| Thammasat University | |
|---|---|
| มหาวิทยาลัยธรรมศาสตร์ | |
Thammasat University Emblem |
|
| Motto | - Be the finest, be fair, be the main engine of the society. (official) - I love Thammasat because Thammasat teaches me to love the people. (unofficial) |
| Established | 27 June 1934 |
| Type | Public |
| Rector | Professor Somkit Lertpaithoon |
| Admin. staff | 1,505 (2007)[1] |
| Students | 33,422 (2007)[1] |
| Undergraduates | 25,369 (including joint bachelor's and master's) |
| Postgraduates | 7,736 |
| Doctoral students | 317 |
| Location | Bangkok, Thailand |
| Campus | Multiple campuses, urban and rural |
| Former names | University of Moral and Political Sciences |
| Anthem | Yung Thong |
| Colours | Yellow and Red |
| Affiliations | ASAIHL |
| Website | http://www.tu.ac.th/ |
Thammasat University (Thai: มหาวิทยาลัยธรรมศาสตร์; RTGS: Mahawitthayalai Thammasat; IPA: [tʰāmmásàːt]), or in brief TU (Thai: มธ.), is Thailand's second oldest university. Officially established on 27 June 1934, the university was originally named by founder Pridi Banomyong, University of Moral Science and Politics (Thai: มหาวิทยาลัยวิชาธรรมศาสตร์และการเมือง; RTGS: Mahawitthayalai Wicha Thammasat Lae Kan Mueang), reflecting the political fervor of the time. It started out as an open university with 7,094 students enrolled in its first academic year studying law and politics. The guiding philosophy of the university was “to teach students to love and cherish democracy”. The university later had the name shortened to the present name by the Revolutionary Council. Nevertheless, Thammasat has often been involved in Thai national politics. Its first campus, Tha Phra Chan, was the site of the 14 October 1973 uprising and the 6 October 1976 Massacre.
In 1960, the university ended its open-university status and has since required the national entrance examinations for admission. Currently, Thammasat University offers over 240 academic programs in 23 different faculties and colleges located on four campuses. Over the 75 years since its founding, Thammasat University has evolved from being an open university for law and politics to a prestigious international university offering all levels of academic degrees across a broad spectrum of fields and disciplines. It has graduated more than 300,000 undergraduate and graduate students who have greatly contributed to the development and progress of Thai society and the nation. The university’s alumni have included Prime Ministers, leading politicians and government figures, Bank of Thailand governors, Supreme Court presidents, judicial officers, as well as most of the city’s governors.
The university's original campus, Tha Phra Chan, is located in Phra Nakhon, Bangkok which is in close proximity to many tourist destinations in Bangkok. The Rangsit campus, where most undergraduate programmes are currently held, is in Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani. Thammasat has smaller regional campuses in Lampang, Pattaya, Narathiwat, and Udon Thani. It is ranked No.447 in the world by QS.[2]
Thammasat University began in 1934 as an open university called the University of Moral Science and Politics (UMPS; Thai: มหาวิทยาลัยวิชาธรรมศาสตร์และการเมือง); this was two years after the so-called Siamese revolution of 1932 and eighteen years after the founding of Chulalongkorn University. Thammasat University was the idea of Pridi Banomyong, architect of the 1932 coup and the then Minister of Interior, who drafted the Act of University of Moral and Political Science 1934.[3] The university was inaugurated on 27 June 1934, and Pridi served as the university's first rector.
The university is based on the sixth principle of the Khana Ratsadon.[4] The first announcement of Khana Ratsadon stated the government "must provide the people with full education" because people "lack education, which is reserved for royals".[5] The desire of students at the School of Law to be upgraded to a university rather than simply a department at Chulalongkorn University also helped Thammasat University become the successor of the Law School.[6] The property and faculty of the Law School were transferred to University of Moral and Political Science, and the building of the old Law School was the first Thammasat site. The university moved to Tha Phrachan campus the following year.
When the university opened, 7094 people applied for admission. At that time Chulalongkorn University was graduating only 68 students a year.[7] Thammasat initially offered a bachelor's degree with an emphasis on legal studies and previously banned economics and political science, plus a bachelor's degree equivalent diploma in accountancy. Master's degree courses soon followed in law, political science, and economics, and doctoral degree courses in law, political science, economics, and diplomacy.[8]
During its early years, the university did not rely on government funding, but instead relied on its low tuition fees and interest paid by the Bank of Asia for Industry and Commerce, in which the university owned 80 percent of the shares.
