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The history of the Biology Education Study Program at the Indonesia University of Education is inextricably linked to the institutional dynamics of teacher education in Indonesia. The program’s historical roots trace back to the establishment of the Bandung Teacher Training College (PTPG) in 1954 as an institution for training educators. In subsequent developments, PTPG Bandung was integrated into the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education (FKIP) at Padjadjaran University in 1958 before evolving into the Bandung Institute of Teacher Training and Education (IKIP) in 1963.
The transformation into IKIP Bandung was formalized through a Decree of the Minister of Higher Education and Science of the Republic of Indonesia regarding the establishment of the Institute of Teacher Training and Educational Sciences, which took effect on May 1, 1963. The decree stated that the government established IKIPs in Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta, and Malang as part of efforts to strengthen national teacher education. This decree marked a significant milestone in the establishment of IKIP Bandung as the leading institution for teacher education development, including in the field of biology education. During the IKIP Bandung era, the development of biology education took place within the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences Education (FPMIPA) through the Biology Education department, which was oriented toward teacher training (LPTK), particularly in producing professional biology teachers. The Department of Biology Education became the center for the development of education, curriculum, laboratories, as well as academic and pedagogical guidance in the field of biology within FPMIPA.
The next significant development occurred in 1996 when the Directorate General of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia established the Biology Education Study Program as part of the undergraduate program at IKIP Bandung through Directorate General of Higher Education Decision No. 243/DIKTI/Kep/1996 dated July 11, 1996. In the appendix to that decision, the Biology Education Study Program was officially listed as one of the undergraduate study programs at IKIP Bandung. This designation served as the formal basis for the existence of the Biology Education Study Program as the unit responsible for delivering undergraduate education in the field of biology education.
Subsequently, a major institutional change occurred when IKIP Bandung was transformed into the Indonesia University of Education (UPI) in 1999 through a “wider mandate” policy. This policy granted UPI the authority not only to offer teacher education programs but also to develop non-teacher education programs and pure academic disciplines. In this context, the Department of Biology Education evolved not only as an institution for training prospective biology teachers but also as a center for the broader development of biology and biology education. During that period, the Biology Education Study Program was under the Department of Biology Education.
As part of its academic development and efforts to advance educational levels, the Indonesia University of Education subsequently established a Master’s (S2) program in Biology Education at the UPI Graduate School through Rector’s Decree No. 1548/UN40/KL/2011 regarding the Establishment of the Master’s Program in Biology Education (S2) at the Indonesia University of Education Graduate School, issued on March 3, 2011. Further developments in graduate academic governance at UPI were marked by the issuance of the Rector’s Regulation of the Indonesia University of Education No. 041 of 2020 concerning Guidelines for the Integration of Undergraduate, Master’s, and Doctoral Programs within the Indonesia University of Education. This regulation states that integration refers to the linear merging of study programs between those housed in the Graduate School and those housed in faculties or UPI regional campuses. Based on this regulation, the Bachelor’s Program in Biology Education and the Master’s Program in Biology Education fall under the Department of Biology Education.
In line with developments in national higher education policy and the need for more effective organizational management, UPI’s academic organizational structure continues to undergo adjustments. The most recent significant change was established through the Rector’s Regulation of the Indonesia University of Education No. 30 of 2025 concerning the Organizational Structure and Work Procedures of the Indonesia University of Education. Under this regulation, the faculty’s organizational structure consists of study programs, laboratories/workshops/studios, research centers, and sections, without listing departments as formal organizational units of the faculty. Consequently, the Biology Education Study Program—comprising both the Bachelor’s (S1) and Master’s (S2) levels—falls directly under the coordination of the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FPMIPA).
Historically and academically, the Biology Education Study Program continues the tradition of scientific excellence and academic development previously established by the Department of Biology Education at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FPMIPA), UPI. To this day, the Biology Education Study Program at UPI continues to evolve as a program that combines excellence in biological science with pedagogical competence and professional integrity among educators. The program is committed to producing graduates who are outstanding, innovative, and adaptable to advances in science and technology, as well as capable of contributing to the development of biology education at both the national and international levels.