History

Based on the principle of equality of opportunity to all regarding higher education, RU provides teaching and learning systems both on-campus and via distance learning. The university teaches a wide number of subjects in the social sciences and humanities, and also offers courses in all the major branches of science as well, including engineering and health science, and provides international programs, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels. This is a goal that Ramkhamhaeng University is continually striving to achieve without compromising academic excellence in any way. One of the university’s objectives is to provide students with the requisite skills, knowledge and professional competence, as well as a sense of ethics that they need to achieve fruitful and satisfying careers.

At present, Ramkhamhaeng University offers Bachelor’s Degree Programs, Master’s Degree Programs, Ph.D. Programs, International Programs and Pre-degree Programs in 11 Faculties and the Graduate School. In addition, the university also provides a wide range of excellent academic and administrative support facilities, total of 22 Institutes/Offices/Centers. Given its long-standing commitment to providing equal opportunity in the field of education for all Thais throughout the nation, since 1995, guided by the vision of Associate Professor Rangsan Saengsook, the Former RU President, in cooperation with government agencies and members of the private sector in the region, has established 23 RU Regional Campuses, in Honour of His Majesty the King, covering all regions of Thailand, as well as 37 regional examination centers. The university provides various Special Programs at the Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree levels, as well as short-courses, in regional provinces, as well as in Bangkok; RU’s Special Programs are well-known and constitute a role model for supporting lifelong learning for all. The overall aim is to make a wide variety of academic services available to the community and to society at large, and to foster the development of human resources, both in the public and private sectors. The university also provides opportunities for Thais residing overseas, having been in the process of expanding Ramkhamhaeng University worldwide since 2003; as a result, the university provides undergraduate and graduate programs of study for Thais in 32 countries worldwide, having 41 examination centers in those countries. The Institute of International Studies (IIS) offers various English and Chinese programs. All courses are taught by experienced visiting Professors and lecturers from leading universities overseas, who take turns to come and lecture at the IIS. Currently, about 2,200 students have enrolled, consisting of both Thais (35%) and overseas students (65%) from 74 countries worldwide.

Ramkhamhaeng University has developed in a rapid and efficient manner in terms of academic standards, curriculum development, research, teaching and learning systems, and quality assurance, as well as the campus sites (including RU Main Campus, RU Bang Na Campus, and RU Regional Campuses), etc.

As an institution on a par with international standards, Ramkhamhaeng University is currently expanding the frontiers of education in every way, while maintaining a reputation for academic excellence. In line with the current era of globalization, the latest technology is employed in order to improve the academic and administrative work of the university, as well as to transform Ramkhamhaeng University into an e-University. With the educational technology that Ramkhamhaeng University has developed and continually refined, the university is now ready to make Thailand’s vast knowledge base available to Thai communities around the world, placing Ramkhamhaeng University firmly at the forefront of the trend towards distance learning in Thailand. This is in line with its policy of becoming a fully-fledged e-university that is committed to the support of learning as a lifelong pursuit.

Academic cooperation with institutions, both locally and internationally, has been extended. Furthermore, the university has established an academic promotion and development program. Apart from the university’s attempts to establish a reputation for academic excellence, during the current era of the university’s development, one of the main purposes is also to train all its graduates so that they evolve into knowledgeable individuals with a strong sense of moral values. The main outcome of these development efforts is that RU stands out as one of the best universities in Thailand, reaching out beyond the country’s borders to become a world-class university with global presence, producing graduates with the requisite knowledge and moral values to form the backbone of the nation both in the present and in the years ahead.