Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology
Encyclopedia
Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology (Thai
: สถาบันเทคโนโลยีนานาชาติสิรินธร) (SIIT) is a semi-autonomous institute of technology
established in 1992 within Thammasat University
. It is located in Pathum Thani, Thailand. Known as one of the premier research universities in Thailand, it offers science, technology and engineering education, as well as related management programs. All are international programs, with English language as a medium of instruction. The institute is part of the Links to Asia by Organizing Traineeship and Student Exchange (LAOTSE) network, an international cooperation of leading universities in Europe and Asia.
Although it is an academic unit of Thammasat University and its graduates receive Thammasat University degrees, the institute is self-administered and -financed (similar to a 'Deemed University
' in India
.)
Since it is a research-led academic institution in nature, the Academic year 2003 performance evaluation showed has the highest number of research publications (both in raw quantity and per graduate student heads) of any academic division in the university. In addition, a 2007 assessment of research publications by Thailand Research Fund put SIIT at the top of all engineering faculties in the kingdom in terms of equivalent international journal papers per faculty member and in terms of impact factor per faculty member.
(FTI) realized that to enhance industrial development of Thailand, engineers with working knowledge of English are needed. Therefore, it was recommended that engineering programs, where all lecture and laboratory courses would be taught in English by highly qualified faculty members with doctoral degrees, be established.
A cooperation agreement among Keidanren, FTI, and Thammasat University was reached in 1992 to establish bachelor degree programs in engineering at Thammasat University with initial funds provided by Keidanren and FTI. After two years of operation, the International Institute of Technology (IIT) was founded on 16 September 1994. Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn
graciously presided over the cornerstone laying ceremony of a new building at the Rangsit Center of Thammasat University using part of the initial fund. Then, on 28 June 1996, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej
of Thailand graciously granted the Institute a new name: Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology (SIIT). On 2 October 1997, Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn graciously presided over the inauguration ceremony of its name and building. In June 2001, the former Prime Minister Anand Panyarachun
inaugurated a new campus at Bangkadi Industrial Park.
As the institute is an autonomous (semi-private) body of Thammasat University, it gets no funding from the state and needs to find and manage its own income and spending. To starts its operation, the institute received initial funds from Keidanren and FTI. Parts of funding are research grants and scholarships from international organizations like Asian Development Bank
, local ones like industries and the Thailand Research Fund, and individual contributions. The rest of funding is from tuition fees, which is arguably high comparing to state-funded academic institutes.
In 2007, the Thailand Research Fund assessed research outcomes of universities in Thailand, and SIIT ranked as "Very Good" for all three indicators, making it the only engineering school in the country to achieved this.
Since a few prospect students can afford the higher-than-national-average tuition fees, the institute initially faces a slight difficulty to recruit undergraduate students with very high National University Entrance Examination scores. While scholarships and special recruitment programs do help attract many bright students, its average entrance score is still not very high comparing to other leading science and engineering programs in the country — which, in turns, affects the image of the institute in the eyes of Thais. Due to the latest Entrance Examination scores, the school is comparatively easy for most students to get admitted. The average entrance score of admitted students is still low and makes the program not competitive.
However, the undergraduate recruitment situation is improving by years, especially for its computer, IT and management-related majors, which now have very high average entrance scores. With its strong science and technology education, the institute has been selected, along with Mahidol University
and Chulalongkorn University
, by Thailand National Science and Technology Development Agency
(NSTDA), as a destination of selected group of top students from Mahidol Wittayanusorn School
and 12 Princess Chulaporn Schools for Science, the country's science schools for gifted students, in a program to mentor junior researchers for national science and technology development.
For its graduate levels, the institute attracts a lot of bright graduates, as the institute gains supports from many national and international bodies (and use that as scholarships for graduate students). SIIT is one of a very small number of universities that can secure numbers of Thailand Research Fund's Royal Golden Jubilee grants, considered to be the country's most prestigious research grants for PhD students, for every single year since the program began in 1998 — one of the only three that can secure Engineering discipline grants that often.
programs are offered from five schools and one department.
