Indonesian

Where can I study Indonesian?

• The University of Queensland

Why study Indonesian?

Indonesian is the official language of the Republic of Indonesia. There are over 250 million speakers of Indonesian, making it one of the most widely spoken language in the world.

Indonesia is of course Australia’s closest neighbour, and this means that Australia’s present and future are closely linked to those of Indonesia. Apart from our geographical proximity, the strategic and cultural importance of Australia-Indonesia relationships is evident every day in the media.

Learning the national language opens doors to Indonesia’s culture and way of life. Travel to Indonesia is easy and relatively inexpensive. In-country experiences are literally on our doorstep. And because Indonesian is based on Malay, learning Indonesian not only gives students knowledge of the language of the world’s largest Muslim country, but also provides access to three other countries in Southeast Asia, namely Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.

Australian graduates with expertise in Indonesian are poised to make the most of opportunities in the twenty-first century. In addition to the personal benefits of language study, graduates with Indonesian language skills have a wide choice of career options in many facets of government, in business management, in mining and industry and in environmental and development careers. Recent graduates are working as teachers, researchers, diplomats, lawyers, in culture and tourism, in commerce and in many areas of state and federal government.

Course Information

Find information about UQ’s Indonesian courses here.

You can study Indonesian from beginners, intermediate or advanced level.
Depending on the program you are enrolled in you can study Indonesian courses as electives or complete a minor, secondary major (QUT), major or extended major.
Current Indonesian students are studying arts, science, business and business management, law, environmental science, engineering, social work and journalism. They see their Indonesian skills as a useful adjunct to their general and professional degree studies.

There are limited opportunities to undertake in-country language programs in Indonesia for credit towards your degree. UQ also has an honours and postgraduate research program for those interested in the specialised study of Indonesia.