Global developments, as well as massive and very rapid growth in various fields, especially technology, have brought society and the world to new situations and challenges. Now the world is entering an era which in certain perspectives is called the Industrial Revolution 4.0 or later in the Japanese perspective as the Social Revolution 5.0, requiring all countries in the world to be able to adapt to these changes in order to survive and develop themselves. The international movement to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2030, according to the document Transforming our World: The 2030 demands 4 pillars of development; social, economic, environmental and legal, as well as holistic and sustainable development governance, require various interdisciplinary approaches that are able to synergize various elements in development. This then became the basis/background for the formation of the ITS Development Studies Department.

The vision of the Development Studies Department is to become a study program of superior quality and world class to support sustainable development.

The aim of the Development Studies Department is to produce quality graduates, with superior work ethic, noble character, who have the ability to:

1. Producing graduates who have the ability to understand, analyze and apply theories and issues of human and societal development.
2. Producing graduates who have the ability to plan and implement community empowerment (Community Development) and corporate social responsibility (Corporate Social Responsibility).
3. Producing graduates who have the ability to assess the impact of globalization and development (Development Impact Assessment), and are able to develop an entrepreneurial spirit.
4. Producing graduates who have the ability to develop a maritime-oriented development paradigm (Maritime-Based Development), as well as information
5. technology capabilities that support national development.
   Producing quality graduates, with a superior work ethic and noble character.