Ma Tesol Payap University

[meme]

Does anyone have anything to say about Payap University?

I am going for my Masters in November and was going to go to Assumption but now I am not sure if I should get a MA TESOL vs M Ed. Plus the posts on the last forum about Assumption have also got me worried, so if anyone has anything to say about Payap....or an MA TESOL vs a M Ed.

My life is in Thailand but I am looking for a degree that will allow me to teach in Canada as well, ( I would also go to Dubai for a year or two if I could get a great job and my husband could come with me) if I ever decide to return. I don't have a B Ed. Only a BA. I would love to teach at international schools but without a B Ed. I am thinking that will not be possible so I guess I want to be as qualified as possible without having a B Ed. I also have 4 years teaching experience and a TESOL certificate. All of this is making me crazy trying to figure out what degree to take so I can be as qualified as possible, any help is much appreciated!!

Edited December 17, 2006 by meme

[PeaceBlondie]

I worked with a Thai teacher of English and French, who got the MA-TESOL at Payap and returned to the high school she'd previously worked at. She was proud of her degree, but she's a Thai native, teaching foreign languages only in northern Thailand, where Payap's reputation is the highest.

Have you read the other recent topic about Payap, which should be in the Chiang Mai forum of Thai Visa?

[midbrowcrisis]

Meme,

I've studied at Payap in the Master's program in TESOL. I wouldn't recommend the program to everyone but for the right student it can be a good program. It's not a nuts and bolts 'training' program in teaching so if that's what you're after you might be disappointed. It's also not like an M.A. in education where you intern with a more experienced teacher for a year or part of your year so if that's your expectation I wouldn't recommend it. The emphasis in the program is on exposing students to a wide range of ideas in language learning and teaching English to speakers of other languages. It is definitely not on ' the one right way to learn a language or teach it', with a training in teaching that particular trendy new methodology. Classes mostly consist of discussion about the readings; sometimes there is small group or individual presentation of a topic. But definitley it is mostly discussion about the readings.

It's an academic program. For each course, students must write between 2 to 4 papers. Some courses require presentations as well. There is a lot of reading to do. Papers require referring to the research on topics and sometimes some research as well. It's fairly intensive. For people only wanting a training program this might not be appealing.

Also, currently none of the teachers are American or Canadian. They are from Britain or Australia. If you are wanting Canadian or American teachers that might be something to consider as well.

Personally, I feel I have learned a lot here and I'm a better, more thoughtful teacher than I was before. I especially like the classes in language system, language skills, assessment, and language acquisition. Some of the other courses I didn't get as much out of but that's just my personal experience.

[PeaceBlondie]

Sam, who now works at Payap, has posted the following in the related thread about Payap in the Chiang Mai forum, and I'm taking the liberty of posting it here, as well. We ThaiVisa moderators allowed folks free reign to slag off Payap for one reason or the other, so it's only fair that they get to respond.

Hello everyone. I don't visit this site much but someone referred this thread to me as it directly relates to what I do. I am the Head of the Office of International Admissions here at Payap University. I took over the position in Oct 2006, so I can't talk to any issues that occurred before that time. While there are some strong indictments about our program(s) that I don't agree with, I certainly welcome the discussion. But to set the record straight, the following are some facts:

* Payap University currently has four International (read classes taught in English) undergraduate programs and four International graduate programs. All are fully accredited with the Thailand Ministry of Education. This accreditation was a recent event and certainly wasn't a given. They ran us through the grinder. As someone correctly pointed out, our International undergrad programs are fairly new (just inside four years) and will be graduating our first graduates this coming May. Our computer and business programs are as strong as any international programs you'll find in Thailand…and are comparable to a typical bachelor's degree program in the west. Our international curriculum is based upon the US model, after all.

* Regarding English proficiency, all non-native English speakers are required to pass the TOEFL (or equivalent IELTS) exam. This is really for the students protection. A student with weak English skills will have a difficult time in our international college programs. If they do not have the minimum requirements, we'll require a semester or more in our Intensive English Program (IEP) to prepare them for the undergrad curriculum.