School of Bio-Chemical Engineering and Technology : hosts chemical engineering
and environmental technology
programs
School of Civil Engineering and Technology : hosts civil engineering
and infrastructure planning programs
School of Information, Computer and Communication Technology : hosts information technology, computer science
, and Electronics and communication engineering programs
School of Management Technology: hosts management technology and engineering management
programs
School of Manufacturing Systems and Mechanical Engineering : hosts mechanical engineering
and industrial engineering
programs
Department of Common and Graduate Studies
Master of Engineering in Information and Communication Technology for Embedded Systems (ICTES) (International Program)
Master of Engineering in Logistics and Supply Chain Systems Engineering (LSCSE) (International Program)
Master of Science in Engineering or Technology
Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering or Technology.
(AIT) and a group of Japanese universities and research centers, as well as a network of European universities such as DAAD
International Quality Network (IQN) program and LAOTSE network. Locally, a remarkable collaborative network is the Joint Graduate School of Energy and Environment
, a group of leading Thai universities in environmental and energy technology area.
The institute established faculty member and student exchange programs, as well as internship programs, with universities and organizations in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America. These programs allow faculty members to collaborate with their counterparts in research projects, and students to have an opportunity to take engineering courses at these universities. Additionally, qualified foreign professors are regularly invited to visit and conduct courses at SIIT.
Because of their proximity, SIIT, Thammasat University, AIT, Thailand Science Park, and research centers of NSTDA, share some of their facilities, including libraries and laboratories, with each other. In 1998, the Thailand Graduate Institute of Science and Technology
(TGIST) was established by NSTDA to further strengthen its collaboration with academics and industries; SIIT is among three major academic institutes in TGIST's "Thailand Science Park Collaboration".
In 2007, SIIT joined NSTDA, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang
, and Tokyo Institute of Technology
as founding members in the establishment of Thailand Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. This joint graduate school will offer international postgraduate degrees, where faculty staffs will come from Tokyo Tech, NSTDA, and Thai universities.
and National Science Museum
. The area is now known as the "Technology Cluster of North Bangkok".
, just next to the Asian Institute of Technology
and Thailand Science Park. The center served as the main host for the 13th Asian Games
in 1998 and the World University Games in 2007.
-related programs, for example, the computer science program. In June 2006, the new building Sirindhralai (Thai: สิรินธราลัย), the name graciously granted by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, was opened to accommodate the telecommunications, engineering management, and management technology programs.
Thai alphabet
Thai script , is used to write the Thai language and other, minority, languages in Thailand. It has forty-four consonants , fifteen vowel symbols that combine into at least twenty-eight vowel forms, and four tone marks ....
: สถาบันเทคโนโลยีนานาชาติสิรินธร) (SIIT) is a semi-autonomous institute of technology
Institute of technology
Institute of technology is a designation employed in a wide range of learning institutions awarding different types of degrees and operating often at variable levels of the educational system...
established in 1992 within Thammasat University
Thammasat University
Thammasat University , or in brief TU , is Thailand's second oldest university. Officially established on 27 June 1934, the university was originally named by founder Pridi Banomyong, University of Moral Science and Politics , reflecting the political fervor of the time...
. It is located in Pathum Thani, Thailand. Known as one of the premier research universities in Thailand, it offers science, technology and engineering education, as well as related management programs. All are international programs, with English language as a medium of instruction. The institute is part of the Links to Asia by Organizing Traineeship and Student Exchange (LAOTSE) network, an international cooperation of leading universities in Europe and Asia.
Although it is an academic unit of Thammasat University and its graduates receive Thammasat University degrees, the institute is self-administered and -financed (similar to a 'Deemed University
Deemed University
Deemed university is a status of autonomy granted to high performing institutes and departments of various universities in India. This status of ‘Deemed-to-be-University’, is granted by Department of Higher Education, Union Human Resource Development Ministry, on the advice of the University Grants...
