Foreigners To Study In Thai Uni

[notasmartassknowitallfarag]

A friend of mine who has been to thaland many times, is going back to university in uk he thought as a mature student(25), but he wants to know could he go to a university in bkk instead and study marketing as he hates the winter in the uk and just wants a degree.

But the main problem is can he do the degree all through english, if so does that mean with other thai and farang students and will his degree from a bkk uni be any use to him in europe if he needed it.

i suppose he will have to pay for all of it himself cant see the uk goverment funding him in a foreign country?

[Scott]

There are a number of Universities that have international programs where he would be studying in English. The two Thai universities that are accredited internationally are Chulalongkorn and Thammasat. There are also a few foreign universities (Webster springs to mind) and some programs which are conducted under the auspices of Western Universities.

As he proceeds, he should check out the schools, but if the school is accredited then his degree should be good in Europe--maybe even in Australia (nothing surprises me anymore).

[Scott]

The teaching in Thailand forum may provide you with more information.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

There are a number of Universities that have international programs where he would be studying in English. The two Thai universities that are accredited internationally are Chulalongkorn and Thammasat. There are also a few foreign universities (Webster springs to mind) and some programs which are conducted under the auspices of Western Universities.

As he proceeds, he should check out the schools, but if the school is accredited then his degree should be good in Europe--maybe even in Australia (nothing surprises me anymore).

Chula and Thammasat are well respected in the west.

[The_Doctor]

Payap University in Chiang Mai also offers International Programs, which are accredited. One of our graduates was immediately accepted onto a PhD. program at a respected UK university, so is a degree from a Thai university worth something? I would say yes!

Once you graduate from here, the 'value' of the degree is much to do with how you market yourself on your cv. Compare, 'got a degree from a 3rd tier university in UK', with 'got a degree from a respected university in Thailand, where I also had the benefit of living in an Asian culture, learning another language.....'

As for funding - he would probably have to pay for it himself. As I understand it students in the UK only get loans these days anyway. I don't think he qualifies for student loans for a degree out here, it would have to be a career development loan - which might work out an expensive way of doing things...

[jayjayjayjay]

Payap University in Chiang Mai also offers International Programs, which are accredited. One of our graduates was immediately accepted onto a PhD. program at a respected UK university, so is a degree from a Thai university worth something? I would say yes!

Once you graduate from here, the 'value' of the degree is much to do with how you market yourself on your cv. Compare, 'got a degree from a 3rd tier university in UK', with 'got a degree from a respected university in Thailand, where I also had the benefit of living in an Asian culture, learning another language.....'

As for funding - he would probably have to pay for it himself. As I understand it students in the UK only get loans these days anyway. I don't think he qualifies for student loans for a degree out here, it would have to be a career development loan - which might work out an expensive way of doing things...

I second what The_Doctor has mentioned here. My gf is presently in the International Program at Payap. It's the only place I feel she can get a real western "equivalent" education without having to leave the country, most of the lecturers have impressed me.

[Prakanong]

The OP is asking if the guy can do a Marketing degree in English at under-grad level -is that available in Thailand?

Yes he will have to fund it himself.

If I as an employer received a CV on my desk (as I sometimes do) I would take notice too of where the degree came from. Its not the only factor by far though and motivation etc and previous experience whether specific to the job or not counts also.

If invited for interview I would question on why that Uni (in Thailand or elsewhere), why that course etc etc. I would also ask others regarding the Uni in that country if I did not know it.

I doubt most people bother with where my undergrad or 1st post grad degree copme from now though. I am studying for my MBA and to be honest it seems not to matter where i am doing it in my annual review but more the fact I am doing it while working and paying for most of it myself - the motivational factor sems to register more.

As others have said - making the CV look interesting is key - I have seen all sorts including a 48 page diatribe.

If he learns the lingo (and maybe Mandarin too) then does his dissertation work on something in the region it would look very good - If he wants to study out here in the region I would think he must be interested in Asia and working here too?

[blizzard]

its the gurls..............lol.

he justs wants any degree, might as well get one from thailand........why???????????

[solo siam]

I can't see the degree being worth much in the eyes of say a UK employer, the experience gained might outweigh it, however some employers may just think he came out here to get laid.

My first thought would instantly be that he bummed around Thailand for a few years and bought a degree on his way home.

[JR Texas]

I can't see the degree being worth much in the eyes of say a UK employer, the experience gained might outweigh it, however some employers may just think he came out here to get laid.

My first thought would instantly be that he bummed around Thailand for a few years and bought a degree on his way home.

The universities in Thailand are worthless. Their sole function is to enrich the various deans/administrators. Thais that can afford it send their kids abroad to study. If you want to learn something, this is not the place to do it.

[madjbs]

I can't see the degree being worth much in the eyes of say a UK employer, the experience gained might outweigh it, however some employers may just think he came out here to get laid.

My first thought would instantly be that he bummed around Thailand for a few years and bought a degree on his way home.

The universities in Thailand are worthless. Their sole function is to enrich the various deans/administrators. Thais that can afford it send their kids abroad to study. If you want to learn something, this is not the place to do it.

