Monash Indonesia slated to open in BSD City 2021

It’s confirmed: Indonesia’s first branch campus will open its doors in Green Park Office 9, BSD City come 2021. Monash University, which has campuses in Australia, Italy, Malaysia, China, and India, is the first foreign entity to obtain an Education and Culture Ministry license. This campus will operate under Yayasan Monash University Indonesia, which is listed locally as Monash Indonesia.

“Monash University’s Indonesia campus, opening in 2021, will further expand our international presence, creating additional global research collaborations, advanced professional development for graduates, and opportunities for collaboration with industry,” Margaret Gardner, Monash University’s president and vice-chancellor, said in a statement on Tuesday.

Michael Widjaja, the chief executive officer of Sinar Mas Land, a company that develops BSD City, added, “We are honoured and support Monash University as the first foreign university in Indonesia, which certainly makes it possible for Indonesian students to access a world-class education.”

After Malaysia, China, and India, Indonesia is next in line for a Monash University branch campus. Source: Shutterstock

What to expect from Monash University Indonesia

This campus will focus on research-intensive postgraduate degrees (both master’s and PhD), short executive programmes, and micro-credentials. The programmes will focus on emerging, high-demand areas in Indonesia, which include data science, digital technology, infrastructure, urban design, creative industry, entrepreneurship, public policy, and public health.

The university will be hiring academics and other professionals soon, with the first master’s intake expected in October 2021. Indonesia’s first international campus will be environmentally friendly and digitally advanced, setting the standard for branch universities in the country.

According to the Jakarta Globe, Monash University Indonesia will further existing domestic research collaborations, including the Revitalising Informal Settlements and their Environments (RISE) programme in Sulawesi and the World Mosquito Programme (WMP). In the words of Andrew MacIntyre, senior pro-vice-chancellor for Southeast Asia partnerships at Monash University, “The mission of Monash Indonesia is to contribute strongly to the further social, economic and technological development of Indonesia.”

By allowing foreign-based universities to establish branch campuses on its shores, Indonesia can heighten its attractiveness as a study abroad destination, bringing in more international students to its shores. Its regional advantages include low living costs and high proximity to major South East Asian economies, including Singapore and Hong Kong.