' in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
.)
Since it is a research-led academic institution in nature, the Academic year 2003 performance evaluation showed has the highest number of research publications (both in raw quantity and per graduate student heads) of any academic division in the university. In addition, a 2007 assessment of research publications by Thailand Research Fund put SIIT at the top of all engineering faculties in the kingdom in terms of equivalent international journal papers per faculty member and in terms of impact factor per faculty member.
History
During the ninth Japan-Thailand Joint Trade and Economic Committee Meeting held in Kobe, Japan in 1989, all the delegates from the Japan Federation of Economic Organizations (Keidanren) and the Federation of Thai IndustriesFederation of Thai Industries
Formerly known as the Association of Thai Industries , the Federation of Thai Industries came into existence in November 13, 1967 and upgraded on December 29, 1987. It was a transformed body of ATI, which was created in 1967. FTI is a private sector organisation that brings together industrial...
(FTI) realized that to enhance industrial development of Thailand, engineers with working knowledge of English are needed. Therefore, it was recommended that engineering programs, where all lecture and laboratory courses would be taught in English by highly qualified faculty members with doctoral degrees, be established.
A cooperation agreement among Keidanren, FTI, and Thammasat University was reached in 1992 to establish bachelor degree programs in engineering at Thammasat University with initial funds provided by Keidanren and FTI. After two years of operation, the International Institute of Technology (IIT) was founded on 16 September 1994. Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn
Maha Chakri Sirindhorn
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn is the second daughter of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Thais commonly refer to her as Phra Thep, meaning "princess angel." Because her title in Thai is the female equivalent of the title held by her brother, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, she is informally referred...
graciously presided over the cornerstone laying ceremony of a new building at the Rangsit Center of Thammasat University using part of the initial fund. Then, on 28 June 1996, His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej
Bhumibol Adulyadej
Bhumibol Adulyadej is the current King of Thailand. He is known as Rama IX...
of Thailand graciously granted the Institute a new name: Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology (SIIT). On 2 October 1997, Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn graciously presided over the inauguration ceremony of its name and building. In June 2001, the former Prime Minister Anand Panyarachun
Anand Panyarachun
Anand Panyarachun was Thailand's Prime Minister twice, between 1991–1992 and once again in 1992. He was effective in initiating economic and political reforms, one of which was the drafting of Thailand's "Peoples' Constitution", which was promulgated in 1997 and abrogated in 2006...
inaugurated a new campus at Bangkadi Industrial Park.
Administration independency
Although it is a unit of Thammasat University, SIIT is financially and administratively separate from the central university system. SIIT's policies and operations are guided and supervised by the Board of Trustees which consists of representatives from Thammasat University, FTI, Nippon Keidanren, and scholars appointed by the university. In addition, the Academic Review Committee (ARC) comprising reputable scholars provides guidance and recommendations on academic and research matters. The institute, headed by the director, consists of four administrative divisions, a library and information services center, and six academic schools, with 15 academic programs.As the institute is an autonomous (semi-private) body of Thammasat University, it gets no funding from the state and needs to find and manage its own income and spending. To starts its operation, the institute received initial funds from Keidanren and FTI. Parts of funding are research grants and scholarships from international organizations like Asian Development Bank
Asian Development Bank
The Asian Development Bank is a regional development bank established on 22 August 1966 to facilitate economic development of countries in Asia...
, local ones like industries and the Thailand Research Fund, and individual contributions. The rest of funding is from tuition fees, which is arguably high comparing to state-funded academic institutes.
