BINUS BUSINESS SCHOOL Postgraduate Program won an achievement in the Indonesia Customer Experience Award 2020 organized by SWA Magazine, in collaboration with Business Digest. This award is one proof of the excellence of BINUS BUSINESS SCHOOL (BBS) in producing human resources who are ready to conquer the Industrial Revolution 4.0.

Jakarta – Maybe there is still an opinion that postgraduate courses (S2 and S3) are only useful for academics to boost their careers. On the other hand, industrial workers think that practical experience alone is sufficient. In fact, isn’t the adage “Demand knowledge as high as the heavens” is intended for all people, regardless of position, profession, or age?

Indeed, it may not be that mindset alone that prevents some people from continuing to graduate level. But certainly, education is one measure of the progress of a nation. And now the fact is, Indonesia lacks professionals (both academics and practitioners) who have a postgraduate diploma. In fact, Industry 4.0 is already in the eye, demanding the quality of human resources that is not average.

Especially for doctoral graduates, data from the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education in 2017 shows that out of one million Indonesians, there are only 143 doctors. This number is far behind the US which has 9,850 doctors or Japan which has 6,438 doctors per one million population. In fact, Malaysia alone can reach the number of 509 doctors with the same ratio.

Postgraduate Program Benefits

The idea that not all learning comes from school may be true. However, it should be underlined that school at the postgraduate level is actually able to provide essential insights to solve more complex strategic problems.

In addition, postgraduate graduates have a better choice of career opportunities. They have abilities and experiences that are not necessarily obtained when they are undergraduate (S1), or when they are already working.

“The challenge of meeting HR needs in the Industrial 4.0 era requires HR with certain skills such as judgment and decision making, analytical and creative thinking, the ability to learn,” said Director of BINUS BUSINESS SCHOOL Dezie L Warganegara, PhD.

Therefore, continued Dezie, BBS adjusts the curriculum, learning methods, and facilities that have the ability to provide the hard skills and soft skills needed.

From the curriculum side, for example. Dezie explained that the BINUS BUSINESS SCHOOL Master of Management study program is a very progressive master program. That is, the curriculum and forms of BBS learning always follow the needs of industry and society.

“We offer beyond traditional courses such as business analytics, digital transformation, startups and corporate entrepreneurship, design thinking and entrepreneurship,” he said.

In addition, the topics in lectures are always updated, including fintech and blockchains. Class learning also involves industry partners in the form of a living case study.

“The learning process at the BINUS BUSINESS SCHOOL Postgraduate Program always includes industry and practitioners to encourage students to actively interact and solve real problems,” Dezie said.

In the S2 program, for example, there is a Social Innovation Camp which is mandatory for first semester students. In this program, BINUS BUSINESS SCHOOL collaborates with various communities such as Sahabat Anak and Bank Sampah.

“The student’s task is to provide solutions to problems facing the community. The goal is to hone empathy, as well as several skills such as problem-solving, creative and analytical thinking, teamwork, and leadership, “he said.

Not only that, according to Dezie, the BINUS BUSINESS SCHOOL Management Doctoral study program also has its own uniqueness. “We really prioritize the cooperation between students and lecturers in carrying out research for the dissertation.”

Since the first semester, doctoral students have been directed to determine research topics related to finding solutions to real problems in the industrial world. They will carry out initial research with the lecturer as a discussion partner as well as a thinking partner.

To simplify the process, all communication channels are used, from e-mail, WhatsApp, video conferencing, to face-to-face. In fact, BINUS BUSINESS SCHOOL launched the Supervision Plenary Forum, a place where the complete guidance of the promoter team was held. It has been proven that this forum is effective in accelerating the process of drafting a dissertation proposal.

More than that, BBS already has a dissertation monitoring application to find out the progress of dissertation writing which can be accessed easily via a smartphone. If there are obstacles, the related lecturers can immediately intervene to find solutions.

“Indeed, our S3 is designed as an educational program with a target of completing three years to become a Doctor,” said Dezie.

Lecture during the Pandemic

BINUS BUSINESS SCHOOL already has an established infrastructure to anticipate online learning long before the Covid-19 pandemic. What is needed now is an adjustment to enrich the learning experience of students.

“For the Master’s program, we use several learning methods that can increase student engagement in class, such as the use of a comprehensive online business simulation, and learning in the form of competitions in the Business Negotiation and Selling Skills class,” Dezie explained.

Moreover, BINUS already has a learning system called Binusmaya which can be accessed by students via the website or mobile application. All lecture materials, grades, and attendance can be accessed every day for 24 hours, including communicating with lecturers and fellow students in the form of a discussion forum.

With all these advantages, BINUS BUSINESS SCHOOL Postgraduate Program was able to win first place in the Private Campus Post-Bachelor of Economics & Business category, in the Indonesia Customer Experience Award 2020 from SWA Magazine.

The award is the result of a customer survey of 3,000 respondents in six major cities in Indonesia. At least BBS excels in four variables, namely cognitive, affective, behavioural, and social aspects.

However, this achievement is not the end of the journey but is an important milestone towards a better BINUS BUSINESS SCHOOL. This is a reminder as well as an impetus for BINUS BUSINESS SCHOOL to continue to develop, giving birth to postgraduate graduates who are useful for industry and society in facing Industry 4.0.