Chulalongkorn University


Chulalongkorn University , nicknamed Chula, is a public and autonomous research university in Bangkok, Thailand. The university was originally founded during King Chulalongkorn's reign as a school for training royal pages and civil servants in 1899 at the Grand Palace of Thailand. It was later established as a national university in 1917, making it the oldest institute of higher education in Thailand.
During the reign of Chulalongkorn's son, King Vajiravudh, the Royal Pages School became the Civil Service College of King Chulalongkorn. The Rockefeller Foundation was instrumental in helping the college form its academic foundation. On 26 March 1917, King Vajiravudh renamed the college "Chulalongkorn University".
Chulalongkorn University is a comprehensive and research-intensive university. It is ranked as the best university in Thailand in many surveys, quality of students, quality of research, quality in particular subjects, university reputation, environmental management systems. According to QS world university ranking 2017, CU is placed 245th in the world, 45th in Asia, 1st in Thailand, and 201–250 in the world graduate employability ranking. It is also ranked as Thailand's No. 1 university from various organizers such as Center for World University Rankings, Round university ranking, Academic Ranking of World Universities.
Chulalongkorn University is one of the National Research Universities and supported by the Office of Nation Education Standards and Quality Assessment of Thailand. Moreover, CU is the only Thai university which is a member of Association of Pacific Rim Universities.
Admission to CU is highly selective, and applicants are required to have high test scores. Applicants ranking in the top 10 national scores are chosen for study at CU.
CU is composed of nineteen faculties, a School of Agriculture, three colleges, ten institutes and two other schools. Its campus occupies a vast area in downtown Bangkok. Graduates customarily receive their diplomas from the King of Thailand, a tradition begun by King Prajadhipok.

Budget

Thailand's national budget for FY2019 allocated 5,535 million baht to the university.

History

King Chulalongkorn's reforms, aimed at transforming Thai society into a modern state demanded trained officials specialized in various fields. In 1899, the King founded the "Civil Service Training School" near the north gate of the Royal Palace. Those who graduated from the school would become royal pages. As royal pages, they learned how to manage organizations by working closely with the king, which was a traditional way to enter the Siamese bureaucracy. After serving as royal pages, they would then serve in the Mahattai Ministry or other government ministries.
On 1 April 1902 the King renamed the school. It became the "Royal Pages School". On 1 January 1911, King Vajiravudh changed the name to "Civil Service College of King Chulalongkorn" as a memorial to his father and moved the school to Windsor Palace in the Pathumwan District.
The King subsidized the construction of a university campus and organized various schools around the city into Chulalongkorn. The college offered eight majors taught by five schools including;
King Rama VI realized that education should be provided not only to bureaucrats, but to all people. On 26 March 1917, the college was upgraded to "Chulalongkorn University", and the schools were transformed into four faculties: Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Faculty of Public Administration, Faculty of Engineering, and Faculty of Medicine.
The Rockefeller Foundation reorganized the curriculum of the Faculty of Medicine. In 1923, the Faculty of Medicine became the first faculty to accept secondary school graduates. The remaining faculties then followed suit. After the 1932 Revolution, the People's Party wanted legal and political studies to be independent of "royalists" so they moved the Faculty of Law and Political Science to the new Thammasat University in 1933.
In 1938, Chulalongkorn University's Preparatory School was founded to provide pre-collegiate education to students. Those who managed to enter the university had to spend two years in the Preparatory School before going on to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. The Preparatory School, however, ceased to be a university-owned preparatory school in 1947 and became the independent Triam Udom Suksa School. Later, the university established Chulalongkorn University Demonstration School as a laboratory school for primary and secondary education for the Faculty of Education.

Symbols

Phra Kiao

Since the establishment of the Royal Pages School, the former name of the university, King Chulalongkorn authorized the use of his personal emblem as a school emblem. The emblem is called Phra Kiao, a Thai coronet, royal headgear for young princes and princesses. As the school was transformed into the university, the King authorized the use of phra kiao. Today, phra kiao appears not only in formal letters and transcripts, but also on souvenirs made by the university as well as student uniforms.

Student uniform

Undergraduates are required to wear a uniform when studying, taking examinations, or contacting the university in person. Male graduate students wear a collared or polo shirt and dark trousers. Women wear a plain blouse with long skirt.
Originally, the university uniform was adapted from a uniform worn by Chulalongkorn's heirs. The uniform was later updated, but the original is reserved as a formal uniform. The formal uniform is usually worn by student leaders and graduates.
Today, the ordinary uniform for male undergraduate students consists of a plain white shirt with long or short sleeves and black trousers. Wearing a dark blue necktie with colored phra kiao engraved on its front is mandatory for first-year students but optional for higher years. However, a black tie with a silver phra kiao pin is usually used by upperclass student in some faculties. Female students are required to wear a short-sleeved blouse with a fold along the spine. The buttons must be made of metal, and a small phra kiao emblem must be pinned on the right breast. A dark blue or black pleated skirt with any black, white, or brown shoes are worn. For female first-year students, white leather shoes are mandatory. Chulalongkorn University's uniforms have long been the template of many uniforms used in other universities in Thailand.

