Ba In Thai Language At A Thai University

[Sir_Sanuk]

After several years of teaching myself Thai and joining various Thai language courses designed for foreigners, I’d like to know if it is possible to do a BA Degree in Thai Language at any of the major universities in Bangkok?

I believe Andrew Biggs did something like this at Rangsit but I’m not sure.. If anyone has any experience, recommendations or links for where it would be possible for a foreigner to do this I’d be very grateful.

Cheers!

[Scottish Thailander]

After several years of teaching myself Thai and joining various Thai language courses designed for foreigners, I'd like to know if it is possible to do a BA Degree in Thai Language at any of the major universities in Bangkok?

I believe Andrew Biggs did something like this at Rangsit but I'm not sure.. If anyone has any experience, recommendations or links for where it would be possible for a foreigner to do this I'd be very grateful.

Cheers!

Andrew Biggs did it at Ramkhamhaeng.

.

Edited June 22, 2009 by Scottish Thailander

[bannork]

After several years of teaching myself Thai and joining various Thai language courses designed for foreigners, I’d like to know if it is possible to do a BA Degree in Thai Language at any of the major universities in Bangkok?

I believe Andrew Biggs did something like this at Rangsit but I’m not sure.. If anyone has any experience, recommendations or links for where it would be possible for a foreigner to do this I’d be very grateful.

Cheers!

I'd thoroughly recommend Ramkhamhaeng if you want to improve your reading and writing skills, and gain a solid background to Thai literature. In my opinion having a Thai friend proficient in writing skills is an invaluable help too because the classes are so large there's little chance of personal interaction with the lecturers.

There's no compulsory attendance so you can do all your studying at home.

To enrol you have to pass an interview in front of 3 or 4 lecturers, they were very friendly to me, I think they just want to make sure you're motivated enough as there had been cases of Burmese students using Ram to get educational visas and then not studying.

The hardest part is the literature from the Ayuttaya and early Rama kings era. There's so many old words that an excellent dictionary, helpful friend and patience are essential! If you want to get a taste of what's in store, go to the text book library and glance through the books for sale for the BA in Thai language.

[Sir_Sanuk]

Ah yea, I meant Ramkamhaeng, not Rangsit.

Thanks for the info.. what times are the classes normally held? If there is no compulsory attendance it would theoretically be possible to do the degree while still working a full-time job, right?

Edited June 23, 2009 by Sir_Sanuk

[kriswillems]

Bannork, could you tell use what you did before starting the BA?

- How long had you been living in Thailand?

- Where and how did you study Thai?

- Did you go to high school in Thailand?

- How old were you when you started the BA?

- Does your father or mother speak Thai?

I would like to have an idea about the level of Thai that is necessary to consider entering the course.

[Sir_Sanuk]

Bannork, could you tell use what you did before starting the BA?

- How long had you been living in Thailand?

- Where and how did you study Thai?

- Did you go to high school in Thailand?

- How old were you when you started the BA?

- Does your father or mother speak Thai?

I would like to have an idea about the level of Thai that is necessary to consider entering the course.

Good questions.. I plan to check out the text books to get an idea of the level of Thai required, but I'd also love to know the answers to these questions

Thanks!

[Gerontion]

Bannork, could you tell use what you did before starting the BA?

- How long had you been living in Thailand?

- Where and how did you study Thai?

- Did you go to high school in Thailand?

- How old were you when you started the BA?

- Does your father or mother speak Thai?

I would like to have an idea about the level of Thai that is necessary to consider entering the course.

Can I add to the list of questions?

If you live away from the University, how often are you required/advised to attend?

Cheers.

[keo]

are there loads of hot young Thai woman in the classes, who all want to get to know the token farang?

[bannork]

Bannork, could you tell use what you did before starting the BA?

- How long had you been living in Thailand?

- Where and how did you study Thai?

- Did you go to high school in Thailand?

- How old were you when you started the BA?

- Does your father or mother speak Thai?

I would like to have an idea about the level of Thai that is necessary to consider entering the course.

Can I add to the list of questions?

If you live away from the University, how often are you required/advised to attend?

Cheers.

I started coming to Thailand in the mid 80s when I worked for British Telecom on a 6 month basis for 4 or 5 years. I'd come to Thailand for the winter, and having all the time in the world, decided to learn to read Thai as it was soon apparent learning Thai using English letters doesn't work.