* Credits earned in our programs are readily transferable to other universities, although in Thailand, some schools may not be equipped to accept transfer credits (relates to continuing education). But we have exchange students from the USA and other countries every semester and they are able to take their credits earned at Payap directly back home towards their degrees.

* Regarding CMU, well they're certainly the biggest and most reputable in Chiang Mai. They're also cheaper than Payap, so it stands to reason that the best students will at least try to get in. We're talking the Thai programs now, not the international ones as CMU has been slow to enter the international scene (quickly changing, however). Payap does have a strong reputation in certain Thai programs, namely law, nursing, and music. The new School of Pharmacy is also garnering rave reviews. Business and hospitality aren't far behind. So to say that Payap receives only rejects from CMU is misleading and grossly unfair to many of the outstanding Thai students in attendance who chose to come.

* Regarding the VA (for American vets), we are also VA approved and with a Certificate of Eligibility in hand, I can hook you right up in short order.

* Lastly—and more my personal opinion than fact—a bachelor's degree earned at Payap is as good as any other bachelor's degree. Let me explain. While I understand that a Harvard MBA will certainly mean more than the same from say, North Texas State University or some other obscure US school, not every job looks at your education that way. All most employers' care about is that you have a bachelor's degree. Unless you intend to land a job in some high-powered Wall Street firm or teach at Harvard, the source of your degree is secondary. In my previous life, I worked for the US government and I can assure you that the reputation of your school meant little when it comes to senior level GS positions.

I would invite anyone interested to visit our website at (www.payap.ac.th/english/) but I'll concede that it needs work. In fact, it's being overhauled as I speak although it'll be a few months before we get the new one online. You can also stop by anytime and talk to our staff at the Office of International Admissions in the Graduate Studies Center, main campus. Regards, Sam.

[meme]

Meme,

I've studied at Payap in the Master's program in TESOL. I wouldn't recommend the program to everyone but for the right student it can be a good program. It's not a nuts and bolts 'training' program in teaching so if that's what you're after you might be disappointed. It's also not like an M.A. in education where you intern with a more experienced teacher for a year or part of your year so if that's your expectation I wouldn't recommend it. The emphasis in the program is on exposing students to a wide range of ideas in language learning and teaching English to speakers of other languages. It is definitely not on ' the one right way to learn a language or teach it', with a training in teaching that particular trendy new methodology. Classes mostly consist of discussion about the readings; sometimes there is small group or individual presentation of a topic. But definitley it is mostly discussion about the readings.

It's an academic program. For each course, students must write between 2 to 4 papers. Some courses require presentations as well. There is a lot of reading to do. Papers require referring to the research on topics and sometimes some research as well. It's fairly intensive. For people only wanting a training program this might not be appealing.

Also, currently none of the teachers are American or Canadian. They are from Britain or Australia. If you are wanting Canadian or American teachers that might be something to consider as well.

Personally, I feel I have learned a lot here and I'm a better, more thoughtful teacher than I was before. I especially like the classes in language system, language skills, assessment, and language acquisition. Some of the other courses I didn't get as much out of but that's just my personal experience.

Thanks for that MBC, That is a lot of info and gives me a good idea of what the program is about. I think however I have made the decision to go for a M.ed at Assumption. I really hope this is the right decision... (gulp). Again cheers for that.

Meme.

[THX1137]

Not specific to this Payap, but always look at incentives. Student's incentive is to graduate quickly. Does economic model of said institution facilitate graduating quickly? Are there laws preventing open discussion about the place where you are thinking of getting your graduate degree? If one were suddenly stalled there before graduating, might there be economic motivation for your stalling such as thesis continuation fees? If that were so, then be careful. I recommend a convenient open discussion online university from the USA. 

Edited July 19, 2021 by THX1137