Video summary

PODCAST INPHORIA FTP: Pengenalan Departemen TPB

Main summary

Key takeaways

Educational

Main Ideas / Concepts Conveyed

  • Video purpose: Introduces the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (TPB) at the Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) as part of Agroforia 2026.
  • Who leads the department: Dr. Arifin Dwi Saputro, S.T.P., M.Sc., IPM ASEAN, as Head of the Department.

Core Scope: What the Department Studies

The department uses engineering principles for natural resource management across the full cycle from upstream to downstream, including:

  • On-farm / plant cultivation and land processing
  • Processing and end-of-life outcomes, such as:
    • By-products
    • Waste
    • Environmental factors

Students will encounter many subjects related to mathematics and physics (noted as dominant), alongside engineering-focused sciences.

Academic Structure: Programs and Depth

The department includes three study programs:

  1. S1 (Undergraduate) – Agricultural Engineering
  2. Master’s – Agricultural Engineering
  3. Doctoral – Agricultural Engineering Science

Same boundaries across levels, with increasing depth at the Master’s and Doctoral stages.

Coursework Progression

  • Early semesters/years: general/basic science (math, physics, chemistry)

  • Mid-phase (around semester 3–4): basic engineering sciences (e.g., heat transfer, thermodynamics, engineering mathematics, fluid mechanics, etc.)

  • Later phase (semester 5+ / ~3rd and 4th year): students choose one of four scientific-field groups:

    1. Land & Water Resource Engineering
    2. Biosystem Mechanical Engineering
    3. Post-harvest Food Engineering & Bioprocessing
    4. Biological Environmental Control Techniques

Students typically do not need to master all four; they focus on one chosen track with more specialized content.

Learning Process and Curriculum Changes (Starting 2026)

  • A new curriculum begins in 2026, replacing the previous one (previous curriculum stated to end with 2025).
  • The curriculum is updated every ~5 years, built using inputs from:
    • Stakeholders/users (industry/government/community needs → “who you serve”)
    • Lecturers
    • Students
    • Advances in science and technology (e.g., adoption of new agri-tech like drones)

MBKM Adjustment (Independent Learning—Independent Campus)

  • Previously (2021 curriculum):
    • Off-campus activities could count up to 1 semester, sometimes up to 2 semesters
  • Now:
    • Credits counted as grades are reduced to ~10 credits (as described)
  • Final-year internships:
    • Internships can still be arranged in semester 8
    • They may not count in grade transcripts
    • But they can be recorded in SKPI (diploma-accompanying certificate)

Theory, Practice, and Real-World Exposure

The department emphasizes practical learning through:

  • Practicums built into courses
  • Frequent use of guest lecturers/practitioners to connect theory to real industry practice
  • Industrial visits even for courses that may not have regular practicums
  • Collaboration with industry and external partners

Department Advantages / Differentiators

  • The department is more engineering-oriented, using upstream-to-downstream approaches that include:
    • Land management → processing → by-products/waste/environment handling
  • Compared in broader context to other tracks/departments:
    • Some may lean more toward chemical/food processing
    • Others may emphasize system management/IT/management approaches

Unique UGM Learning-Outcomes Emphasis: Digital Literacy

Graduates are expected to have digital literacy skills, supported by course themes such as:

  • Digitalization (Industry 4.0)
  • Precision agriculture
  • Smart farming
  • Smart food processing technology

Industry/Government/Partner Connection

A steering committee / advisory board involving industry, government, and academics guides:

  • Needed student competencies
  • Curriculum development

Partners support learning via:

  • Guest lectures
  • Factory/field exposure (seeing real conditions)
  • Facilities and learning equipment, including examples such as:
    • A large yellow CAT tractor used for learning/practicals (originating from a company in Sumatra)
    • Tools from Austria supporting research/collaboration

International collaboration is also mentioned, enabling:

  • Exchange opportunities
  • Possible abroad research participation linked to lecturer grants and joint supervision

Career Prospects After Graduation

The department provides a graduate profile guidebook/academic guidebook outlining role pathways such as:

  • Designer (e.g., agricultural machinery/tractor design requiring calculation for capability, durability, damage resistance, ergonomics, etc.)
  • System analyst (including big data analysis/system evaluation)
  • Entrepreneurship (strongly encouraged)

Potential placement environments include:

  • Industry (agricultural machinery, food industry, plantation companies)
  • Government/ministry roles (e.g., Industry, Agriculture, Trade, and Cooperatives & SMEs)
  • Academia (often via Master’s → lecturer/researcher paths)
  • Research institutions
  • BUMN / state-owned enterprises, such as BUL, PTPN companies; and also Danantara
  • Banking, since banks may evaluate credit applications from farmers, where agricultural engineering knowledge supports feasibility and repayment assessment

Non-Academic Development Opportunities

Students are encouraged to join competitions, research, and other growth activities. The department supports this through:

  • A team/work unit of young lecturers dedicated to accompanying students’ off-campus activities and strengthening soft skills
  • Subsidies/support for trips, including international competitions
  • Training/mentoring so students don’t only register, but also aim for results

Examples mentioned:

  • International competitions (including an ARC-type participation reference)
  • National competitions (e.g., student creativity programs and contests by universities/private parties)
  • Student exchange, via:
    • Programs within the Faculty and beyond UGM
    • Scholarships (Japan mentioned; also possibilities such as “double degrees” / overseas double-degree programs)
    • Sometimes via lecturer research funding that enables student travel abroad

Closing Motivation

The message emphasizes that agriculture’s future is essential, because humans always need to eat—encouraging students to study agriculture.

Methodology / Instruction-Like Elements

A. Curriculum Update Process (Inputs Used to Design Courses)

Curriculum inputs are collected from:

  • Stakeholders/users
    • Example framing:
      • In a company, the “user” may be a manager/employer
      • In government, the “user” may be a supervisor/office leadership
  • Lecturers
  • Students
  • Development of science & technology

These inputs are used to:

  • Determine the competencies and courses needed
  • Update course content to reflect technological progress (example: drone-based fertilization becoming more common)

B. MBKM / Off-Campus Activity Handling (New Curriculum)

  • Reduce how much off-campus activity counts toward transcript grades:
    • Previously: up to 1 semester (sometimes up to 2)
    • Now: credited grades reduced to ~10 credits
  • Still allow off-campus internships for final-year students:
    • Internship can be arranged near graduation
    • Internship opportunity in semester 8
    • Internship may not be included in grade transcript credits
    • Internship activities can be documented in SKPI

C. Connecting Learning to Real-World Practice

Real-world connection is built through:

  • Engineering education plus real application methods:
    • Practicums included by default
    • Guest lecturers/practitioners to link theory to industry practice
    • Industrial visits even when courses may not include a practicum
  • Partner-facilitated exposure:
    • Factory/field visits
    • Partner-provided equipment and learning facilities
    • Experiences designed to broaden student perspective before employment

D. Student Skill Development via Competitions & Exchange

Support systems include:

  • A lecturer accompaniment team specifically for competition participation
  • Support such as:
    • Training before competitions
    • Subsidies for competition/trip costs when needed

Opportunities include:

  • International competitions
  • National competitions (including student creativity programs and contests)
  • Exchange/research abroad pathways through:
    • Structured scholarship/exchange programs (e.g., Japan, double degrees)
    • Lecturer research grants that enable joint supervision and student research abroad

Speakers / Sources Featured

  • Dr. Arifin Dwi Saputro, S.T.P., M.Sc., IPM ASEAN — Head of the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, UGM
  • Unidentified host/interviewer (referred to as “Miss/Host” in subtitles; name not provided)

Original video