Under Pridi's leadership, the University became the clandestine headquarter of the Free Thai anti-Japanese underground during the Second World War. Ironically, the University campus also functioned as an interment camp for Allied civilians, with Thai guards more or less protecting them from abuses by the occupying Japanese. The internment camp was where the Multipurpose Building now stands.
The coup d'état on 8 November 1947 marked the end of an era. Pridi Banomyong left the country and went into exile. The original Thammasat degree was replaced by specialised departments in 1949, when the Faculties of Law, Political Science, Commerce and Accountancy, and Economics were founded. The university was forced to sell its bank shares, thus becoming dependent on government funding. The words and political were removed from its name, and Thammasat was no longer an open university. A new Thammasat University Act was passed in 1952. Thammasat added four more faculties during the 1950s and 1960s: Social Administration, Journalism and Mass Communication, Liberal Arts, and Sociology and Anthropology.
In 1973, Thammasat became the centre of the pro-democracy protest movement that led to the bloody uprising on 14 October. A large crowd, led by university students, assembled at Thammasat University to protest the arrest of thirteen pro-democracy student activists. The protest continued for several days before a bloody confrontation took place at the Democracy Monument. When Thailand's military leaders fled into exile, Sanya Dharmasakti, then Thammasat rector, was appointed as the Prime Minister of Thailand.
Three years later, the 6 October 1976 Massacre took place on the Tha Phrachan campus. The event began with protests against the return of exiled dictator Thanom Kittikachorn. Violence first appeared on 25 September when two EGAT employees who handed out protest literature in Nakhon Pathom were branded 'communists', beaten to death, and their bodies hung from a wall. This led to peaceful protests by labor groups, students, and other activists demanding the expulsion of Thanom.
On 4 October, students staged a play on the Thammasat campus to dramatize the hanging of the protesters in Nakhon Pathom. Several newspapers printed photographs of the mock hanging, however with one of the students retouched to resemble Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn, implying that the students had committed lèse-majesté. Uniformed police and enraged right-wing paramilitary groups promptly surrounded Thammasat University. At dawn of 6 October the police and paramilitary groups attacked the protesters. The mayhem continued for several hours. Newspaper sources gave the number killed as between 43 and 46, but the actual figure may have been over a hundred, with several hundred more injured.[9] Many student protesters escaped by jumping into Chao Phraya River, where they were rescued by the sympathetic Royal Thai Navy.
During the 1980s, Thammasat University built a new campus at Rangsit to house the new Faculty of Science and Technology. This faculty accepted its first students in 1985. The Faculty of Engineering opened at Rangsit in 1989, followed by the Faculty of Medicine in 1990. By the late 1990s, all first years students were studying at Rangsit. At present almost all undergraduate classes are taught at Rangsit, the exceptions being some international English language programmes and some special programmes. Graduate degree classes are also still taught at Tha Prachan.
The Rangsit campus was chosen as one of the venues for the 1998 Asian Games.
Thammasat University is a member of "Links to Asia by Organizing Traineeship and Student Exchange" (LAOTSE), an international network of leading universities in Europe and Asia. It also cooperates with some of the top universities around the globe. Regional cooperation is maintained with the Greater Mekong Sub-region Academic and Research Network.
The seal represents the centerpiece of the Democracy Monument, Bangkok, which itself honours the Thai Constitution of 1932. It is superimposed on a Dharmacakra, or Wheel of Law, symbolising the Dharmaśāstra, the university's name in Pali.
The university's 70th anniversary was honoured with a commemorative 10-baht coin. The obverse depicts King Bhumibol Adulyadej as a young man in student attire, the reverse having the university seal encircled by the university's name, "70 years", and 27 June 2547 BE (AD 2004).
Thammasat University has two campuses in Bangkok Metropolitan Area, Tha Phrachan and Rangsit. There are four regional campuses.
49 rai (0.078 km²) Tha Phra Chan Centre (Thai: ศูนย์ท่าพระจันทร์) is located in Phra Nakhon, Bangkok, surrounded by many of Thailand’s most famous cultural and historical landmarks, such as Sanam Luang, the Grand Palace, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the National Museum, the National Theatre, Wat Mahathat Yuwaratrangsarit, and the Chao Phraya River. It was the first permanent campus of Thammasat, purchased from the military with public donations in 1935.[10] The site had originally been part of the Front Palace of the deputy king (formerly the designated heir to the throne).