I taught myself from a book by a lady from Holland or Belgium if I remember rightly, it wasn't the right way to learn, more a case of plunging in at the deep end and working things out backwards, but I bought a few children's books which made things easier. I never had any lessons because I was too poor or too tight, and besides Thais in guesthouses were very helpful, at that time on Pra Nang beach in Krabi, bungalows were 50 baht a night, the whole atmosphere was very relaxed.

Having the time was very important as learning a new language after a day's work must be an uphill task.

Once you can read Thai, you just start reading ads and signs in everyday life and after a couple of years you should take the Prathom 6 test run by the government. That involves listening and reading too, and if you pass that, then a year or two later I think you may be ready for the BA.

But as I've mentioned in a previous post, the BA at Ram is focused on written Thai, apart from the initial interview, you don't have to speak at all. Classes are voluntary, all that's required is attendance at the exams, and these you can sit an indefinite number of times if you fail.

If you want to improve your conversation Thai, it's not the course for you, but if you enjoy reading and have a deep interest and love for Thailand, its history and literature, then it's the course for you, it's a challenge after all!

But the poetry is soooooo hard. It's a terrible thing to say, but if Bin Laden hadn't attacked the WTC, I may still be sitting the poetry test to this day. I month before my third poetry exam Sept 11 occurred, convinced this would be the topic in the upcoming exam, I wrote, improved and memorised a poem based on that tragedy, and it was the topic!

I started at Ram when I was 42 and graduated when I was 46. It's true, there are many beautiful girls, the buses going to Ram on exam days are full of stunners, all busy reading their summaries and last year's exam papers.

I went to school in England in Hull, a terrible place in the early 70s, I left as soon as possible to see the world, much to the protestations of the locals who said you can see the world on television, no need to leave the East Riding of Yorkshire!

My parents never spoke Thai to the best of my knowledge, though locals in Hull omit any articles, as do Thais, perhaps this was of some help!

As mentioned in a previous post, if you want to judge if your reading Thai is up to it, go to the bookshop at Ram selling the course books and leaf through the text books for the Thai BA.

Go for it if you've got the motivation and perseverence!

[kriswillems]

Thank you very much for this very useful reply!

I did the competency test (which replaces the P.6 test) and got not too bad results. The new competency test should also test on higher levels than P.6. In fact for most skills my level was M4 to M6. I feel the test is still very far from the level you need to start a university course.

I want to set new goals for myself. I don't seem to improve much if I don't set goals. I don't know what my goal should be after the competency test. A BA is probably not a logical next step.

I'll have a look in the Ram bookshop, maybe I can learn something from their books (without actually starting to study there).

It's really amazing that you studied everything by yourself. I've tried to study this way, but somehow I don't have the personality or brains to do this.

[Sir_Sanuk]

Thanks for the great reply bannork!

[Gerontion]

Thanks for the great reply bannork!

Agreed. Interesting stuff.

[bhoydy]

Wow, fascinating reading. While my written Thai is well short of the level we are talking about here. It is something i would really love to do in a few years time. Since learning the alphabet (that took me 6 months) and all the tone rules that go with it, i have read more than i have written. However, recently i have started writing little short stories a couple of times a week when i have time. I am now getting to grips with sentences which is another step on the way i guess. I also taught myself, mainly due to the fact that i like to take things at my own pace. So, i have learnt a lot slower than most people but still i am getting there in the end. I wouldn't have been able to without the help of the many Thais whom i had to ask when i was stuck. So in that sense, it wasn't all my own work. Just one question, how long is the course?

[Sir_Sanuk]

I believe a BA course at Ramkamhaeng is usually 4 years, but since you can keep retaking the exams as many times as you need, some people take longer.

[Johpa]

I think most of us go a bit ba whilst endeavoring to learn Thai. I doubt it is connected to whether one attempts the learning in a Thai university setting or elsewhere.

[bhoydy]

I think most of us go a bit ba whilst endeavoring to learn Thai. I doubt it is connected to whether one attempts the learning in a Thai university setting or elsewhere.

55555555555555555555

[ElZorro]

I'd thoroughly recommend Ramkhamhaeng if you want to improve your reading and writing skills, and gain a solid background to Thai literature.

