In an effort to introduce the biological world and the International Undergraduate Program of the Faculty of Biology UGM and its career prospects, campus visits and introductions were carried out at two international high schools in Denpasar, Bali, namely Gandhi Memorial Intercontinental School and Santosa Intercultural School on February 12 2024. On the agenda, the Faculty UGM Biology was represented by Dr. Eko Agus Suyono, M.App.Sc. as Deputy Dean for Research, Community Service, Cooperation and Alumni and Dr. Bambang Retnoaji, M.Sc. as Deputy Dean for Academic and Student Affairs.
Gandhi Memorial Intercontinental School (GMIS), formerly Gandhi Memorial International School, is a private international school with campuses in Jakarta, Bali, and Semarang. GMIS Bali is located in Renon, Denpasar and was founded in 2007. GMIS Bali has almost 500 students from more than 30 countries. The teaching staff at the school are mostly Indian and Indonesian.
Santosa Intercultural School was founded in 1997 and is an independent, non-profit institution serving students from age 2 to grade 12. It consists of Doremi Preschool and Doremi Excellence School (DES). DES offers the Cambridge International Curriculum to its students. DES is fully accredited by the Indonesian Ministry of Education. Classes are held in English, but foreign students have mandatory Indonesian language classes. They follow the Cambridge curriculum and receive a certificate after grades 10 and 12.
After the zresentation session, it was followed by a discussion about the fields taught during lectures and career prospects for alumni of the UGM Faculty of Biology. Apart from that, the opportunity to take a double degree program (Double Degree) and the Fastrack Program was a part of what attracts many students’ interest. The International Undergraduate Program at the UGM Faculty of Biology, which is internationally accredited by ASIIN, has collaborated for a double degree program with the Australian National University (Australia), Leeds University (United Kingdom), and Western Sydney University (Australia). Meanwhile, the Double Degree Program collaboration process for undergraduate programs with James Cook University (Australia and Singapore) is in the process of being agreed. Apart from the double degree program, there is also a student exchange program with Universiti Tun Hussein Onn (Malaysia), Yamagata University (Japan), Chiba University (Japan), Groningen University (Netherland), and James Cook University (Australia and Singapore ). Another international program that students can take part in is the International Summer Course on Tropical Biodiversity and Sustainable Development. Every year around 80-90 students from more than 10 universities from 8 countries participate. On a regular basis, the Faculty of Biology UGM also hosts guest lectures from professors from overseas partner universities as well as the International Conference on Biological Sciences every 2 years.
This collaboration is an activity of the Faculty of Biology UGM in recruiting prospective local and international students for the International Undergraduate Program and expanding international networks to improve the quality of research and academics at the global level.