Minister of Education and Culture Regulation Number 3 of 2020 concerning National Higher Education Standards states that lecturers who teach in master's (S2) and doctoral (S3) programs are lecturers who have a doctoral or doctoral degree. This provision is closely related to the government's efforts to improve the quality of graduates and the reputation of higher education institutions in particular. The competence and qualifications of lecturers determine the quality of education in higher education which will ultimately make a major contribution to improving the quality of human resources for better national development.

However, based on sources from the Higher Education Database of the Directorate General of Higher Education, Ministry of Education and Culture (https://pddikti.kemdikbud.go.id), it shows that the number of lecturers in Indonesia who hold doctoral degrees is still low. In 2020, the number of lecturers with doctoral degrees was 42,825 out of a total of 294,704 lecturers throughout Indonesia. Meanwhile, the number of Science Education Study Programs at Universities in Indonesia is 22 for undergraduate programs, 8 for master's programs and 5 for doctoral programs which really need lecturers with doctoral qualifications in science education.

Therefore, to meet the needs and increase the qualifications of lecturers in the Science Education Study Program and related ones (Physics and Biology Study Program), it is necessary to develop an independent science education doctoral study program to make it more professional. So far, the science education doctoral program at UNY has been initiated as a specialization in the science education doctoral program and has produced approximately 12 science education doctors. Apart from lecturers, teachers and other science education experts also have the opportunity to obtain higher education. In connection with this, the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences took the initiative to propose a new study program. In accordance with the nomenclature determined by the Directorate of Institutional Development, Directorate of Higher Education, Ministry of Education and Culture, the name of the proposed study program is Doctor of Science Education.

The proposed proposal received a positive response, so that the implementation of the Doctoral Science Education FMIPA UNY could begin to be implemented. This is stated in the decree issued on December 27 2021 in the form of "DECREE OF THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION, CULTURE, RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA - NUMBER 565/E/0/2021 - CONCERNING PERMIT TO OPEN THE SCIENCE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DOCTORAL PROGRAM AT YOGYAKARTA STATE UNIVERSITY IN YOGYAKARTA".

Based on the decision letter, the Doctoral Study Program Pend. IPA UNY began accepting the First Generation of new students during the Intake Admissions Period in February 2022.