The Faculty of Islamic Studies (FIS) at UIII is finalizing plans for a new concentration: the MA in Islamic Studies, Specializing in Digital Islam. This program is designed as a transdisciplinary response, blending the strengths of Islamic scholarship with the growing trend of digital humanities.

Highlighting The Distinction of UIII Islamic Studies 

Bhirawa Anoraga, the PIC of the new concentration, explained that the Digital Islam concentration highlights a move of FIS UIII from multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches to a transdisciplinary approach which tightly combines classical and modern frameworks. The use of computational expertise is seen as a vital tool to help scholars analyze trends and patterns within classical and contemporary Islamic inquiries more effectively.

“The goal is to empower students to recognize the potential of information technology in strengthening Islamic Studies research,” said Anoraga. He emphasized that while students will acquire computational skills, which are much needed skills in the contemporary era, the primary focus remains on solidifying their core expertise in Islamic Studies.

Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration 

During the workshop, Muhammad Al-Atiqi (Head of the MA in Data Science Program) outlined a collaborative learning path. Students will be introduced to foundational programming and data analysis for research, followed by a more advanced machine learning course for humanities research.

Furthermore, Lya Hulliyatus Suadaa, a data science expert from Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Statistik, invited as a speaker to the workshop, highlighted the essential synergy between technology experts and “domain experts.” She noted that technology serves as a “tool center” to facilitate data exploration and enhance research quality. Ultimately, the interpretation of data remains in the hands of FIS students as experts in their field.

This workshop further solidifies the plan to kickstart the new concentration at the Faculty of Islamic Studies UIII, officially named “MA in Islamic Studies Specializing in Digital Islam” in September 2026. Admissions are currently open for the first batch of Digital Islam students via this link: admissions.uiii.ac.id.