Thai Universities

[ZOVOX]

Eventually, i want to send my daughter to a thai university. Just wondering what thai universities are like ?

How do they compare to u.k universities ?

Which ones are the best ?

How much does it cost a year ?

[ProfessorFart]

The best in Thailand are Chulalongkorn, Thammasat and Ramkanghaeng. These are the only ones which have international recognition.

If your daughter has overseas citizenship then send her overseas.

[GuestHouse]

I studdied Thai Language and Culture at Burapha (Choburi District), I have also joined post graduate study groups in Engineering at King Monkhut and Chula and I have tutored post gradutes from KM who are working on Study Projects specific to my own area of expertese.

I studied my first degree in Birmingham UK and my masters at Delft NL

My own opinion is Thai universitlies are not up to scratch when compared with UK/European Unis.

Students are not as motivated, many are instilled with the belief that they are owed a qualification simply because they got through the door.

Plagerism is rife and I mean rife, on a scale you would not believe added to which I have real concerns regarding the 'Education' Thai universities give - Not the level of teaching in purely measurable terms but the broadening of mind and the encouragement of individual thought that is an essential part of university education.

This is not just in the classroom, Thai universities lack the interaction of students that takes part in UK/European Student Union groups, debating/political/religious/arts and philosophy groups that are a part of UK and European Universities.

Thai students attend with the sole intention of getting a bit of paper, not an education. I have witnessed students going into a rage because they have had work returned as not acceptable (It wasn't acceptable and was copied along with all the other pieces of work submitted in the class) but the students do not understand why they are set course work - They see it as something to complete, not something that will introduce them to new ideas and ways of thinking.

That is not to say there are not bright and enquiring students in Thai universities, there are. I work with Thais who are graduates of KM and Thamasart who are so bl00dy bright its frightening - but they are that way because they naturally bright and enquiring, not because their university instilled enquiry into them.

I know far more bright Thais who have had their minds closed to new ideas by rote learning and the prescriptive codes of behaviour, thought and expression that form the basis of the Thai education system.

If it was my child and I was choosing, I would choose a British University and probably a British education throughout - Just like so many wealthy Thais

They do do for very good reason.

[Abandon]

There is a thread somewhere on the woeful state of Thai education - discussing the cheating, the copying, the sub standard teaching. Apparently Thailand falls as number 60 in a list of world nations education standards. There are some 'good' universities as listed above - to which I would add Mahidol and APEC.

But there are advantages to Thai universities. If the course is not too specific (as chemical engineering would be) then a degree is a degree and she would not be much worse off studying in Thailand. Foreign degrees carry more weight in Thailand but Im not sure they would anywhere else. And if the Uni is a good Thai one then the degree will be respected here too. But also, it is far, far, far cheaper to study in Thailand. Send her for a masters abroad as UK it is only 1 year extra for the masters compared to 2 or 3 here. Or else use the money you save to send her on some good work experience/travelling abroad when she finishes.

Also she will be closer to you here, have more friends here, and very likely safer (unless she has to use a road to get to the class). Its better weather here, nicer people, cheap and easy to live - she might well need an extra job to pay the bills in the UK.

Finally - I would always choose Australia, New Zealand etc.. over the UK for many reasons. Actually the only real advantage (if you call it that) of going abroad is that she will learn independence, which is good for Thai's but likely not an issue if you are an expat

[Thaigrr]

If it was my child and I was choosing, I would choose a British University and probably a British education  throughout - Just like so many wealthy Thais.

Most wealthy Thais send their offspring to American Universities, if they are wealthy enough that is, my friend. An American education beats a British education hands down. Witness the internet, computers, aerospace, medical advances, franchising, etc. etc. are mostly American developed. Even the Japanese economy was largly developed as a result of the teaching of a few American business consultants, including Edward Demming.

And the Brits have developed ...................?

[thai3]

If it was my child and I was choosing, I would choose a British University and probably a British education  throughout - Just like so many wealthy Thais

They do do for very good reason.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

UK Universities are a bit like football clubs with premier ones and those in the minor leagues. Comparing somewhere like a Top Cambridge College with lets say De mont fort in leicester could be compared to Chelsea and Northampton town.

Standards at former Poly's like De montfort can be woefull, with almost anyone applying being admitted onto courses which they are often unable to complete leading to high drop out rates. Then there are the standards of the courses and teaching to be considered which are often far from acceptable. It's all about bums on seats and income for a lot of Universities and sadly although they spout a lot about quality and standards it's the bank balance which comes first. Some of the courses are a waste of students time and do not equip them for outside employment in their chosen field of study. Where do all the thousands of media studies students go? two I know are working in a pizza a restaurant and in an estate agent. Some UK universities benifit themselves more than some of the students.

