Was Soekarno an Architecture or Civil Engineering Graduate? Here’s the Correct Answer

The name Soekarno is widely known as the Proclaimer of Independence and the first President of the Republic of Indonesia, who served from 1945 to 1967. He is also the figure who first proposed the concept of Pancasila as the state philosophy. However, beyond his political career, a question often arises with the engineer title that is frequently attached to his name: Was Soekarno actually an Architecture or Civil Engineering graduate?

According to the ITB Alumni Archive, Soekarno began his higher education at Technische Hoogeschool te Bandoeng, now known as ITB. He enrolled in 1921, choosing Civil Engineering. He was declared to have passed the engineer’s examination on 25 May 1926 and officially earned the engineer’s degree on 3 July 1926 during the 6th Dies Natalis of TH Bandung.

Academically, or according to his diploma, Soekarno was a Civil Engineer. At that time, civil engineering education at TH Bandung also encompassed knowledge of building design that today is more closely associated with the Architecture discipline.

Although holding a civil engineer’s degree, Soekarno was known to have a great interest and talent in architecture. He even founded an engineering bureau with Ir. Anwari and worked on many design-and-build projects.

Subsequently, with Ir. Rooseno, he designed and built various houses and other buildings. Soekarno’s architectural touch is visible in his design approach, which blends aesthetics, symbolism, and national vision.

After serving as president, Soekarno’s influence on Indonesia’s architectural development grew even more. A number of monumental projects were born from his ideas or contributions, including:

Through these projects, Soekarno sought to present Indonesia’s face as a modern, sovereign nation, and on par with other countries in the world.

Throughout his life, Soekarno also received the title of Doctor Honoris Causa from 26 universities, both domestic and foreign.

That honour reflects international recognition of his contributions, both in politics, state thinking, and national development.

So, what did Soekarno graduate in, architecture or civil engineering? Formally, he was a civil engineer graduate of TH Bandung.

But in practice and in the legacy of his work, Soekarno is also worthy of being remembered as an architect.