Hypothetical M Ed in Thailand

[brucetefl]

So now that we now know that teachers in Thailand will likely require teachers to obtain a B Ed or M Ed, with no tests available, I have an completely hypothetical question for the group.

What would some of you think of an M Ed.  Thai standard says it should be 36 credits.  Probably 24 credits (8 classes) of face-to-face classes and 12 credits of a major thesis (50+ pages).

Concentration possibilities include TESOL, Educational Leadership and Instructional Technology.  What would you want?

What if you could choose between getting the M Ed from a Thai university or from BOTH a Thai university and a US university?  Would that be interesting?  If you chose to get the dual M Ed from Thailand and the US, it will obviously be much more difficult and much more expensive.  

 

What pricing would be considered reasonable?

70,000 baht for the M Ed from the Thai university?  I think that is already far cheaper than ABAC and others.

195,000 for the M Ed from the US and Thai university.

Assuming the program is 18 months, we are looking at ROUGHLY either 3,500 per month for the Thai M Ed or 10,000 for the US Thai degree.

This is purely HYPOTHETICAL.  Just wondering what the groups thoughts are.

 

Edited August 5, 2014 by brucetefl

[zeichen]

Probably 24 credits (8 classes) of face-to-face classes and 12 credits of a major thesis (50+ pages).

 

Should be a minimum of 30 class hours and thesis should never be more than 6 credits. It seems that you have never done a masters degree.

 

A degree in education without a practicum or what we call in the US as student teaching is worthless.

 

A masters thesis should be a lot more than 50 pages especially if it is filled with quantitative research. However most master's programs have optional comprehensive testing instead of thesis work. But for Thesis work it should relate to the student teaching or a real research project not just a book report.

 

If the course is taught from real professors from western universities and if the degree is accredited through a reputable university and not a degree mill. Also if the degree only has the western name it would be better for those wanting to teach outside of thailand.

[brucetefl]

Thanks for the comments.  We are looking at normal Thai Masters degrees now and 36 credits is standard with 12 credits for the research is common from what I have seen although most Thai's in international programs opt for classes instead of the research.  

 

Thesis would be classroom-based research or something similar.

 

Yes I do have a masters degree.  We had a capstone project.  Why snarky?  Thailand is different than back home.

 

Full accredited 100+ year old state university from the US.  

Edited August 5, 2014 by brucetefl

[GoonDizzy]

An M.Ed would be useful for those that wish to stay in Thailand. Probably more worthwhile to have it via an accredited American Uni if possible. I would imagine that it would be of more use outside of Thailand. Personally, I'm still a bit startled that Thailand doesn't accept a BA in TESOL or English language + TESOL cert for...erm.. teaching English to speakers of other languages. An M.Ed is overkill for that purpose, but still worth doing of course.

 

I could be wrong on this, but most M.Eds I've heard of seem to focus more on leadership/managing a school or dept than anything else (just stuff I've heard, apologies if I'm off base here). I think if that is the case, it's overkill for those just wanting to teach and not get involved with running a school or a dept. That's why many go for the PGCE in the UK.

 

Still, many will end up requiring a Master's in Education if they wish to teach in Thailand.

 

 

[TerryLH]

Weren't you talking about something like this some time back?

[brucetefl]

Yep

[zeichen]

Not Snarky, just seems like a lot of guess work and not as much personal experience.  A thesis is never more than 6 credits.

 

All that is required for a teacher's license is a Bachelors in Education, a teacher's license in one's own country or a Masters in Education. Not sure if they accept them anymore but they used to accept the Praxis tests.

 

"I could be wrong on this, but most M.Eds I've heard of seem to focus more on leadership/managing a school"

 

There are so many specialties with a Masters in Education. Some are for management and wouldn't have a practicum but most that are for licensure require it.

[landmonsun]

Does this mean that the Thai MOE will not accept a Thongsook BA in TESOL for work permits? 

[brucetefl]

It means what we have always promised--the Thongsook BA TESOL is a Bachelors degree--the basic requirement for teaching in Thailand.

 

We had a choice to make the BA a B.Ed but discovered it would require five years of study.  I made the choice to stick to the BA (which most are finishing in three years) and then add the M Ed.  I believe it is far more marketable and, ultimately, profitable for the teacher.