Complete utter rubbish, you dont know what your talking about im afraid.

Chula and Thammasat are both good, respected unis with english programs. And despite what you may think they are not there just to make the deans rich.

Here is the link to the Thammasat BBA program, http://www.bus.tu.ac.th/bba/

Edited September 22, 2007 by madjbs

[fletchsmile]

A friend of mine who has been to thaland many times, is going back to university in uk he thought as a mature student(25), but he wants to know could he go to a university in bkk instead and study marketing as he hates the winter in the uk and just wants a degree.

But the main problem is can he do the degree all through english, if so does that mean with other thai and farang students and will his degree from a bkk uni be any use to him in europe if he needed it.

i suppose he will have to pay for all of it himself cant see the uk goverment funding him in a foreign country?

ABAC University (Assumption) has degrees which are exclsively taught in English for a wide range of programmes. As a private university (probably no.1) it is more expensive than the 2 top state universities Chulalongkorn and Thammasat. From hiring, you get some very bright people from all 3 universities. Statistically I've had more good professional hires from these 3 than other universities, tho' as always you need to keep an open mind as there are good people courses/ in every uni.

ABAC candidates tend to be a bit more international in outlook, and generally stronger on average in English than Chula or Thammasat. Cost is around USD 1-1.5k a term in fees for ABAC if I recall, and is more expensive than the other.

Not sure how they are viewed back in Europe, as Thai universities and their systems sometimes get a bad press. Won't go into that and pass judgement here. However, if you put ABAC (Thailand's top private university) or Chula (Thailand's top university), Thammasat (my view no.2 but some woud say top, so perhaps say one-of), then it would look better on your CV. As many people won't recognise the names in Europe I think this additional info in brackets is justifiable.

How useful it is will come thru at interview, and when you start using it. From interviewing and hiring, some just pass the tests, and others really acquire the knowledge.

Edited September 22, 2007 by fletchthai68

[simon43]

My own personal comment re the MA in Thai Studies at Chulalongkorn University that I'm currently following.

The course takes about 1 year, attending about 1.5 to 2 days per week. In contrast, my MSc in Microwave Communications that I took at University College London 23 years ago, took 1 year and required attendance 5 days per week, (8 hours per day).

Compare the Chula course to the UCL course? The former is like going to kindergarden when compared to the latter

The Chula course is interesting, fun and is helping me to understand more about Thai culture. But it's a doddle when compared to a post-grad course from London or Oxbridge.

Simon

[madjbs]

I would agree that Thai Studies is a very easy MA to get, however I dont think its comparable to other degrees in areas such as Economics, Buisiness, Law etc..

[cooL_guY_corY]

i think one thing people should remember and understand is that when you have a degree from a thai uni and you are showing it to a would-be employer in North America or Euro-Land, most of the people who you will be talking to arent the burnt out stereotypical average Thai-Visa posting sexpats. Though it has to be noted that Unis here are not the same as unis abroad, there are good schools here though. Chula, Thammasat, Bangkok University, ABAC, and Mahidol all come to mind.. one thing i gotta say though is having friends from all of those schools, ABAC seems to be the worst for having rich and stupid people, and i think is over rated by a lot of people. Mostly because its the most expensive and seems to attract that certain brand of "rich" people who want the best their money can buy, although it doesnt always work like that, although obviously all schools will have good and bad students and good and bad teachers.

[cooL_guY_corY]

brit much??

[Graphics]

That might be true for Abac ??

Is an Abac degree worthed in the West or South America???

[PeaceBlondie]

Well, I'm not a smart, know-it-all farang either, but if I were, I think I could start controversial topics on ThaiVisa.

Generally, the place you earned your degree means the most when you apply for your first job. After that, it's nearly meaningless. Some folks would class a marketing degree as slightly more valuable than a sociology degree, if one is applying for a marketing job above street vendor.

[jumnien]

Some of the universities in Thailand are highly respected internationally. However, a degree from Thailand held by a farang may be met with a raised eyebrow. The graduate may be required to submit to thorough testing to determine conclusively whether he left his four year stay in Thailand with more than a mild collection of sexually transmitted viral entities.

[Mozikillah]

If you want the chicks and degree easily, come to ABAC

But Chula is top notch!! Great teachers there, compared to ABAC

[lannarebirth]

Graduation from a four year degree program at Chula or Thammassat and maybe one or two other universities in Thailand will get you into a real Masters program in the west. A four year degree alone, from any Thai college, including Chula and Thammassat is otherwise worthless for gaining employment in the west. That's not to say it wouldn't be worthwhile, but not for starting a carreer in the west.

edit: I would make the exception for some engineering and science degrees. Those will find you employment in the west, but perhaps not at the highest levels.

Edited September 22, 2007 by lannarebirth

[madjbs]

It really depends what area your degree is in and what area of work your entering in the west. Different professions are probably more or less accepting of foreign degrees depending on what it is. If you appear to be the right man for the job a decent employer isnt going to let where you gained your degree get in the way.

[lannarebirth]

I can't see the degree being worth much in the eyes of say a UK employer, the experience gained might outweigh it, however some employers may just think he came out here to get laid.

