We are proud as UGM announced that ICRS and CRCS UGM were ranked number 47 in the world and number 1 in Indonesia for the Theology, Divinity, and Religious Studies category by Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings (QS WUR) by Subject. We would like to extend our deepest gratitude and appreciation to all who have been supporting us to obtain this achievement.
As reported in Kompas, Universitas Gadjah Mada achieved the 47th ranking in the world and the first nationally in the category of Theology, Divinity and Religious Studies. The Graduate School of UGM offers a Master of Arts degree in Religious and Cross-cultural Studies (CRCS) and a doctoral program in Inter-Religious Studies (IRS). The latter is part of the Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies (ICRS), which consists of Universitas Gadjah Mada, Universitas Kristen Duta Wacana and Universitas Islam Negeri Sunan Kalijaga Yogykarta.
UGM released a statement on its website after QS WUR announced the ranking on Wednesday 8 April 2022. The official statement from UGM is as follows:
Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) has been ranked 47th in the world (1st in Indonesia) in Theology, Divinity & Religious Studies in the latest QS World University Rankings by Subject. Religious studies are the core subjects taught at the Center for Religious and Cross-Cultural Studies (CRCS) and Inter-Religious Studies (IRS) of the UGM Graduate School.
“We are certainly grateful that our study programs have gained recognition from the QS WUR,” said the Dean of the UGM Graduate School, Prof. Siti Malkhamah, Wednesday (13/4).
CRCS is a master’s program that provides cross-cultural studies of religions using interdisciplinary approaches such as anthropology, sociology, philosophy, history, theology, political science, gender, cultural studies, etc. IRS is a doctoral program offered by the Indonesian Consortium for Religious Studies/ICRS (consisting of UGM, UIN Sunan Kalijaga, and Duta Wacana Christian University) that focuses on the study of religions in Indonesia and encourages interreligious dialogues and peace in the country and the world.
“Students and lecturers in these two programs are of diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds and come from within and outside Indonesia,” she said.
In this QS WUR release, UGM scored 72.4 in total from five components, including h-index (48.40), research citations per paper (64.3), academic reputation (77.1), employer reputation (70.8), and international research networks. Malkhamah said that many books, articles, and papers by ICRS lecturers and students had been published in reputable international journals.
For instance, a three-year joint study by UGM lecturers and researchers from Boston University was published in a book entitled Indonesian Pluralities: Islam, Citizenship, and Democracy in 2021, involving Dr. Zainal Abidin Bagir of the UGM CRCS and Prof. Robert W. Hefner of Boston University as editors.
UGM Graduate School strives to improve the quality and reputation of its graduates by enhancing the curriculum, learning process, academic environment, and tracer study. The Graduate School boosts its international reputation by using English in the classroom and inviting lecturers and researchers from universities at home and abroad. Various research and community service activities are also integrated into the course and involve partners from around the globe.
“We hope to increase our international publications, international academic network, and international recognition,” she said.
Author: Gusti Grehenson
