Thesis no longer mandatory at UI

Thesis no longer mandatory at UI

JAKARTA (JP): The rector of the University of Indonesia, M.K.
Tadjuddin, says he is in favor of reducing study time by
scrapping the obligation for undergraduate students to write a
thesis.

The obligation to prepare a thesis has cost students more time
than necessary in completing their studies, he told reporters
Wednesday.

"Indonesian students spend five to six years or more to finish
their studies, while students overseas generally take only three
to four years," he said.

"No wonder people who have studied abroad have already become
company managers, while their Indonesian equivalents have only
started work and maybe become their clerks," he added.

Tadjuddin made the remarks after signing a memorandum of
understanding with French Ambassador Thierry de Beauce on a new
magisterial management program to start this year.

The University of Indonesia has dropped the obligation for its
undergraduate students, after reaching the required level of
credits, to write a thesis before they can take their final
exams.

"It is fine if they write a thesis, but it will no longer
effect their grade," he said. Undergraduates who do not write a
thesis can also take master programs if they are able to fulfill
the requirements, he added.

He argued that it is unrealistic for students to be graduated
as scientists merely on the basis of their having written a
thesis. "That's impossible. If they want to be scientists, they
can take a master program."

The rector disagrees with the argument that the policy of
scrapping the thesis requirement will create lower levels of
expertise.

Experience in other countries has shown that students who did
not write a thesis are doing fine concerning employment and they
finish their studies earlier, he said. (ste)