.upnvj.ac.id)