The symbolic building of the university is the Dome, the original building on Tha Phra Chan campus. It was constructed from four existing military buildings.[11] The Dome housed Pridi Banomyong's office as well as the command centre of the Free Thai Movement during the Second World War. Late in the war, when a rising against the occupying Japanese was planned, military weapons were concealed in the attic.[12]
The Tha Phra Chan campus played a significant role in the uprising against the military regime on 14 October 1973. It was also the site of the 6 October 1976 Massacre, in which students protesting against the return to Thailand of exiled military dictator Thanom Kittikachorn were murdered by right-wing activists and police.
Eight faculties have their building in Tha Phra Chan campus: Law, Political Science, Economics, Commerce and Accountancy, Liberal Arts, Social Administration, Journalism and Mass Communication, and Sociology and Anthropology. Nowadays, however, only postgraduate programmes, integrated bachelor's and master's programmes, and the English-language international programmes are at Tha Phra Chan (except those in Engineering, Health Science, and Journalism which are located at the Rangsit Center).[13] Thammasat Tha Phra Chan also offers a notable Thai Language course for foreigners, taught by professors in the Faculty of Arts. Tha Phra Chan facilities include a football field, a track, a gymnasium, eight libraries, and several cafeterias. Facing the Chao Phraya River, the Tha Pra Chan Campus provides students with picturesque scenery and the serenity ideal for studying and relaxation. Yet, the historic buildings of the campus also play host to the frenzy of modern times, giving students a “uniquely unique” experience. It continues to be a potent symbol for Thai human rights, free speech, and democratic society.
2.8 km² Rangsit Centre (Thai: ศูนย์รังสิต) is the second campus and the largest campus of Thammasat University. It is located in Amphoe Khlong Luang, Pathum Thani Province, 42 km north of Bangkok, and is easily accessible to Tha Phrachan by shuttle buses operating on direct high-speed expressway. Realising the impact of science and technology on the country's economic growth, Thammasat University instituted degree programmes in engineering, technologies, physical sciences, and medicine at its Rangsit Centre in the 1980s and 1990s. Although established only for the science and technology-related faculties, all Bachelor's degrees have been taught here since 2006. All faculties (except the College of Innovation, the College of Interdisciplinary Studies and the Pridi Banomyong International College) are at the Center. The campus also houses the Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology, an international academic institute attached to Thammasat which emphasises engineering and technological research and education.[14] International programmes in Engineering, Health Science, and Journalism held by faculties are also taught at Rangsit Centre. The Thailand Science Park (National Research Centre) and the Asian Institute of Technology are also located here.
The campus divided into three areas: the academic zone, the housing zone (dormitories), and various sport facilities. The Thammasat University Sport Centre, located on the Rangsit campus, was used in the 1998 Asian Games and in the 2007 Summer Universiade. The campus is easily accessible by public buses and shuttle buses going to the Victory Monument, Mor Chit BTS station and Tha Prachan campus. Post office, police station, banks, canteens, stores are all in the campus.[15]
Pattaya Centre (Thai: ศูนย์พัทยา), is located in Pattaya, a popular seaside district in eastern Thailand, approximately two hours by highway from Bangkok, Amphoe Bang Lamung, Chonburi Province: this 566 rai site was donated to the Ministry of Finance for Thammasat University in 1987. Construction began in 1997. The Pattaya Centre houses the College of Innovative Education, which offers advanced degree courses and training in Rural Development and Management for professionals both from within and outside the province. Pattaya Centre also serves as a research and conference center with up-to-date technological facilities and beautiful accommodations. The College implements innovative learning curricula through such activities as campfire discussions and walk-rallies. Furthermore, the Center’s location, activities, learning opportunities and economic impact significantly contribute to the national initiative to empower local administrative units to self-govern by improving the living conditions of local communities.[15]
Lampang Centre (Thai: ศูนย์ลำปาง), Amphoe Hang Chat, Lampang Province, near Chiang Mai Province: the Thammasat University Council approved the establishment of Lampang Centre in 1996. The university initially held claseses in the old city hall. In 2003, the Lampang Centre moved to its current location 15 km from the city. The Thammasat Lampang Center aims to deliver high quality education and better opportunities to students in “Lanna” (the historic name for the northern region of Thailand). Currently, Thammasat Lampang offers opportunities to a small student population of less than 1000 (approximately 900 in 2009) to study in specialized courses designed to help with local development and industries.
