Higher Education

Higher education is mainly under the responsibility of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of University Affairs. In addition, other ministries and agencies also provide education at this level for their specific needs. It is offered at three major levels: lower than bachelor’s degree or diploma, undergraduate, and graduate levels.

Educational institutions under the Ministry of Education providing education at diploma and undergraduate levels are Rajabhat Institutes or former teacher colleges, public and private vocational colleges, Rajamangala Institutes of Technology, physical education, dramatic arts and fine arts colleges.

The Rajabhat Institutes began in 1957 to offer a four-year programme leading to a bachelor’s degree in education. Since 1984, teacher colleges have diversified their curricula to train manpower in fields other than education. The curricula are classified into three areas: education, science and liberal arts.

Formal vocational education is conducted at three levels: secondary, leading to a certificate equivalent to that given to graduates of general secondary schools; post-secondary, generally for two years, leading to a diploma; and university level, leading to a degree. The Department of Vocational Education and the Rajamangala Institute of Technology use different curricula to prepare students for the same certificate and diploma. Private vocational schools and colleges may follow either the curriculum of the Vocational Education Department or the Rajamangala Institute of Technology curriculum.

The Rajamangala Institute of Technology (RIT) operates as a Department of the Ministry of Education. It administers thirteen faculties in different disciplines, which offer bachelor’s degree courses at different campuses located throughout the country. At present, twelve campuses are in the Bangkok area and twenty-two campuses are in other regions. A separate teaching staff offers certificate and diploma courses in varying combinations on the same campuses. In addition, The RIT trains teachers for certificate and diploma programmes, and bachelor’s degree programmes have been developed as well since 1981 in response to the needs for higher-level technical manpower.

The Colleges of Physical Education affiliate with the Rajabhat Institutes in providing a two-year course leading to a Bachelor’s Degree in Sport Science and Health Science for those holding a Higher Certificate in Physical Education and Health Education. The Colleges of Physical Education also affiliate with the Rajabhat Institutes for a four-year undergraduate course in Public Relations (Sport Communication) and Health Science for those having completed a Certificate in Vocational Education and upper secondary education.

The dramatic arts colleges and the fine arts colleges are run by the Department of Fine Arts. At present, there are twelve dramatic arts colleges; one is in Bangkok and the others are in various regions of the country. There exist also two fine arts colleges, one in Bangkok and another in Supanburi province in the central region. The courses offered are both at secondary and higher education levels. At secondary level, lower dramatic arts certificate, intermediate dramatic arts certificate and intermediate fine arts certificate courses require three years of study. At higher education level, higher certificate programmes in dramatic arts and fine arts require two years of study. The Bangkok Dramatic Arts College also affiliates with the Rajamangala Institute of Technology for a two-year bachelor’s degree course for graduates with a Higher Dramatic Arts Certificate.

The major role of the Ministry of University Affairs (MUA) is to supervise and co-ordinate public and private higher education institutions, except some specialized professional training which falls under the jurisdiction of other ministries. Its major responsibilities are formulation of educational policy within the framework of the National Education Development Plan and standardization of curricula.

In 1996, there were twenty-two public universities and institutions, of which two were open universities and yet another two were operating independently, with their own autonomous administration system but with government financial support in the form of block grants. Private higher institutions comprised thirteen universities, one institute, and fifteen colleges.

Each public university has its own Act empowering the University Council to function as the governing body. Under the Council is the University President who is responsible for institutional administration. Beneath the President are the various faculties, centres, institutes and interdisciplinary units. The President, as chief administrator, operates universities according to the policy laid down by the University Council which is composed of the Chairman, President, Deans, Directors of Institutes of the university and other qualified persons not salaried by the university. The Deans’ Council and the Faculty Senate are two advisory bodies which may also take part in governing the universities.

University curricula are designed by individual departments with approval from the university councils for the undergraduate level, and from the Ministry of University Affairs for the post-graduate level.

The medium of instruction in public higher institutions is Thai, with the exception of some courses which are conducted in English. In private higher institutions, the medium of instruction is also usually Thai. However, some universities such as the Bangkok University and the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce offer some courses in English. The Assumption University offers instruction solely in English at both undergraduate and graduate levels.

Grading at all universities is based on the course unit system/semester of credit. In most universities, generally, course evaluation is done by grades and grade points for one credit. Normally, a student must obtain at least a 2.00 cumulative grade point average to graduate with a bachelor’s degree. A minimum of 80% regular class attendance is required before the final examination can be taken (except where absence is due to illness or accident). Private universities use the same grading system as in public universities. This is in addition to specific graduation requirements of each institution.                   

