Why Digital Business Program Is Becoming a Top Choice for Students

Digital business has become one of the indicators of industrial development in the digital era, which has continued to grow rapidly over the past few years. You may have experienced this growth yourself, for example through the habit of online shopping on marketplaces.

It is no surprise that a number of higher education institutions in Indonesia have begun opening programs or majors in digital business. One of them is Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS).

Digital business is a field of study that combines business and entrepreneurship with the use of information technology. This discipline examines how to manage and market businesses in the digital era.

The Head of the Digital Business Program at UMS, Novel Idris Abas, S.Kom., M.M., explained that UMS began offering the program in 2023. The opening of the program was intended to respond to the increasingly massive development of digital business.

“The Digital Business Program at UMS is focused on how to use information technology, especially artificial intelligence technology, as a business lever, while remaining grounded in Islamic and Muhammadiyah values,” said Novel on Friday (30/1/2026).

The Digital Business program at UMS focuses its curriculum on business management and information technology. Students will study for 3.5 to 4 years, with a total of 144 semester credit units (SKS).

During digital business studies, you will have the opportunity to work on real business projects. These projects make use of digital platforms to generate profit.

“Our hope is that digital business students, before graduating, already have a project that truly generates income,” Novel explained.

Graduates of the Digital Business program at UMS will earn the Bachelor of Business degree (S.Bis).

So, what do you actually learn in digital business? Digital business studies cover basic managerial foundations, such as marketing management and financial management. In the Digital Business Department at UMS, you will also take specialization courses, which can be chosen starting from the sixth semester.

There are three specializations available for students, namely Digital Marketing, Business Analytics, and Digital Entrepreneurship. The Digital Marketing specialization focuses on advanced digital marketing. This specialization has two concentrations: digital marketing and e-commerce.

You will learn how to use paid advertising as one of the digital marketing strategies. You will also study how to manage businesses on e-commerce platforms.

The Business Analytics specialization focuses on managing business data. You will be trained to make data-driven decisions that can benefit your business.

Meanwhile, the Digital Entrepreneurship specialization focuses on business creation by students. You will be intensively trained to develop businesses oriented toward building start-ups as well as online stores.

“In the seventh semester, students will take the Strategic Management course and will be asked to create a project that will later be continued as their final assignment,” he added.

If you choose to study digital business, you do not need to worry about career opportunities. Digital business graduates have a number of promising career paths, such as:

• Digital Business Analyst
• Digital Marketer
• Professional Practitioner
• Digital Entrepreneur
• Digital Business Consultant

Digital business graduates are also expected to master various soft skills as preparation for achieving their desired career paths. Novel explained that these soft skills include the ability to create digital products, entrepreneurial skills, and critical analysis.

“An entrepreneurial mindset must emerge, and at the same time critical thinking skills are also needed to support future business analysis,” he said.

Writer: Gede Arga Adrian

Translator: Farizal Luqman Majid

Editor: Al Habiib Josy Asheva