Courses offered at Thammasat Lampang Center include Social Development,Interdisciplinary Sociology, Law, and Handcraft Design Art. With its specialized focus, educational excellence, and modern facilities, the Lampang Center is positioned to become a hub of “boutique education” for northern Thailand, reaching out to serve learners with rural backgrounds.[15]
Thammasat also has two small campuses in Udon Thani Province and Narathiwat Province.
Thammasat University consists of 19 faculties/education units: Faculty of Law, Faculty of Commerce and Accountancy or Thammasat Business School, Faculty of Political Science, Faculty of Economics, Faculty of Social Administration, Faculty of Liberal Arts, Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication, Faculty of Sociology and Anthropology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Dentistry, Faculty of Allied Health Science, Faculty of Nursing, Faculty of Architecture and Planning, Faculty of Fine and Applied Arts, Faculty of Public Health, the Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology, the Language Institute, the College of Interdisciplinary Studies, the Graduate Volunteer Centre, the College of Innovative Education, and the Pridi Banomyong International College.
The Faculty of Law was one of the founding faculties of the university. It has its roots in the law school of the Ministry of Justice, instituted under the reign of King Chulalongkorn by Gustave Rolin-Jaequemyns. Former Deans of the Faculty have included Phraya Nitisat Phaisan, Sanya Dharmasakti, and Preedee Kasemsup. The Faculty has programmes up to the doctorate level, as well as several certificate programmes in business law and public law.[16][17]
Established on November 23, 1938, the Faculty of Commerce and Accountancy is the second oldest business school in Thailand after the Faculty of Commerce and Accountancy, Chulalongkorn University (which established earlier on the same year). It offers a broad range of programmes including business administration, logistics, human resource management, accounting, finance, marketing, real estate management and management information system, from diploma to doctoral degree. In addition to its traditional 4-year bachelor's degree, the faculty offers the first innovative integrated bachelor's and master's degree programme in business and accounting (IBMP) which requires 5 years of study to complete both degrees. The faculty also offers Thailand's first international programmes in business in which English is the medium language of instruction (BBA Programme).
The faculty is recognised internationally. In 2005, a team of students from the Master's of Sciences Degree Programme in Marketing (MIM) of Thammasat Business School won, for the second time, the world’s renowned Global Moot Corp, a venue for business plan competition, held at the McCombs School of Business, University of Texas at Austin.[18]
The faculty is also known as Thammasat Business School (TBS). This new identity was created to pursue the goal of becoming a more internationalised and globally recognised school.
The faculty of Political Science at Thammasat University was established in 1949. Former deans include Direk Chaiyanam a member of the Khana Ratsadon (People's Party) and a former foreign minister.
It offers a full spectrum of undergraduate and graduate studies in three majors:
1. politics and government, 2. public administration and 3. international affairs.
Graduate programs are offered to regular students, and special programs are open for executives. A doctoral program was established in 2001. There are two versions of the Masters and Bachelor programs in International Relations. The first versions are taught in Thai. The second versions are taught in English and are called the 'International Programme'. The Masters for the International Program was established in 1998; the Bachelor was established in 2009. The military correspondent for the Bangkok Post, Wassana Nanuam, is a prominent graduate of the Masters program, having written her prize-winning thesis on the Thai military.
The Faculty of Economics at Thammasat University was established in 1949 and the oldest Faculty of Economics in Thailand. The Faculty offers a broad range of academic programmes and other training opportunities. Under the leadership of Dr. Puey Ungpakorn, a former Bank of Thailand governor who took charge concurrently as the dean of the faculty, there were many significant developments within the Economics faculty. Dr. Puey secured funding from Rockefeller Foundation and brought faculty members from a number of American universities.
The first big step toward internationalization was the introduction, in 1969, a Master of Economics programme degree taught in English. Since then, a Bachelor's programme and a Ph.D. programme taught in English have been added to the curriculum.
The Faculty boasts a strong teaching staff that today totals 82, including 44 faculty members with doctoral degree and 7 on study leave to pursue doctoral degrees. It is considered to be one of the strongest programmes in Thailand. Its graduates have normally attended the prestigious departments of Economics such as Harvard, Chicago, UC Berkeley, Cornell, Oxford, MIT, Cambridge, LSE.