 

 

 

Does this mean that the Thai MOE will not accept a Thongsook BA in TESOL for work permits? 

 

Edited August 6, 2014 by brucetefl

[casualbiker]

Not Snarky, just seems like a lot of guess work and not as much personal experience.  A thesis is never more than 6 credits.
 
All that is required for a teacher's license is a Bachelors in Education, a teacher's license in one's own country or a Masters in Education. Not sure if they accept them anymore but they used to accept the Praxis tests.
 
"I could be wrong on this, but most M.Eds I've heard of seem to focus more on leadership/managing a school"
 
There are so many specialties with a Masters in Education. Some are for management and wouldn't have a practicum but most that are for licensure require it.

" For programs requiring a thesis, a maximum of 12 credits of thesis (699)/research (698) (with a minimum of 6 credits of thesis) may be applied toward degree requirements. For programs requiring a project, a maximum of 6 research (698) credits may be applied toward degree requirements. A student may enroll in as many thesis and/or research credits as needed to remain in good standing."

Information taken from here. http://uaf.edu/catalog/current/graduate/grad2.html

" Thesis Credit

During their degree program, a student completing a thesis must enroll for a minimum of 6 thesis (899) credits and may enroll for a maximum of 10 thesis (899) credits. The exact number of credits within this range to be applied toward the degree will be determined by the faculty of the individual programs. "

Another one : http://www.unh.edu/grad-catalog/gi.cfm?thisid=196&masterid=190&headingid=125



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[brucetefl]

I guess there goes that whole "a thesis is never more than six credits" theory?

 

 

Not Snarky, just seems like a lot of guess work and not as much personal experience.  A thesis is never more than 6 credits.
 
All that is required for a teacher's license is a Bachelors in Education, a teacher's license in one's own country or a Masters in Education. Not sure if they accept them anymore but they used to accept the Praxis tests.
 
"I could be wrong on this, but most M.Eds I've heard of seem to focus more on leadership/managing a school"
 
There are so many specialties with a Masters in Education. Some are for management and wouldn't have a practicum but most that are for licensure require it.

" For programs requiring a thesis, a maximum of 12 credits of thesis (699)/research (698) (with a minimum of 6 credits of thesis) may be applied toward degree requirements. For programs requiring a project, a maximum of 6 research (698) credits may be applied toward degree requirements. A student may enroll in as many thesis and/or research credits as needed to remain in good standing."

Information taken from here. http://uaf.edu/catalog/current/graduate/grad2.html

" Thesis Credit

During their degree program, a student completing a thesis must enroll for a minimum of 6 thesis (899) credits and may enroll for a maximum of 10 thesis (899) credits. The exact number of credits within this range to be applied toward the degree will be determined by the faculty of the individual programs. "

Another one : http://www.unh.edu/grad-catalog/gi.cfm?thisid=196&masterid=190&headingid=125



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[brucetefl]

Do you guys think these kind of projects happen over night?

 

It took me 2 years of work before we had our first class of the BA TESOL.  I have already been working on this for nearly 2 years including numerous trips to the US.

It will happen.  Just looking for some input and ideas.

Edited August 6, 2014 by brucetefl

[casualbiker]

I would prefer the cheap option. Dunno about others!

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[brucetefl]

Thanks for the input, Casualbiker.

[inutil]

Im totally on board of course. Well, in a couple of years. But to be truly valuable it needs to carry beyond Thailand. I think realistically we all know that the enforcement of B.ed/M.ed will never rightly happen. I mean, they might try and flirt with it, but theres very little chance of it being enforced.

 

So to be truly valuable internationally, it needs to not direct itself on those requirements. They will be softened or phased out. And for an 18 month course (i was kinda hoping for 12 to be honest), then you need serious accreditation. I dont really want to use it in Thailand to be honest. I want to use it to garner a cheap bit of career advancement saving me a trip back home and a fortune in tuition and living costs. Arguably im not your main market then, but i am representative of perhaps a wider market looking to stay in Asia, advance their career, and do it on the (relative) cheap (mainly from living costs to be honest). 

Edited August 6, 2014 by inutil

[GoonDizzy]

I'll probably be interested. Would prefer it to be done via an American Uni. Ok, it will cost more, but if payments could be made monthly it would appeal to me.