Admission to limited public universities and institutions is dependent on a candidate successfully passing the national university entrance examination after having obtained a secondary school or Grade XII certificate. In addition, some public universities conduct their own entrance examination due to a quota system for some special programmes. Private institutions of higher education, as part of their admission procedure, also conduct their own joint entrance examination alongside the examination administered by the MUA. Students may sit either or both examinations and success in one will guarantee admittance. This entrance examination, conducted separately by each institution, follows the same procedure as that of the public university entrance examination.

In 1998, the MUA started to implement a new university entrance system to improve the national examination which has been in operation since 1967. In this new selection and placement process, combined sets of evidence of student’s achievement are introduced including: achievement records in secondary school; test scores in main subjects; special test scores in certain professional programmes; interviews; and physical examination. The key principles of the new system are the following:

• higher education institutions determine their own admission criteria in accordance with their own mission;
• students have greater freedom to choose institutions and programmes of their interest;
• less competition in order to reduce unnecessary anxiety among students and parents;
• student achievement is based upon multiple indicators, thus providing a more comprehensive set of evidences concerning student’s abilities.

To operate the new university entrance system starting from 1999, the Central Testing Bureau was established within the MUA to perform the following functions: construction and consistent development of standardized tests in various main subjects; preparation and co-ordination of examination activities; central co-ordination of applications and announcement of examination and placement results.  

As mentioned, within the higher education system the first professional qualification is that of a bachelor’s degree which is obtained after four years of higher study. In the fields of architecture, painting, sculpture, graphic arts and pharmacy, five years of higher study are required for a bachelor’s degree; medicine, dentistry and veterinary science require six years of study. In some fields, an associate degree is available after the first three years of a bachelor’s course. The professional, first degree in medicine, veterinary science and dentistry is that of doctor. In some of these professions, additional post-degree study is required before professional qualifications allowing the candidate to practice in his or her field are awarded. Advanced studies of at least one but generally two years, combined with a thesis, lead to the award of a master’s degree. A doctoral degree is awarded in some fields and requires an additional three years of study following a master’s degree. An advanced diploma or certificate may be obtained after one or two years of coursework. It is intended for students who already possess a degree or professional qualification. 

According to the National Education Act of 1999, higher education is divided into two levels: lower-than degree level (two-year courses mainly related to vocational and teacher education offered by colleges and institutes under the Ministry of Education); and degree level.

The total enrolment ratio in higher education was 19.3% in 1997 (age group 18-21 years). In 1995, the larger proportion or about 78.4% of students were in the field of social science and humanities while only about 21.6% were in science and technology.                   

The shares of student enrolment at higher education level are between the Ministry of Education and the MUA. With regard to the Ministry of Education, increased educational opportunities at diploma and undergraduate levels have been provided by vocational colleges, Rajabhat Institutes and the Rajamangala Institute of Technology. However, as there remain a large number of secondary school graduates, a high percentage of students still have no access to higher education. At the undergraduate level in particular, admission is limited while demands for higher education are increasing every year. Thus, only a number of secondary school graduates can have access to higher institutions under the Ministry of Education.

Increased educational opportunities have been provided by the MUA through the expansion of university campuses to eleven provinces in 1996, student loan programmes, fair admission to universities for the disadvantaged, establishment of a new university in Chiang Rai Province and the Programme for Outstanding Students from Rural Areas. The educational opportunities at higher level has, thus, been extended to more students of this age group. The share of student enrolment of the Ministry of University Affairs decreased from 70.8% in 1994 to 66.6% in 1996 while that of the Ministry of Education increased from 29.2 to 33.4% during the same period. Among students under the MUA, about 72.3%, or 524,628 students, were in two open universities.

At higher education level, there were formerly in Thailand more male than female students. However, the number of female students has increased steadily. In 1995, the proportion of female students in higher education institutions under the MUA was 51.4% while that of males was 48.6%. But, the number of female students exceeded males only in the fields of social sciences and humanities, particularly in education; indeed, there were fewer females than males in the fields of science and technology. It is noteworthy that, at postgraduate level (except for the doctoral degree), the proportion of female students in the fields of science and technology was less than that of male students, while that in the fields of social sciences and humanities the reverse was true.