Do you have to have the writing skills of a native Thai speaker? Are the exams made of multiple choice questions or do they give you three or four topics to write about extensively? If it's the second case, did they allow you to write the answers in English? If you had to write in Thai, was a perfect grammar and spelling necessary to pass or did they have a looser standard for foreign students?

[bannork]

I'd thoroughly recommend Ramkhamhaeng if you want to improve your reading and writing skills, and gain a solid background to Thai literature.

Do you have to have the writing skills of a native Thai speaker? Are the exams made of multiple choice questions or do they give you three or four topics to write about extensively? If it's the second case, did they allow you to write the answers in English? If you had to write in Thai, was a perfect grammar and spelling necessary to pass or did they have a looser standard for foreign students?

The first couple of years a lot of the questions are multiple choice as you're doing courses taken by many students majoring in various subjects, for example, World History.

It's only 3 credits and the book is thick, covering history from the earliest civilizations to the twentieth century! One's first reaction is shock and awe, it's too much, but picking up the summary book and several years of exam papers you can soon narrow down the likely questions. I remember this exam distinctly, because of the 100 multiple choice questions, there was a row of about 15 questions that were exactly the same as in a previous year, and in exactly the same order, I kid you not!

But by the third year you're doing papers that require written answers, there's no more summary books or previous exam papers as the papers are not multiple choice and a BA in Thai is not popular enough to make it worthwhile for the publishers.

But I think the lecturers are lenient regarding ability in grammar. I must have made plenty of grammatical errors in my passages, but, (and I'm speculating here), if the meaning is clear you seem to pass.

Regarding spelling, I think if you read a lot, and practise writing, then the spelling sinks in. If you only read, but not write, then I think the brain recognizes the word, but maybe can't repeat the correct spelling; but with writing practice you soon pick up the patterns and exceptions.

You can't write the answers in English, it's a degree in Thai!

One of the beauties of Ram is it's so cheap, the only cost is your time really; but it's a university for Thais, so folks shouldn't think of applying unless their Thai is up to a certain standard, otherwise they won't pass the interview or the course work will seem insurmountable if they do.

[meadish_sweetball]

Regarding spelling, I think if you read a lot, and practise writing, then the spelling sinks in. If you only read, but not write, then I think the brain recognizes the word, but maybe can't repeat the correct spelling; but with writing practice you soon pick up the patterns and exceptions.

I agree. The only way to learn how to spell is to both read and write a great deal. Since I so rarely write Thai, my spelling of irregular words, even fairly common ones, is atrocious - but I have few or no problems reading the same words in Thai texts.

[Gerontion]

I'm working my way through a pile of ป 3 Thai-language text books at the moment (so a BA is sadly just a distant dream) and there's no end of spelling practice in them. Dull but worthy (at least the ones I don't skip are).

Edited July 2, 2009 by Gerontion

[Nefret]

Hi,

It might be possible to do a BA in Thai Language at Kaset in Bangkok. I believe the course is designed for foreigners and you could start with limited knowledge of Thai.

I don't know much more about the programme but I think it's quite new, intensive/full-time and 3-4 years in duration. If anyone has more info on the programme I'd be very interested in knowing about it.

I speak some Thai and I'm thinking whether I should study Thai for a second Bachelors Degree, or complete a Masters in Thailand on another subject...

Hope this info is useful.

[Rikker]

You can download all of Ramkhamhaeng's textbooks free as PDFs, btw. Should give yourself an idea of what you're getting into.

http://e-book.ram.edu/e-book/indexstart_eng.htm

They're organized by two-letter subject code. A bit confusing, but for example, TH = Thai language, HI = history, GE = geography, etc.

[DavidHouston]

Thank you, Rikker, for that reference. Should be a great source of reading material.

BTW, From the Ramkhamhaeng website noted above:

"Anyone whom is interested in studying any particular textbooks, are able to read online without yet having to buy the actual textbooks or enrolling into the course at the university. "

Is this a case of overcorrection?

Edited March 17, 2010 by DavidHouston

[Rikker]

The "whom" is grammatically incorrect, if that's what you're asking. Is that what you're asking? But that whole awkward sentence, while perfectly comprehensible, is a monstrous example of Thai-glish.

[Nefret]

Thank you for posting the link to Ramkhamhaeng Uni materials, it's very useful!

Nefret