Job Discussion Forums

passport220 · Joined: 11 May 2005 Posts: 117

I am a native born, native speaker from America, have a B.S. from an American university. I am now considering a Master of Arts (TESOL) program from Thailand. Will a master�s degree from a Thai university meet the basic requirements of Middle East MOEs?

(Same post in Kuwait, UAE, and Saudi forums)

Sadebugo · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 524

See my response in the Saudi forum.

Sadebugo
Djibouti, Horn of Africa
http://travldawrld.blogspot.com/

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

No one in this region will take a Thai MA seriously.

margaurina · Joined: 22 May 2006 Posts: 14

Who is the professor and what is his training is what I would ask. Take a degree from an English Speaking Country. Thai PHds and Masters do not line up to international standards in the main. So be cautioned.

Ajan Provocateur · Joined: 08 Jun 2009 Posts: 7 Location: Italy

They DO measure up to international standards!

If you have doubts then research the university running the course, check out its' partnerships with universities from other countries, see where the tutors were trained.

Most worldwide MA courses cover the same ground.

Prejudice doesn't help, knowledge does!

helenl · Joined: 04 Jan 2006 Posts: 1202

The problem is the MOE and the MOHE in UAE for example, will not do the research and will look at the country first and make assumptions, no matter how erroneous them may be. Perhaps you could mention in your CV how the Master's is viewed in the West (as a matter of placement in a similar job in Europe, Australia, or North America)? That might help them to place it in perspective.

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

15yearsinQ8 · Joined: 17 Oct 2006 Posts: 462 Location: kuwait

while there are many fine and reputable universities in each country, there are some that are not
you're fighting ignorance and prejudice - and bureacratic laziness
e.g. in kuwait, unskilled unemployed kuwaiti youth (with not even a HS diploma) have travelled to India and the phillipines to 'earn' college degrees - which would qualify them for promotion, better jobs and bonuses. the ministry of higher education, which has its hands full certifying all western universities and degrees, got wind and wanted to not authenticate any degrees from india and the philipines. the ministry of health BTW which employs a lot of 'certified' indian and philipino nurses said 'what a minute'. the minsitry of higher education then actually had to work and research (do their job) - seperating the sound from the sham universities and now is compiling a list of good universities and degrees in each country for ministry authentication. the mohe's priority is to authenticate degrees for its citizens first.
only with a paper from the ministry of higher education that your degree is authenticated can be hired, promoted, etc. as it relates to the world of tefl, kuwait university , the public authority for technical training and private universities and colleges are slowly demanding to see the 'authentication paper' from the ministry for hire or shortly after hire.
if you have that authentication paper - you're golden
to my knowledge, no thai university is authenticated by kuwait's mohe - i advice you to contact each country's (uae, ksa, kuwait, etc) embassy in bangkok and ask their cultural affairs officer if any are....