Linguistics

In 1999, I completed my master's degree at IKIP Negeri Bandung and returned to actively teach at Universitas Syiah Kuala. At that time, I had plans to pursue my doctoral studies after serving for approximately 5 years. However, as humans, we can only plan, and it is God who determines our fate. On December 26, 2004, a devastating tsunami struck. I was one of the individuals caught in the waves, fighting for my life. All my belongings were swept away, and I was left with only tattered clothes on my body. After the tsunami, I lost motivation in many aspects of life, including the drive to continue my doctoral studies.
Seeing some of my friends already holding the title of professor, while the prerequisite for becoming a professor is a doctorate, in early 2017, my enthusiasm to pursue my doctoral studies resurfaced. With various considerations, one of them being proximity to Banda Aceh, I chose the Doctoral Program in Linguistics at the USU Faculty of Cultural Science in Medan. Although I had doubts about pursuing pure linguistic studies since my undergraduate and master's degrees were in language teaching, I was concerned about whether I would be able to excel in the courses, given my weak foundation in linguistics.
Alhamdulillah, I was accepted into the Doctoral Program in Linguistics at the USU Faculty of Cultural Science in the odd semester of 2017 with a scholarship at not a young age (49 years old). At the beginning of the semester, all students were required to participate in a matriculation program to ensure that students with non-linguistic backgrounds had sufficient foundations to follow the courses. I found this matriculation program to be very beneficial in supporting my studies. As a result, I and other students achieved good grades in each of the courses we took. I am one of the students who graduated on time with honors.
During my studies, I felt a conducive academic atmosphere. In addition to being guided by competent internal lecturers in their fields, every semester, the study program management always invited guest lecturers, both domestic and international. The combination of internal and external lecturers made the lectures more interesting and enjoyable because students received services from lecturers with diverse teaching styles and techniques. We are also happy with the familial atmosphere fostered by the study program, which has built a close relationship between faculty members, staff, and students. Students are given the freedom to express themselves and consult with their instructors both inside and outside the classroom. This greatly helps accelerate the completion of students' studies as we can discuss with the instructors anytime, especially regarding topics for articles and dissertations. I have even discussed my dissertation topic at a coffee shop with Prof. Jufrizal (one of my favorite lecturers).
One of the highlights of the Doctoral Program in Linguistics at USU Faculty of Cultural Science is the emphasis on student productivity in publishing articles in reputable journals. All courses require the submission of published articles as outputs. Before studying in this program, I had not published a single article in a reputable international journal. Alhamdulillah, with the motivating learning environment that encourages active and productive writing, I and several other alumni now have publications indexed in databases such as Scopus, WOS, Sinta, and DOAJ. This achievement would have been difficult to attain if I hadn't enrolled in this program.

The Doctoral Program in Linguistics implements its curriculum based on the curriculum provided by the Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher Education. Additionally, the management of the Linguistics Study Program regularly provides opportunities for stakeholders and alumni to update the curriculum to ensure its relevance and alignment with industry needs through focus group discussions (FGDs). So far, the outcomes have shown that the products of the Linguistics Study Program are considered highly effective and efficient in exploring aspects of other scientific fields beyond language in particular and, generally, in the social sciences and humanities. In many ways, graduates of the Doctoral Program in Linguistics at the USU Faculty of Cultural Science play a significant role in advancing other fields of knowledge and are utilized in many issues that require critical, rational, and realistic thinking. Ideally, these graduates can apply strategic and analytical thinking in problem-solving processes.
Next is the corporate culture of the Doctoral Program in Linguistics, which is considered to embody the spirit of program accreditation, whereby students are seen as external customers and an integral part of the study program's core business. This is evident through the quality of service provided by faculty leadership, study program heads, study program secretaries, and administrators who deliver academic and general services accurately and systematically. I believe that the service provided to students is based on standard operating procedures (SOP) to achieve the organizational goals outlined in the strategic plan of the Doctoral Program in Linguistics of the Universitas Sumatera Utara Faculty of Cultural Science. Personally, I am proud to be an alumnus of the Linguistics Study Program at the USU Faculty of Cultural Science.
Bravo to the Linguistics Study Program at USU!!!