Academics
One of SIIT's academic strengths, that the institute often points out in a student recruitment ads, is its high qualification of faculty members. All faculty members are doctoral degree holders, with strong research and/or industrial experiences. From the eyes of general Thai students, they give the value to the institute's up-to-date courses, English as a language of instruction (which means language competency and generally higher salary in the country), and being part of the prestigious Thammasat University. The institute is considered among academic peers as a research intensive engineering school. Research output-wise, on average, each year each SIIT faculty member produces twice the highest value of national range for international journal publications (0.74 vs 0–0.41).In 2007, the Thailand Research Fund assessed research outcomes of universities in Thailand, and SIIT ranked as "Very Good" for all three indicators, making it the only engineering school in the country to achieved this.
Since a few prospect students can afford the higher-than-national-average tuition fees, the institute initially faces a slight difficulty to recruit undergraduate students with very high National University Entrance Examination scores. While scholarships and special recruitment programs do help attract many bright students, its average entrance score is still not very high comparing to other leading science and engineering programs in the country — which, in turns, affects the image of the institute in the eyes of Thais. Due to the latest Entrance Examination scores, the school is comparatively easy for most students to get admitted. The average entrance score of admitted students is still low and makes the program not competitive.
However, the undergraduate recruitment situation is improving by years, especially for its computer, IT and management-related majors, which now have very high average entrance scores. With its strong science and technology education, the institute has been selected, along with Mahidol University
Mahidol University
Mahidol University is a public research university in Bangkok, Thailand. Established back in 1888 as School of Medical Practitioners, Siriraj Hospital and reorganized in 1943 as University of Medical Sciences . The university originally focused on Health Sciences but also expanded to other...
and Chulalongkorn University
Chulalongkorn University
Chulalongkorn University is the oldest university in Thailand and is the country's highest ranked university. It now has nineteen faculties and institutes. Regarded as the best and most selective university in Thailand, it consistently attracts top students from around the country...
, by Thailand National Science and Technology Development Agency
Thailand National Science and Technology Development Agency
The National Science and Technology Development Agency is an agency of the government of Thailand which supports research in science and technology and their application in the Thai economy.From the agency's website:...
(NSTDA), as a destination of selected group of top students from Mahidol Wittayanusorn School
Mahidol Wittayanusorn School
Mahidol Wittayanusorn School , also known colloquially as Mahidol Wit, Mahidol Witt or Mwit, is a secondary school in Thailand...
and 12 Princess Chulaporn Schools for Science, the country's science schools for gifted students, in a program to mentor junior researchers for national science and technology development.
For its graduate levels, the institute attracts a lot of bright graduates, as the institute gains supports from many national and international bodies (and use that as scholarships for graduate students). SIIT is one of a very small number of universities that can secure numbers of Thailand Research Fund's Royal Golden Jubilee grants, considered to be the country's most prestigious research grants for PhD students, for every single year since the program began in 1998 — one of the only three that can secure Engineering discipline grants that often.
Schools
A number of undergraduate and research-based graduateGraduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
programs are offered from five schools and one department.
School of Bio-Chemical Engineering and Technology : hosts chemical engineering
Chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...
and environmental technology
Environmental technology
Environmental technology or green technology or clean technology is the application of one or more of environmental science, green chemistry, environmental monitoring and electronic devices to monitor, model and conserve the natural environment and resources, and to curb the negative impacts of...
programs
School of Civil Engineering and Technology : hosts civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
and infrastructure planning programs
School of Information, Computer and Communication Technology : hosts information technology, computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
, and Electronics and communication engineering programs
School of Management Technology: hosts management technology and engineering management
Engineering management
Engineering Management or Management Engineering is a specialized form of management and engineering that is concerned with the application of engineering principles to business practice...
programs
School of Manufacturing Systems and Mechanical Engineering : hosts mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
and industrial engineering
Industrial engineering
Industrial engineering is a branch of engineering dealing with the optimization of complex processes or systems. It is concerned with the development, improvement, implementation and evaluation of integrated systems of people, money, knowledge, information, equipment, energy, materials, analysis...
programs
Department of Common and Graduate Studies
Graduate degrees offered
Master of Engineering in Engineering Technology (International Program)Master of Engineering in Information and Communication Technology for Embedded Systems (ICTES) (International Program)
Master of Engineering in Logistics and Supply Chain Systems Engineering (LSCSE) (International Program)
Master of Science in Engineering or Technology
Doctor of Philosophy in Engineering or Technology.