If I were chosing a UK university today I would be very carefull over the choice, they are not all the same.-peter

[ProfessorFart]

Thaigrrr, I think you'll find the internet is a British invention.......

[ProfessorFart]

................as was the computer..................

[bkk_mike]

If it was my child and I was choosing, I would choose a British University and probably a British education  throughout - Just like so many wealthy Thais.

Most wealthy Thais send their offspring to American Universities, if they are wealthy enough that is, my friend. An American education beats a British education hands down. Witness the internet, computers, aerospace, medical advances, franchising, etc. etc. are mostly American developed. Even the Japanese economy was largly developed as a result of the teaching of a few American business consultants, including Edward Demming.

And the Brits have developed ...................?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think we have the result of an American education here.

Internet - Yes - the Internet was developed in the US, but the web (i.e. web pages linked to other web pages built with HTML) by a Brit working at the European Particle Physics research centre in Switzerland.

Aerospace - Who do you think invented the jet engine, the first jet airliner, and, with the French, Concorde. (The Americans just got the plans for the jet engine during the war, and then never paid any patent fees to the inventor - so much for intellectual property rights). Britain even makes planes for the US Military (heard of the Harrier).

Computers - Anyone who's studied computers will have heard of Alan Turing? And the "StrongARM" chips inside handheld PCs. Intel may make them, but the ARM part comes from the company in Cambridge that designed them (England, not Massachussetts)

Medical Advances - I seem to remember a cloned sheep called Dolly - from a medical lab in Edinburgh. And with it's ban on the harvesting of embryonic stem cells, the US is actually losing ground in this field anyway.

franchising - you got me - That's an all-American thing...

[bkk_mike]

Thaigrrr, I think you'll find the internet is a British invention.......

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No - give him the Internet... - that was part of the extension of DARPANET, which was a US defence network.

But with the exception of email and ftp, the internet only became usable when the world wide web (www), came along - and it was developed at CERN by Tim Berners-Lee, who was British.

[jackr]

If it was my child and I was choosing, I would choose a British University and probably a British education  throughout - Just like so many wealthy Thais.

Most wealthy Thais send their offspring to American Universities, if they are wealthy enough that is, my friend. An American education beats a British education hands down. Witness the internet, computers, aerospace, medical advances, franchising, etc. etc. are mostly American developed. Even the Japanese economy was largly developed as a result of the teaching of a few American business consultants, including Edward Demming.

And the Brits have developed ...................?

...40% of everything in the world, troll. What have the Yanks ever done besides taking everybody elses ideas, borrowing brains from abroad and throwing billions of dollars at it? As an example, do you know why you lot were so quick to DEVELOP the atom bomb? No? Well, the very clever British engineer, Hinton, showed you half-wits how to enrich Uranium by utilising a clever tool he devised. I could draw a list up that would go on for ever of inventions that have aided development of the civilized world as we see it today because of British input and where would you lot be if it wasn't for the Industrial Revolution?

Doesn't always work when you throw stupid amounts of money at a project: ie - your stealth bombers are as big as a house when our superior Rapier RADAR system has it's eye open.

Anyway, waste of time ranting because you're obviously a troll with half a brain and if not, you're the prime example of why your country is becoming more and more reviled and isolated because of the 'we're the best' attitude. Apologies to the good ones out there.

[lukamar]

From another interesting topic to a shouting match of childish schoolboys (just to keep it on topic). How sad.

[bkk_mike]

To get back on topic. (sorry for replying to that probable troll - if the sysadmins remove it, the replies can go too...)

Afraid I wouldn't dream of sending any of my kids to a Thai University except maybe Chulalongkorn, and then only if they were set on going there...

Do you see any wealthy Thais sending their children to University in Thailand. If they can afford it (and don't have a reputation giving them immigration problems), the child goes abroad...

A lot of them even send the children to boarding schools abroad as soon as they reach the earliest age that they'll be accepted as boarders (Seven?).

Personally, I'll probably move the family abroad (UK / Aus / NZ / US) when the time comes. - or even a few years before so that they can qualify as locals and get cheaper places. (Aus / UK / NZ anyway). My wife and I can then come back after the kids have all moved out (i.e. youngest gets into University). Personally, I like Australia, the climate's not as bad as the UK, and the Universities aren't as expensive as the US. (but the taxes are ridiculous )

[ProfessorFart]

At the end of the day Jackr we Brits developed America!!!

[ZOVOX]

Thanks for all the responses, especially to 'Guesthouse' for a very detailed insight. I should have mentioned that it is my step-daughter, who is a thai national and does not speak much english, so the overseas route is not an option. For the top thai universities mentioned, is entry based on ability or who you know ? Also, what is the annual tuition fees for a university like Chula ?