The Department of Journalism was established in 1954 and is Thailand's first institute of higher education in journalism. It was granted a faculty status in 1979 and has been known since as the Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication. Today the faculty offers undergraduate programsme in newspaper and print media, radio and television broadcasting, cinematography, advertising, public relations, and communications management. It also offers several programmes at master's level as well as a doctoral degree in mass communication.
There is also an international course for the Bachelor of Arts Programme in Journalism and Mass Media studies (BJM Programme). The program itself was established in 2006, providing the advance knowledge in journalism and media.
Sociology and Anthropology was formed as one of the departments of the Faculty of Social Administration, Thammasat University from the initiation of the Dean(1961–1965) Professor Major General Buncha Mintarakhin. His view was that Thailand should have sociologists and anthropologists who contribute to the society by undertaking research which would strengthen the disciplines. At the time of the department foundation Thai scholars in sociology and anthropology were sparse. It took several years to recruit qualified members in the academic team. Subsequently the expanding Department of Sociology and Anthropology became a separate division from Social Administration Faculty in 1976.
The status was then raised to what is today the Faculty of Sociology and Anthropology since 1984. Since the last three decades the Faculty has offered various academic programmes of graduate and post-graduate levels which introduce students to theory and related disciplines. In the near future the Faculty will also open a PhD programme. Each degree aims to provide knowledge and understanding of cultural and social mechanism as well as to equip students with ability to analyse the past and present society. Many graduates undertake further research.
The Faculty of Engineering was founded on August 19, 1989 as the 10th faculty of the university. Originally formed as a response to governmental initiative to promote the study of science and its related field. It originally started teaching electrical and industrial engineering in 1990, then expanded its offerings to civil engineering (1992), chemical engineering (1994), and mechanical engineering (1996).
The faculty also has an international department which taught in English and very often mistaken as SIIT (see below) by outsiders. This special programme is divided into two distinct parts, Twinning Engineering Programme (TEP), established in 1997, and the Thammasat English Engineering Programme (TEPE), established in 2000. The TEP programme is a sandwich programme, two years in Thammasat and two years in a foreign university (currently either the University of Nottingham or University of New South Wales). Many of the graduates continue their Master’s or Ph.D. in prestigious UK universities, such as Imperial, LSE, UCL, Warwick.
The faculty is also known for its teaching excellence and strong research links although their works are not often known. The faculty has strong ties with both NECTEC and MTEC located in Thailand Science Park. The faculty also has strong researching ties with Japan particularly and more recently with the University of Karlsruhe in Germany. Its current dean is Associate Professor Dr. Uruya Weesakul.
The university had proposed the establishment of a Faculty of Architecture under the Eighth National Higher Education Plan (1997–2001) of the Ministry of University Affairs (now Office of the Commission on Higher Education under the Ministry of Education). However, a Cabinet meeting on February 3, 1998 decided to restrict the establishment of all new departments. The university then created an Architecture Programme to be autonomous under the Thammasat University Council by its resolution of May 6, 1999.
The programme was approved to be the Faculty of Architecture by a resolution of the Thammasat University Council on October 29, 2001. Professor Dr. Vimolsiddhi Horayangkura, who had been the programme's director since 1999, was appointed to be the first dean of the Faculty of Architecture. The faculty offered two more new undergraduate programmes, Interior Architecture and Urban Environmental Planning and Management Program, in the 2002 academic year.
In 2007, the undergraduate program in Landscape Architecture and the graduate program in Interior Architecture were started in response to high market demand for landscape architects and research oriented designers. In the following year, the school launched the graduate program in Innovative Real Estate Development. The program will take a leading role in establishing a new interdisciplinary resource that fosters excellence in real estate education and research.
The Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology, located in the university's Rangsit Centre, Pathum Thani Province, is a semi-autonomous institute of technology established in 1992. It offers a range of science, technology and engineering education, as well as related management programmes. All of them are international programmes, with English language as a medium of instructions. Although it is an academic unit of the university, and graduates of the institute receive Thammasat University degrees, the institute is self-administered and financed. The institute enjoys strong links with Thailand National Science and Technology Development Agency, Thailand Science Park, national graduate schools (such as JGSEE, TGIST, and TAIST)[19] and many international universities, notably its neighbour Asian Institute of Technology, and a group of Japanese and European universities.
