The establishment of a Master's degree programme in Pancasila and Civic Education (PPKn) has been initiated by the Department of Civic Education and Law, Faculty of Social Sciences (FIS), Yogyakarta State University (UNY) since early 2012. The formal steps for proposing the establishment of this programme include submitting Forms 1, 2, and 3 online through the Directorate of Institutional Affairs and Cooperation, Directorate General of Higher Education (Ditjen Dikti) website (prodibaru.dikti.go.id) on 17 August 2012, shortly before the implementation of a moratorium on the opening of new study programmes by the Directorate General of Higher Education (Ditjen Dikti) of the Ministry of Education and Culture (Kemdikbud).
In May 2013, Ditjen Dikti sent an email regarding registration number 20130524847 for the opening of the Master's Degree (S2) programme in Pancasila and Citizenship Education (PPKn) with programme code 87-122 (PPKn), not programme code 87-105 (PKN) as proposed in the Form 4 file code submitted, and subsequently Form 4 was submitted on 20 November 2013. After the submission of Form 4, on 10 January 2014, the Directorate General of Higher Education (Ditjen Dikti) through the website prodibaru.dikti.go.id stated that the proposal for the establishment of this new programme was ‘RECOMMENDED,’ although there was no detailed explanation of the evaluation results for Form 4, and the complete results would be announced as early as 18 February 2014.

During the process of waiting for the results of the Directorate General of Higher Education's evaluation of Form 4 for the proposed UNY PPKn Master's programme, the Head of the Department of Civic Education and Law at FIS UNY received information from the Dean of FIS UNY regarding the Director General of Higher Education's letter No. 83/E.E2/DT/2014, which was sent through the UNY Postgraduate Programme (PPs) regarding the implementation of study programmes. The continuation of the mandate to establish a new programme has prompted the comprehensive preparation of the required documents for the establishment of the Master's Programme in Civic Education at the UNY Graduate School, both academic and non-academic.

The academic preparation for the establishment of the Master's Program in Civic Education at the Postgraduate School of Yogyakarta State University was carried out by developing the curriculum and academic regulations for the program. In accordance with Presidential Regulation of the Republic of Indonesia No. 8 of 2012 on the Indonesian National Qualifications Framework (KKNI), the Master's Programme in Civic Education at the Graduate School of UNY has defined the competency qualifications of its graduates to ensure they meet the standards of a master's degree (S2) programme. The learning outcomes of the PPKn programme curriculum are the consolidation of interdisciplinary studies in Civic Education, encompassing political, legal, moral, and pedagogical aspects, to cultivate the character of Indonesian citizens who are critical, participatory, and responsible towards themselves, their nation, and their country in both national and international contexts, through research and development activities. These learning outcomes are outlined in the PPKn programme curriculum. To ensure the achievement of the KKNI for the PPKn programme at UNY, six lecturers with relevant educational backgrounds have been assigned to the programme's homebase, supported by existing educational staff at UNY.

Non-academic preparations for the establishment of the PPKn PPs UNY study programme include the availability of educational facilities and infrastructure. These preparations, in addition to utilising existing equipment, also involve designing the needs of the PPKn PPs UNY study programme for the first three to five years as a new study programme, such as learning media and resources; e-library collections and printed library materials to strengthen PPKn studies in the fields of politics, law, ethics, and PPKn pedagogy, such as handbooks, encyclopaedias, textbooks, reference books, and relevant national and international journals; and a conducive UNY PPs culture for the development of PPKn Master's Programme graduates.