As for the slanging match that ensued, I went to three u.k universities (Sheffield, Leeds and Aston) and i also lived in America. You'll find that the top u.k unis and the top u.s unis are much the same standard. I would say that the u.s offers a more broad based course - like continental european unis, whilst u.k unis focus more on one subject.

[lukamar]

At the end of the day Jackr we Brits developed America!!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And my country, Canada as well, or rather plundered it.. But the Americans did developed the "Tea Party" and kicked the bigest and most invincible army on earth, at the time, out.

[jackr]

At the end of the day Jackr we Brits developed America!!!

And my country, Canada as well, or rather plundered it.. But the Americans did developed the "Tea Party" and kicked the bigest and most invincible army on earth, at the time, out.

...yes, most invincible army who were out and about with other commitments in Europe. Btw, we kicked ourselves out

[sabaijai]

The best in Thailand are Chulalongkorn, Thammasat and Ramkanghaeng. These are the only ones which have international recognition.

If your daughter has overseas citizenship then send her overseas.

Bangkok's top-ranked multi-disciplinary universities are Chulalongkorn, Thammasat, Mahidol and Silpakorn (in that order). If you consider all universities with degree programs, then King Mongkut's Institute of Technology is the most highly rated of all.

Ramkhamhaeng has an open admissions policy (anyone can study there, while at the other four you must pass government entrance exams), so does not have the respect of the others mentioned above. In fact it didn't even make Asiaweek's list of the top 80 unis in Asia for the year 2000 (the last year the magazine did a ranking, before it went under), though KMIT, Chula, Thammasat, Mahidol and Silpakorn did.

Ramkhamhaeng has around 200,000 students at any given time, and many classes are taught via closed-circuit television.

Edited December 11, 2004 by sabaijai

[lukamar]

Asian countries class University degrees very highly and I don't think that the general population cares a lot about where the degree is from. My wife was the first to graduate University (CMU) in her family and now her brother and sister have degrees and her youngest brother is now in University.

We have to consider that a lot of the people in University are less than one generation out of a farming or military background and it will take some time to raise the standards in Thai Universities to foster free thinking, if that happens at all. Having said that, there are universities in the US and Canada and i am sure the UK, that do not have very high standards. For a lot of Thai people, a Degree is a large boost to the family pride and as such motivates others in Thai society to do the same. This is good for Thailand. A degree from a lower standard Thai university is of more value than not having a degree at all.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

The best in Thailand are Chulalongkorn, Thammasat and Ramkanghaeng. These are the only ones which have international recognition.

If your daughter has overseas citizenship then send her overseas.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ram does not even begin to be in the same league as the other two. Not even in the slightest.

[kat]

I'm sorry for the unfortunate comment that set off the whole "who is better" argument, because I find such speels ridiculous and fundamentally flawed at best. Example (in a whining voice) "Americans invented the internet ....... 'yeah, but a Brit developed the world wide web'" etc. etc. etc.

The fact is that the internet would still be a cloistered operation of American defence without the world wide web, and who knows what use the web would have been without the internet. Inventions and science tend to gain a cumulative effect from the other advances before them. Do you really want to get into a match about who invented what? It won't be easy on all accounts, including the quite frequent and knee-jerk response of slagging off America, or Europe and Britan for that matter.

By the way, you mentioned Universities. It is without a doubt by many accounts, that the top universities in the world are American. If you have the grades, talent, and cash, or a scholarship, you can get into one. And if you think I am making this up, there was recently a world-wide survey of top academics and Universities around the world of more than 1800 scholars. I think the top 5 universities were American, with something like 7 on the list in total. Harvard, Stanford, Univ of Berkley, MIT, Yale (American), and Oxford, Cambridge, a technical school in Switzerland, and some others. Not exactly in this order. I can google up the list again if you want, and it was also mentioned in the local English papers a couple of months ago.

However, there is no doubt that our public school system largely sucks, and that Britian and Western Europe do a better job in general of public education. So, my point is, before you sling the mud, know the facts.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

The best in Thailand are Chulalongkorn, Thammasat and Ramkanghaeng. These are the only ones which have international recognition.

If your daughter has overseas citizenship then send her overseas.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Bangkok's top-ranked multi-disciplinary universities are Chulalongkorn, Thammasat, Mahidol and Silpakorn (in that order). If you consider all universities with degree programs, then King Mongkut's Institute of Technology is the most highly rated of all.

Ramkhamhaeng has an open admissions policy (anyone can study there, while at the other four you must pass government entrance exams), so does not have the respect of the others mentioned above. In fact it didn't even make Asiaweek's list of the top 80 unis in Asia for the year 2000 (the last year the magazine did a ranking, before it went under), though KMIT, Chula, Thammasat, Mahidol and Silpakorn did.