Being a research-led academic institution in nature, from the most recent performance evaluation (Academic Year 2003) by the university, the institute has the highest number of research publications (both in raw quantity and per graduate student heads), compare to other academic units in the university,[20] and when compare to other universities, each SIIT faculty member produces twice the highest value of national range for international journal publications (0.74 vs 0-0.41, academic year 2004).[21] In 2007, the Thailand Research Fund assessed research outcomes of universities in Thailand, and SIIT ranked as "Very Good" for all three indicators, make it the only engineering school in the country that can achieved this.[22][23] The institute is also one of a very small numbers of universities which can secure numbers of Thailand Research Fund's Royal Golden Jubilee grants, considered to be the country's most prestigious research grants for PhD students, for every single year since the programme began in 1998[24] — one of the only three which can secure Engineering discipline grants for every single year.
The faculty of medicine was found in 1990 as the 11th faculty of the university and was the 9th medical school of Thailand.
Pridi Banomyong International College has been established in 2008 to introduce unique interdisciplinary programs taught in English for both international and Thai students. Of particular emphasis will be new programs and degrees created in collaboration with leading universities overseas. The College is named after Professor Dr. Pridi Banomyong, former Prime Minister and founder of Thammasat University, in recognition of his significant role in Thailand and at the university. On the occasion of the centenary of Dr. Pridi Banomyong's birth in 2000, he was named by UNESCO as one of the world's great personalities of the century.
Bachelor's Degree in Chinese Studies (International Program)
The People's Republic of China is a superpower with great global influence in the fields of economics, politics, arts, and culture. China has exerted a profound influence on Thai culture, particularly over the past 200 years of Chinese-Thai foreign relations. Thais, from everyday citizens to those working at the highest levels of government, recognize the importance of China, both in the global sphere and for Thailand specifically. Given China's importance and the need for China scholars in Thailand, the Pridi Banomyong International College has developed the Chinese Studies International Program. The purpose of the program is to produce graduates who have both the Chinese language proficiency and the knowledge and understanding of China.
Uniqueness of studying Chinese Studies at Thammasat University
The Chinese Studies International Program at Pridi Banomyong International College is unique in its close relationship with the School of International Studies at Peking University in China. Students in the program are required to spend at least one semester abroad at Peking University. Moreover, many of the courses offered by the Chinese Studies International Program at Thammasat are equivalent to courses offered at Peking University, including Global Political Economy in the 21st Century of China, Investment and Trade of language classes in Thailand and study abroad at China's top university, students have the opportunity to study Chinese in full immersion contexts and, especially, in the university which is the first in China and among the tops in the world. The Chinese Studies program thus responds to the need for China experts at all levels of the labor market, from the local, to the national, or the international level.
The Thai Studies Program
For more than 10 years the Thai Studies program has offered undergraduate students a fascination and in-depth study of the language, society, arts, culture and politics of Thailand. As a one-year certificate program, foreign students study within five clusters focusing on the social sciences, art and cultures, public health, development and migration.
Students within the program are pricilaged to some of the country's leading scholars. For example, Dr. Mano Mettanando Laohavanich has two degrees from Harvard University and Oxford University as well as a PhD in Thai studies from Hamburg University in Hamburg, Germany. The other faculty members are also highly accomplished and have advanced degrees in Asian and Thai Studies.
The Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) is in conjunction with many great educational institutions around the world. Through the Thai Studies program, university send and receive roughly 100 exchange students each year. Because Thammasat has an MOU with all the University of California (UC) campuses, the majority of visitors are American. Students typically take one semester at PBIC, transfer the credits and take the rest of the classes at their home schools. Students leaving Thailand typically study in America, China or Japan.
Thammasat University features a number of former and current prominent faculty member. The founder Pridi Banomyong was a senior statesman, former regent, and former Prime Minister of Thailand. Sanya Dharmasakti, former Prime Minister and Privy Council member, was the rector of Thammasat. Galyani Vadhana, Princess of Thailand and the elder sister of Ananda Mahidol and Bhumibol Adulyadej, was the former head of the foreign language department at the Faculty of Liberal Arts. Puey Ungphakorn, former Governor of the Bank of Thailand, was the dean of th Faculty of Economics, and rector of Thammasat University. Abhisit Vejjajiva, current Prime Minister of Thailand and leader of the Democrat Party, Ammar Siamwalla, former president of the Thailand Development Research Institute, and Jermsak Pinthong, former senator, are former lecturers at the Faculty of Economics.
Several Prime Ministers of Thailand attended Thammasat University, including Tanin Kraivixien, Chuan Leekpai, Samak Sundaravej, and Somchai Wongsawat, as well as many other ministers and Bank of Thailand governors.
Former and current prominent faculty members include:
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