The Doctoral Program in Social Studies Education at Universitas Negeri Semarang (UNNES) has officially obtained international accreditation from the Agency for Quality Assurance through Accreditation of Study Programmes (AQAS). The certificate was handed over by the Head of the UNNES Quality Assurance Office, Prof. Rudi Hartono, and witnessed by UNNES Rector Prof. S. Martono.
However, the status granted to UNNES remains conditional. “Several improvements need to be made within a relatively short period so that the status can later become unconditional,” said Prof. Rudi Hartono, quoting notes from the AQAS review team earlier this week at the UNNES Rectorate Building, Sekaran, Gunungpati, Semarang.
The accreditation is valid until September 30, 2031, under conditional status. This means UNNES must fulfill several requirements by 2026. The details were communicated through an email from AQAS consultant Annette Büning to UNNES Rector Prof. Martono. In the letter dated September 8, 2025, AQAS stated that the Doctoral Program in Social Studies Education “essentially complies” with the European Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance (ESG) and the European Qualifications Framework (EQF).
The requirements include clarifying the multidisciplinary approach in the curriculum, providing a detailed schedule for English language training, outlining UNNES’s scholarship scheme for doctoral students, and opening internship opportunities outside of teacher education pathways. AQAS has set a deadline of September 30, 2026, for UNNES to meet all conditions.
Nonetheless, this international recognition is still considered a significant milestone. The Dean of FISIP UNNES welcomed the news as a gateway to campus internationalization. “This is global recognition that our academic standards are in line with the European Higher Education Area,” he said.
The AQAS assessment results will also be published on the agency’s official website and registered in the European higher education database, DEQAR. UNNES may also use the official digital certificate and AQAS logo for academic promotion purposes.
For UNNES, this new status is both an achievement and a challenge. Failure to meet the requirements could result in the accreditation being revoked. However, if successful, the university in Semarang will strengthen its position as an international reference institution in the field of social studies education.
