Thammasat University

Thammasat University
มหาวิทยาลัยธรรมศาสตร์
	File:Tu(big).jpg
Type	Public
Established	1934
Rector	Prof. Dr. Surapol Nidhikraipoj
Students	-
Location	Bangkok, Thailand
Campus	Both urban and rural
Colours	Yellow and red
Website	http://www.tu.ac.th

Thammasat University (Thai: มหาวิทยาลัยธรรมศาสตร์), formerly known as the University of Moral and Political Science (Thai: มหาวิทยาลัยวิชาธรรมศาสตร์และการเมือง), is the second oldest university in Thailand and is one of the most prestigious universities in the country. The University was established on June 27, 1934, and initially offered four major fields of study: law, commerce and accountancy, politics, and economics. This was later expanded to courses in other subjects such as social work, journalism, and liberal arts. (Thammasat has the oldest Faculty of Liberal Arts in Thailand.) Over the past 70 years, the University has produced a large number of graduates who have greatly contributed to the development and progress of the society and the country.

Overview

Since 1934, 240,000 students have attended the university. Alumni include prime ministers, top-level politicians and officers, Bank of Thailand governors, as well as most of the city's governors. Its business, law, economics, and political science schools have been ranked among the top in Southeast Asia.^{[citation needed]}

At the "Tha Phrachan" campus, a compact area with a richly storied past, Thammasat University students have played crucial roles in the development of Thailand's democratisation. On more than one occasion, demonstrations of students and citizens have led to violence on the campus and its environs. A turning point in Thailand's history occurred on October 6, 1976, when a brutal massacre of student protestors by the military, police and rightwing activists took place on the Thammasat campus.^[1] Today, the Tha Phrachan campus is a potent symbol for Thai human rights, free speech and democratic society.

Realizing the significant impact of science and technology on the country's economic growth, in the 1980s and 1990s Thammasat University initiated degree programs in engineering, technologies, physical sciences, and medicine at its Rangsit Center, Pathum Thani. All first and second year students in every major now study on the Rangsit campus as well.

The 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, and it cooperates with some of the top universities around the globe as well. A regional cooperation is maintained with the Greater Mekong Sub-region Academic and Research Network.

Origins

The University was established by law with the University of Moral and Political Sciences Act of 1933. The Act was drafted by Pridi Bhanomyong, a leader of the People's Party and Interior Minister at the time. Pridi was the University's first rector. The University did not originally receive any funds from the government budget, but instead relied on student fees and from interest paid by the Bank of Asia, of which the University held 80% of the shares. Pridi was also a co-founder of the Bank of Asia.

Under Pridi's leadership, the University became the clandestine headquarters of the Free Thai anti-Japanese resistance movement during World War II. Ironically, an interment camps for Allied civilians was also on the Thammasat campus, with Thai guards more or less protecting them from mistreatment by the Japanese. After Thailand's brief post WWII foray into democracy was interrupted by the 1949 coup of Marshal Plaek Phibulsongkram, the military dictatorship removed the term "Political Sciences" from the University's name and banned students from political activities. University stocks were sold and it became dependent on government funds for its operations.^[2]

Campuses

Currently, the university has six campuses across the country, but the main campus is still at Thaprachan, where all the Social Science fields remain.

Tha-Prachan Center is located beside the Chao Phraya River inside the historic Rattanakosin Island, Bangkok, the land was purchased entirely with money raised by private donations. Tha-Prachan was the site of the 1976 Thammasat student uprising in which about 300 students protesting the return to Thailand of former military dictator Thanom Kittikachorn were murdered, as well as of another democratic uprising in May 1992 following the appointment of Suchinda Kraprayoon as an unelected prime minister.
Rangsit Center, the largest campus, is located in Pathum Thani, north of Bangkok. It is situated next to the Asian Institute of Technology and Thailand Science Park, an area known as the "Technology Cluster of Northern Bangkok". Initially, the center was established for science and technology-related faculties, but is rapidly expanding to offer other subjects. All bachelor's degree classes currently taught at Tha-Prachan Center are scheduled to be moved there by 2007. The campus is also home to the Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology, an international academic institute attached to the university and emphasizing engineering, technology and related subjects.
Tavorn-Usa Pornprapa Center Located in Pattaya, Chonburi province.
Thammasat Lanna College Located in Lampang province, north of Thailand.
A campus in Narathiwat province
A campus in Udon Thani province

Colleges and Faculties

The university has 18 faculties/education units, namely: the Faculty of Law, Commerce and Accountancy, Political Science, Economics, Social Administration, Liberal Arts, Journalism and Mass Communication, Sociology and Anthropology, Science and Technology, Engineering, Medicine, Dentistry, Allied Health Science, Nursing, Architecture and Planning, Fine and Applied Arts, Public Health, the Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology, and the College of Innovative Education

Faculty of Architecture and Planning

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 Program to be autonomous under the Thammasat University Council by its resolution of May 6, 1999.

The program was approved to be the Faculty of Architecture by a resolution of the Thammasat University Council on October 29, 2001. Prof. Dr. Vimolsiddhi Horayangkura, who had been the program's director since 1999, was appointed to be the first dean of the Faculty of Architecture. The faculty offered two more new undergraduate programs, Interior Architecture and Urban Environmental Planning and Management Program, in the 2002 academic year.

Faculty of Commerce and Accountancy

The Faculty of Commerce and Accountancy, established in November 23, 1938, is the oldest business school in Thailand. It offers broad range of programs including business administration, logistics, human resource management, accounting, finance, marketing, and management information system, from diploma to doctoral degree. The faculty also offers international programs where English is a language of instruction. Recently, the students in the Master of Sciences Degree Program in Marketing (MIM) at Thammasat Business School have won, for the second time, the World’s Renowned Business Plan Competition: "Global Moot Corp" 2005 held at the McCombs School of Business, University of Texas at Austin^[3]

Faculty of Economics

The Faculty of Economics at Thammasat University was established in 1949. The Faculty offers a broad range of academic programs 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 program degree taught in English. Since then, a Bachelor's program and a Ph.D. program taught in English have been added to the curriculum.

Faculty of Journalism and Mass Communication

Department of Journalism at Thammasat University was established in 1954 and was Thailand's first 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 programs in newspaper and print media, radio and television broadcasting, cinematography, advertising, public relations, and communication management. It also offers several programs at master's level as well as a docteral degree in mass communication.

Faculty of Law

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. Former Deans of the Faculty have included Phraya Nitisat Phaisan, Sanya Dharmasakti, and Preedee Kasemsup. Current members of the Faculty include Prinya Thaewanarumitkul and Banjerd Singkaneti. The Faculty has programs up to the doctorate level, as well as several certificate programs in business law and public law.^[4]^[5]

Faculty of Political Science

The faculty of Political Science at Thammasat University was established in 1949.

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 programs in Thailand. Its graduates have attended the prestigious departments of Economics such as Harvard, Chicago, UC Berkeley,Cornell, Oxford, Cambridge, LSE.^{[citation needed]}

Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology

Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology, located in the university's Rangsit Center, Pathum Thani, 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 programs. All of them are international programs, 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 a strong link with Thailand National Science and Technology Development Agency, Thailand Science Park and many international universities, notably its neighbor 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^[6].