Ramkhamhaeng has around 200,000 students at any given time, and many classes are taught via closed-circuit television.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

As I said to the ( good ?) Professor, Ramkhamhaeng isn't in the race. To handle that number of students is impressive though.

[jackr]

By the way, you mentioned Universities. It is without a doubt by many accounts, that the top universities in the world are American. If you have the grades, talent, and cash, or a scholarship, you can get into one. And if you think I am making this up, there was recently a world-wide survey of top academics and Universities around the world of more than 1800 scholars. I think the top 5 universities were American, with something like 7 on the list in total. Harvard, Stanford, Univ of Berkley, MIT, Yale (American), and Oxford, Cambridge, a technical school in Switzerland, and some others. Not exactly in this order. I can google up the list again if you want, and it was also mentioned in the local English papers a couple of months ago.

On your list, the top TWO universities are American. You missed Cambridge, UK, which is third and has a 100% Alumni score, beating Harvard and Stanford.

[GuestHouse]

Can we just remind ourselves that the OP was asking for a comparison between THAI and BRITISH universities.

[think_too_mut]

The best in Thailand are Chulalongkorn, Thammasat and Ramkanghaeng. These are the only ones which have international recognition.

If your daughter has overseas citizenship then send her overseas.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Professor, where did the Bangkok Uni go? In my books it's ahead of Ramkanghaeng.

[dr_Pat_Pong]

The best in Thailand are Chulalongkorn, Thammasat and Ramkanghaeng. These are the only ones which have international recognition.

If your daughter has overseas citizenship then send her overseas.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Professor, where did the Bangkok Uni go? In my books it's ahead of Ramkanghaeng.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

IMHO it is the best of the private uni's

[kat]

By the way, you mentioned Universities. It is without a doubt by many accounts, that the top universities in the world are American. If you have the grades, talent, and cash, or a scholarship, you can get into one. And if you think I am making this up, there was recently a world-wide survey of top academics and Universities around the world of more than 1800 scholars. I think the top 5 universities were American, with something like 7 on the list in total. Harvard, Stanford, Univ of Berkley, MIT, Yale (American), and Oxford, Cambridge, a technical school in Switzerland, and some others. Not exactly in this order. I can google up the list again if you want, and it was also mentioned in the local English papers a couple of months ago.

On your list, the top TWO universities are American. You missed Cambridge, UK, which is third and has a 100% Alumni score, beating Harvard and Stanford.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Jackr, I don't want to get into petty arguments, but I'm tired of relentless competition when there is none. I went to two of the universities in the top 5 list, and met several people who also went to Cambridge. Let me assure you there is no competition.

And secondly, the list on google is not the exact same list that was part of a global survey. The list on google is a Japanese survery (I believe, but I'm not sure). The list that was published a couple of months ago by a survey of 1800 academics worldwide was a bit different.

[GuestHouse]

Again...

Can we just remind ourselves that the OP was asking for a comparison between THAI and BRITISH universities.

There's more than one person here claiming to have a University Education who are simply unable to comprehend the question that the OP is asking.

That some of these people are claiming they studied at some of the best universilities only reafirms what I have always suspected.

You can lead a man to knowledge but you can't make him think.

[kat]

Oh, are you another one that is going to zealously guard every response, of every thread, for precise relevance? Why don't you go back and examine every post ever written on this forum for exact dialogue. I think that will make much better use of your comprehension skills than trying to insult my intelligence.

'Bye. Guess you'll be awhile.

[Limbo]

Some faculties of some universities are better than similar faculties of other universities.

Status and quality are therefore not identical topics.

There is a new university of which the president holds the opinion that quantity is to prefer above quality (better a little bit of knowledge to many than a lot to a few).

Amazing is that students who want to learn something actually are enabled to do so; don't underestimate the motivation of the younger teachers. The older ones are mostly demotivated and road (retired on active duty).

The level is over-all extremely low. In no way comparable to the above average western university.

If you fail your exams three times you get an oral one to get you through. As long as you pay you will go on. The one way or the other.

But one thing is for sure: whatever science you study, the main subjects are copying and cheating. But from the other side this might be the best preparation for a splendid career. A good doctor will work with patients, a lousy one goes into the administration and makes ten times as much as his working colleagues.

I never studied in the UK, so I can't comment on that. I only know that the UK has some extremely good universities.

The system is different. I don't know about it. In the USA you have also topclass as Khun Kat noticed.

I don't know if these countries also have very lousy ones.

I spend some years at three universities in two mainland European countries, so I am not in the position to comment on academic USA and UK in general.

A couple of years ago the universities stopped with giving information to the institution which produced the yearly rankings of Asian universities. The reason: their ranking was not high enough.