HISTORY

The Doctoral Program in Mechanical Engineering (PSDTM) was established to address future challenges and to support government programs by providing human resources, research, and cutting-edge innovation for the advancement of science and the application of technology. The establishment of PSDTM also took into account several considerations, including the availability of human resources with supporting competencies and expertise; the highly strategic geographical location; the establishment of the new campus of the Faculty of Engineering, Hasanuddin University (FT-UH), in Gowa, South Sulawesi, whose laboratory facilities strongly support learning and technology development through the Center of Technology (CoT); and the demand for graduates as well as the large potential pool of prospective students.

The Decree of the Minister of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia No. 515/E/O/2014 concerning the Operating License for the Doctoral Program in Mechanical Engineering (PSDTM), dated 16 October 2014, aims to improve the quality of the implementation of the Tridharma of Higher Education, in an effort to make a positive and significant contribution to the advancement of science and the application of technology, so as to provide substantial benefits to the institution, society, and the nation.

PSDTM studies fields of science that encompass the areas of expertise of sustainable energy conservation, effective materials engineering, and innovative design, manufacturing, and automation. Energy conversion is a strategic issue related to energy engineering in efforts to achieve energy security, and it has become an increasingly urgent and much-needed concern. Materials engineering, as the second main area of expertise, is likewise inseparable from the consistent development of materials science in general. The development of materials science is integral to supporting technological advancement, particularly in the discovery of materials that meet increasingly demanding application requirements. Meanwhile, design, manufacturing, and automation is a main area of expertise aimed at creating robustness and effectiveness in design, engineering, and fabrication in support of the advancement of national industry. This area of expertise is also continuously evolving, driven by developments in both science and technology.

Based on these three areas of expertise, the PSDTM curriculum currently in use was developed with reference to Regulation of the Minister of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia No. 49 of 2014 concerning the National Standards of Higher Education; Circular Letter of the Director General of Higher Education No. 526/E.E3/MI/2014 concerning the explanation of National Standards of Higher Education for postgraduate programs; and Decree of the Rector of Hasanuddin University No. 18372/H4/PP.25/2011 concerning guidelines for the implementation of doctoral (S3) programs. Accordingly, the PSDTM curriculum needs to be aligned with these new regulations. At present, PSDTM holds a B accreditation from the National Accreditation Board for Higher Education (BAN-PT), valid from 30 July 2019 to 30 July 2024.

Subsequently, from 20 August 2023 to 20 August 2028, PSDTM has been granted Excellent (Unggul) accreditation by the Independent Accreditation Institute for Engineering Study Programs of the Indonesian Society of Engineers (LAM Teknik PII). The curriculum was revised once again following Hasanuddin University Rector’s Regulation No. 31/UN4.1/2023 concerning the implementation of Hasanuddin University’s Doctoral Programs, which is aligned with Regulation of the Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia No. 53 of 2023 concerning Quality Assurance of Higher Education. With this curriculum, PSDTM is expected to become a main supporter of mechanical engineering that is highly competitive, sustainable, and environmentally friendly, for the development of maritime potential, in order to achieve the strategic goal of Hasanuddin University (UNHAS) of becoming a university with international standards.