going to university in bangkok, which one to choose?

[nthmpsn]

I'm currently in my last year of high school, doing a French baccalaureat in an international school in Ghana. I'm half Thai/English (even though i don't actually look anything like an asian :'( ) Anyways, i really want to go to university in Bangkok as it's been my dream ever since i started going to school haha

I am wanting to become a psychologist and so, attending a university with psychology courses.

Which international universities should i be looking at ??

[nthmpsn]

Oh and does BUIC have a psychology course?

[uptheos]

http://www.psy.chula.ac.th/psy/index.php

[zeichen]

Where do you want to live and work after school? If you want to live and work in Europe as a psychologist or continue and become a psychiatrist, your Thai degree won't help much. If you want to work and live in Thailand as most of your clients will be Thai, you would be better off studying in a Thai program.

Chula and Thamasat both have very good programs.

Passing the entrance exams isn't easy though.

Unless the university has a joint program with a Western University, most international programs aren't really worth the money.

[romain22]

You should check Sataban.com, this is a Thai Schools Directory and you will find all the Thai universities you are looking for. It is both in Thai and English so you should be able to get what you need, or at least get a better idea of all your options in the Bangkok area.

Romain

[SheungWan]

Where do you want to live and work after school? If you want to live and work in Europe as a psychologist or continue and become a psychiatrist, your Thai degree won't help much. If you want to work and live in Thailand as most of your clients will be Thai, you would be better off studying in a Thai program.

Chula and Thamasat both have very good programs.

Passing the entrance exams isn't easy though.

Unless the university has a joint program with a Western University, most international programs aren't really worth the money.

With vocationally focussed degrees linked to professional accreditation, the degree is often followed by professional placement ie employment with parallel further study prior to full professional accreditation. The question with such study in Thailand is whether there is any such entitlement to employment post graduation. If not then the graduate is limited in what they can achieve. The second point is whether the aspirant student has investigated international accreditation of such study in other countries. The third point is that when someone says that they have a dream of studying for a degree in Thailand or any other country we must ask them what they have done to prepare themselves for that dream ie what exams in the Thai language have they passed in the last 2 years and actually how fluent are they in both speaking and writing Thai.

[richard10365]

Most people critical of Thai international programs have never studied in an international program in Thailand.

Many programs use international teachers and western textbooks. Except for required Thai language classes in some programs, all instruction is in English. Classrooms are a diverse mix of students from all over the world. This diversity brings perspectives you won't find in universities in the west.

The best programs require an English entrance requirement of TOEFL 550 OR IELTS 5.5. Other programs having English entrance requirements of TOEFL 500 or IELTS 5.0 are still good but allow students with lower English ability into the class which lowers the quality of the students in the program.

[zeichen]

"Most people critical of Thai international programs have never studied in an international program in Thailand."

The OP is clearly a Native English speaker. So yes, I would be critical of anyone non Thai studying at an international program in Thailand that doesn't have a joint school in a western country.

I haven't studied at them but I have taught at them. The problem with them in short is that Thai students don't improve their academic Thai ability and won't be scholarly in their own language which hurts them if they are to stay in Thailand and work for Thai companies or do Thai research. Masters degrees, law degrees and medical degrees aren't transferable to some western countries. Being licensed as a Psychologist or a Psychiatrist in Thailand doesn't transfer to other countries.

So before anyone enters a field of study, they should ask themselves some serious questions on what they really want to get out of it and what they plan to do?

"Classrooms are a diverse mix of students from all over the world. This diversity brings perspectives you won't find in universities in the west."

Absolute <deleted>. The majority of students in Thai universities are still Thai regardless of International title or not. 2nd. In the US specifically have nearly 20% of their student body from foreign countries, I imagine Aus. and England have quite similar figures. So there is no way that there is more diversity at Thai campuses than there is at western universities.

[Rhys]

Do study in BKK if that is your dream....but really your major....catch up to your long lost cultural roots for the link with western psych...therapies..

Good luck, of course you will have a good time ... changing your major is part of the process.

cheers.

[richard10365]

"Most people critical of Thai international programs have never studied in an international program in Thailand."

The OP is clearly a Native English speaker. So yes, I would be critical of anyone non Thai studying at an international program in Thailand that doesn't have a joint school in a western country.

I haven't studied at them but I have taught at them. The problem with them in short is that Thai students don't improve their academic Thai ability and won't be scholarly in their own language which hurts them if they are to stay in Thailand and work for Thai companies or do Thai research. Masters degrees, law degrees and medical degrees aren't transferable to some western countries. Being licensed as a Psychologist or a Psychiatrist in Thailand doesn't transfer to other countries.

So before anyone enters a field of study, they should ask themselves some serious questions on what they really want to get out of it and what they plan to do?

"Classrooms are a diverse mix of students from all over the world. This diversity brings perspectives you won't find in universities in the west."

Absolute <deleted>. The majority of students in Thai universities are still Thai regardless of International title or not. 2nd. In the US specifically have nearly 20% of their student body from foreign countries, I imagine Aus. and England have quite similar figures. So there is no way that there is more diversity at Thai campuses than there is at western universities.

About diversity...Thai students in an international program or international college may make up the single largest ethnic group in an international program but don't always outnumber the number of international students.

In my university Thai international students only made up 30% of the student body in the international college. The entire student body of the university was mostly Thai but the Thai and international students don't mix academically. Thai students studying a Thai curriculum study Thai programs using Thai language as the medium of instruction and international students studing an international curriculum in the international programs use English as the medium of instruction.

About what internation college students are planning to do after studying 4 years in an international program. Most are looking to work or study in an international environment. Graduates that return to the west end up working or doing a master's degree. One of our MA TESOL graduates is working in a university in the United States. Others started their own business. Some go own to study their master's degree in universities such ad Harvard or the London School of Economics. Many Asian graduates take positions all over the region in places such as Singapore, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Others find work in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket working as teachers, IT, or the tourism industry doing what they studied.

Still others don't do as well and their success in the job market is reflective of their study habits in the classroom.

Every country has rules on what services foreigners are allowed to provide in their country. Some licenses are only good in the state or country that issues it. Some countries are more open than others while others are more restrictive. Usually it's not the country that rejects the education credentials of an individual, it's the business. This too can be overcome with a properly prepared CV and successful interview.

I'm not saying all international programs in Thailand are great programs. Some are very weak and should be closed down. In the west many parents go with their child and research extensively the choices available to study. This is a good practice and should be done in Thailand. There are many good universities to study in Thailand but check out the curriculum, talk to the department heads and teachers, find current students and talk to them but don't just sign up without first researching the school. Otherwise you deserve what you get.