Academic dress

The academic dress of Chulalongkorn University is based on ceremonial attire called suea krui, which is long-sleeved robe made of very fine mesh. Like dresses worn in the United Kingdom, the robe is open-fronted and calf-length. Cap and hood, however, are omitted. A colored felt strip decorated with gold-colored ribbons is attached to the margin of the gown including elbow and wrist. Bachelors and masters students wear a black strip, while scarlet and pink are for PhDs and lecturers. A yellow strip is specially used for the king of Thailand.
In addition, the colored yarn or ribbon is added to the center of the strip longitudinally, according to degree-granting faculty. The gown was authorized for use by Vajiravudh.

Example of felt strips

Rain Trees

s are common on the university campus. They are associated with the cycle of student life. Fresh green leaves at beginning of the term represent the freshmen's naivete. As the tree produces slimy pods and sheds leaves, the ground beneath it becomes slippery, thus alerting students to prepare for examinations. If they walk carefully, they will not slip. If they walk heedlessly, they will slip and fall.
From 1937–1957, many rain trees were cut down to free space for new buildings. King Bhumibol Adulyadej noticed the dramatic decrease in the number of rain trees. On 15 January 1962, he brought five trees from Hua Hin and planted them in front of the university auditorium, proclaiming: "...I give these five trees as an eternal memorial.".

Organization

Chulalongkorn University consists of 19 faculties, three colleges, one school and many institutes which function as teaching and research units.
In 1917, the university had four faculties: Arts and Sciences, Public Administration, Engineering, and Medicine. The Faculty of Law was established in 1933 as part of the Faculty of Law and Political Science. From the 1930s to the 1950s it expanded to various fields including Pharmacy, Veterinary Science, Architecture, Dentistry, and Commerce and Accountancy. In 1943, the regency government under General Phibun separated the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, and Veterinary Science to become the University of Medical Sciences, now Mahidol University. In 1948, the Faculty of Political Science was re-established. The Faculty of Education was established in 1957 from the School of Teacher Training at Baan Somdet Chao Phraya. In 1967, the Faculty of Veterinary Science was returned from Kasetsart University and the Faculty of Medicine at Chulalongkorn Hospital was moved from University of Medical Sciences to Chulalongkorn University. In 1972, the Faculty of Dentistry and Faculty of Pharmacy were reinstated.
The Office of the Commission on Agricultural Resource Education was established in 2009. It is not an administrative office, but a school in which teaching and research are carried out. It admits students from two groups: one from northern Thai provinces and another from the rest of country. It was upgraded to the School of Agricultural Resources with full degree-granting power on 5 March 2014. In 2014 it became the School of Agriculture, Chulalongkorn University.

Health sciences

CU's international programs offer undergraduate degrees in 17 disciplines; 50 master's degree programs; and 34 programs leading to a PhD. Among them is the in the Faculty of Architecture.

Graduate institutes

Chulalongkorn University has research organizations in many fields of study.
World rankSubject
48
  • Mineral & Mining Engineering
51 – 100
  • Chemical Engineering
    • 101 – 150
  • Accounting & Finance
  • Architecture / Built Environment
  • Environmental Sciences
  • Geography
  • Modern Languages
  • Pharmacy & Pharmacology
  • Politics & International Studies
    • 151 – 200
  • Business & Management Studies
  • Chemistry
  • Civil & Structural Engineering
  • Electrical & Electronic Engineering
  • Linguistics
  • Materials Science
  • Mechanical, Aeronautical & Manufacturing Engineering
  • Medicine
  • Sociology
    • 201 – 250
  • Biological Sciences
  • Computer Science & Information Systems
  • Economics & Econometrics
    • 301 – 350
  • Physics & Astronomy
    • Other Rankings

    Research scholarships

    Chulalongkorn Centenary Park

    The west side of Chula's campus is the site of this innovative park. It has gradually sloping portions. Its 28 rai expanse contains a water retention pond with a capacity of 3.8 million liters and a rain garden. Both help to ameliorate Bangkok's seasonal flooding. It was built to commemorate Chula's 100th anniversary in 2017.

    Accommodation

    Chulalongkorn University International House is a 26-storey, 846-unit, on campus residence for international students and lecturers. Rooms come fully furnished with air conditioning, modern conveniences, 24-hour security and safety systems. The residence is included in the university's shuttle bus services.

    Honorary degrees

    The university has bestowed honorary degrees on heads of state and other international dignitaries, including two U.S. presidents:
    Chulalongkorn University student traditions include:
    The university is host to 40 student clubs, including the Buddhism and Traditions Club, the Religious Studies Club, the Mind Study Club, and the Thai Classical Music Club. Chulalongkorn also has a Morals Network, which actively campaigns to protect student activities from damaging the university's reputation. The university's Cheer Club annually organizes the Chula-Thammasat traditional football match.

    Notable alumni

    The university RoboCup team, Plasma‐Z, got several prizes from the robotics competition as follow.
    Moreover, another university Robocup team, Plasma-RX has participated in Rescue robot league at World RoboCup 2008, Suzhou, China, and won the first prize and the best-in-class in mobility award.