My first thought would instantly be that he bummed around Thailand for a few years and bought a degree on his way home.

The universities in Thailand are worthless. Their sole function is to enrich the various deans/administrators. Thais that can afford it send their kids abroad to study. If you want to learn something, this is not the place to do it.

I didn't get the impression anyone was trying to learn anything. I think that may be a passe concept.

[howtoescape]

Apologies i read the replys and lost the point of the original thread.

Why not do a open university course or anyone of the 100s of distance learning degrees.

English winters not that bad OP, try Canadas where i went to study -40 degrees, i lasted a full 10 days.

[geriatrickid]

Graduation from a four year degree program at Chula or Thammassat and maybe one or two other universities in Thailand will get you into a real Masters program in the west. A four year degree alone, from any Thai college, including Chula and Thammassat is otherwise worthless for gaining employment in the west. That's not to say it wouldn't be worthwhile, but not for starting a carreer in the west.

edit: I would make the exception for some engineering and science degrees. Those will find you employment in the west, but perhaps not at the highest levels.

You know your sh*t dawg. Pure science (Physics, Chemistry), Comp. Sci. and Mathematics are knowledge and technique. Hence the ease with which foreigners can find work chewing numbers or working in labs in the west. It gets easier if you have an advanced education in science because you will have been subject to publishing and peer review requirements.

An undergrad degree from a lot of western universities is just as useless as a Thai diploma if the uni has a poor reputation. There are plenty of universities in the west known as party schools that can't even come close to the academic standards of the ChuChu Palace.

I spent 8 years in western universities and at one of my "prestigious" university's science faculty and home to 2 nobel laureates there was cheating and fudging of lab results. The big scandal was when a researcher dropped a vial containing radioactive liquid and the cleaners merely mopped it up, spreading radioactive contamination throughout the building. You'd think in such a high end university, they would have followed protocol etc., but no. Anyways, the worth of an education is what you do with it. At the end of the day, all my diplomas look nice but they aren't anything more than emergency bumwad, No girl has ever come up and gone " oh wow that degree in science is so super sexy, let's fornicate."

[samran]

Apologies i read the replys and lost the point of the original thread.

Why not do a open university course or anyone of the 100s of distance learning degrees.

English winters not that bad OP, try Canadas where i went to study -40 degrees, i lasted a full 10 days.

that is a very good piece of advice. The University of London offers excellent distance degrees, and at the end of the day, you'll get the same qualification as someone who studied on campus.

[dunez]

An undergrad degree from any accredited university in Thailand will be enough to get on a post grad in Europe. Surely then the MA or such overides the original degree anyway, right?

[JR Texas]

I can't see the degree being worth much in the eyes of say a UK employer, the experience gained might outweigh it, however some employers may just think he came out here to get laid.

My first thought would instantly be that he bummed around Thailand for a few years and bought a degree on his way home.

The universities in Thailand are worthless. Their sole function is to enrich the various deans/administrators. Thais that can afford it send their kids abroad to study. If you want to learn something, this is not the place to do it.

Complete utter rubbish, you dont know what your talking about im afraid.

Chula and Thammasat are both good, respected unis with english programs. And despite what you may think they are not there just to make the deans rich.

Here is the link to the Thammasat BBA program, http://www.bus.tu.ac.th/bba/

Complete rubbish? Really? And I do not know what I am talking about? For the record, I am a visiting professor at a university in Thailand. I have taught at several universities in Thailand since 1986. I have also taught all over the world.

The reputation of Thailand academics is zero outside of Thailand. This is widely known among scholars. I just talked with a visiting professor from the UK and we were in agreement......the system of higher education in Thailand is a joke.....a bad joke.

And, yes, the level of corruption is almost beyond belief.

[madjbs]

So what Uni are you a visiting professor of?

Please remember that we are talking about international programs at the 2 Top Universities.

NOT teaching english at some unknown school in the suburbs of Bangkok (and some more well known ones for that matter)

And if you beleive that Thai academics are not respected then its purly a racist reason. For example, out of the faculty of economics international program staff at T.U, 95% have Phds from western universities.

Edited September 23, 2007 by madjbs

[JR Texas]

So what Uni are you a visiting professor of?

Please remember that we are talking about international programs at the 2 Top Universities.

NOT teaching english at some unknown school in the suburbs of Bangkok (and some more well known ones for that matter)

And if you beleive that Thai academics are not respected then its purly a racist reason. For example, out of the faculty of economics international program staff at T.U, 95% have Phds from western universities.

I am not an English teacher...........my comments are not racially motivated. I am familiar with the top universities in Thailand. Being at the top of my field of study, I am qualified to judge the level of academic scholarship in Thailand and elsewhere. Having a Ph.D. means little in terms of top quality research.

This is not "my view." I have heard a few Thai scholars say the same thing about higher academia in Thailand. I have heard UN officials say the same thing. I have heard scholars from abroad say the same thing. If you are inside the loop, what I said is not controversial. It is obvious.

But think what you want. I am not saying there are not a few good scholars.........but they can be counted on one hand.