Universitas Islam Negeri Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang was developed based on noble ideals among academics and Muslim scholars to build and realize a generation of Muslims who are truly capable of presenting a true image of Islam, which reflects the universality and significance of Islam in the midst of the lives of humanity who crave physical well-being, world-afterlife happiness. The generation to be realized also has the ability to build civilization by adhering to reasonable and superior life principles, such as justice, truth, goodness, peace, order, comfort, equality, plurality, and tolerance. In the context of education, the reflection of Islam is actualized in the ideal Muslim personality profile that is balanced between intellectual and moral-spiritual aspects, social and individual, and serves religion, society, and the nation creatively and responsibly.

There are at least three strategic reasons underlying it, namely ideological reasons, philosophical reasons, and socio-psychological reasons. Ideologically, Islam is an all-sufficient religion, which is complete, holistic and universal. Therefore, there should be no separation between religious and general sciences, as is the case in the world of education and schooling today, including in the organization of education in PTAIN. PTAIN currently only develops majors/faculties that are religious in nature - and therefore only collect disciplines related to “Islam”, such as ushuluddin, shari'ah, tarbiyah, da'wah, and adab.

On the basis of the integrated and holistic Islamic worldview above, the opening of non-religious faculties / majors / study programs has been seen as an urgent need. The philosophical reason is that the development of human personality must be carried out comprehensively and integrally, covering intellectual, spiritual, akhlaq, and professionalism aspects. The socio-psychological reason is that there is an impression - and this is due to the treatment of a narrow Islamic worldview - that PTAIN graduates have so far only been equipped with the ability to participate in the field of religious education and religious development. They are not equipped with the ability and skills to carry out broader social functions. Community life in reality is not simple, and there is a tendency to increasingly show its complexity. Therefore, it is inevitable that a planned effort is needed to develop human resources who have certain competencies to guide the community and assist it in solving various life problems, ranging from the most practical to the highly intellectual-academic.

Higher education is an institution specifically designed to nurture the development of young people who are expected to strengthen society. Universities carry out the regeneration function with the power of science that is developed continuously, to adjust to the development of the needs and demands of society. Given the importance of intellectual intelligence aspects integrated with emotional intelligence and spiritual intelligence, UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang as a State Islamic University builds a harmonious scientific, academic, and institutional development framework. The development of science traced by UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang - in this case the Postgraduate Program - is in the form of Islamic-based science (Islam-based-knowledge) in a broad sense, namely science that grows and develops based on kawniyah verses (the universe, which is epistemologically reached by instruments of observation, experimentation, and logical reasoning) and qawliyah verses (al-Qur'an and al-Hadis). The profile or model of science development of UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang is described in the form of a “Tree of Science” which has roots, branches, branches, and twigs. Academically, UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang - in this case the Postgraduate Program - emphasizes a relevant and strong academic system to support the realization of scientific development as intended and to realize human resources who have the personality, abilities, and skills needed for the development of society towards progress and prosperity. 

In institutional development, UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang -since the status of STAIN- opened a Masters level Postgraduate Program (S2), namely Masters in Islamic Religious Sciences in the 1999/2000 academic year. The opening of the program was based on the Decree of the Minister of Religious Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia No. IX: 84 Th. 1999 concerning the Implementation of Postgraduate Study Program (S-2). In 2005, UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang obtained permission to open a Masters Study Program (S2) in Islamic Education Management and Arabic Language Education with Decree of the Director General of Islamic Institutions Number: DJ.II/55/2005 Doctoral Program (S3) was opened starting in the 2007-2008 Academic Year after obtaining permission from the Director General of Islamic Education Number: DJ/450/2006. Furthermore, other study programs were also developed to respond and meet the needs of the community, so that the study programs held by the Postgraduate Program of UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang until now include:

Master's Program consists of 8 (eight) Study Programs, namely:

1. Islamic Education Management;
2. Arabic Language Education;
3. Islamic Studies;
4. Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Teacher Education;
5. Islamic Religious Education;
6. Islamic Law;
7. Sharia Economics;
8. Arabic Language and Literature.

Doctoral Program consists of 6 (three) Study Programs, namely:

1. Islamic Education Management;
2. Arabic Language Education; 
3. Islamic Religious Education Based on Interdisciplinary Studies;
4. Islamic Family Law;
5. Sharia Economics; 
6. Islamic Studies.

In swinging strategic steps forward, the Postgraduate Program of UIN Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang is determined to always be committed to excellence. However, it should be realized that in practice the opportunities and challenges in this third millennium era seem increasingly complex.