Cooperations
The institute enjoys a strong link with many universities, remarkably with its neighbor Asian Institute of TechnologyAsian Institute of Technology
The Asian Institute of Technology is an international institution for higher education in engineering, advanced technologies, and management and planning...
(AIT) and a group of Japanese universities and research centers, as well as a network of European universities such as DAAD
German Academic Exchange Service
The German Academic Exchange Service or DAAD is the largest German support organisation in the field of international academic co-operation....
International Quality Network (IQN) program and LAOTSE network. Locally, a remarkable collaborative network is the Joint Graduate School of Energy and Environment
Joint Graduate School of Energy and Environment
The Joint Graduate School of Energy and Environment is an autonomous graduate school, operates as a consortium of five Thai universities. Established in 1998, aims to be an internationally recognized premier centre in graduate education and research in the fields of energy and environmental...
, a group of leading Thai universities in environmental and energy technology area.
The institute established faculty member and student exchange programs, as well as internship programs, with universities and organizations in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America. These programs allow faculty members to collaborate with their counterparts in research projects, and students to have an opportunity to take engineering courses at these universities. Additionally, qualified foreign professors are regularly invited to visit and conduct courses at SIIT.
Because of their proximity, SIIT, Thammasat University, AIT, Thailand Science Park, and research centers of NSTDA, share some of their facilities, including libraries and laboratories, with each other. In 1998, the Thailand Graduate Institute of Science and Technology
Thailand Graduate Institute of Science and Technology
Thailand Graduate Institute of Science and Technology or in Thai "" established in 1998 by National Science and Technology Development Agency to develop man force in science and technology and bridge the industry with academics.-Partners:...
(TGIST) was established by NSTDA to further strengthen its collaboration with academics and industries; SIIT is among three major academic institutes in TGIST's "Thailand Science Park Collaboration".
In 2007, SIIT joined NSTDA, King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang
King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang
King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang is a leading research and educational institution and one of Thailand's leading universities. It is in the city of Bangkok, Thailand...
, and Tokyo Institute of Technology
Tokyo Institute of Technology
The Tokyo Institute of Technology is a public research university located in Greater Tokyo Area, Japan. Tokyo Tech is the largest institution for higher education in Japan dedicated to science and technology. Tokyo Tech enrolled 4,850 undergaraduates and 5006 graduate students for 2009-2010...
as founding members in the establishment of Thailand Advanced Institute of Science and Technology. This joint graduate school will offer international postgraduate degrees, where faculty staffs will come from Tokyo Tech, NSTDA, and Thai universities.
Campuses
Operations of SIIT are carried out at two locations: Thammasat University's Rangsit Center and Bangkadi, both in Pathum Thani, surrounded by many national research centers, high-tech industrial parks, and universities, as well as Thailand Science ParkThailand Science Park
Thailand Science Park is located in the town of Tha Khlong, Khlong Luang district, Pathum Thani province, near the city of Rangsit, north of Bangkok. Managed by the National Science and Technology Development Agency, under the Ministry of Science and Technology, it is the country's largest science...
and National Science Museum
Thailand National Science Museum
The National Science Museum is a science museum in Thailand. Located in Khlong Luang district, Pathum Thani province, it was officially opened in 2000 to celebrate Her Majesty Queen Sirikit's 60th birthday...
. The area is now known as the "Technology Cluster of North Bangkok".
Rangsit Campus
The Rangsit Campus is situated in the TU's Rangsit Center, approximately 42 kilometers north of BangkokBangkok
Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
, just next to the Asian Institute of Technology
Asian Institute of Technology
The Asian Institute of Technology is an international institution for higher education in engineering, advanced technologies, and management and planning...
and Thailand Science Park. The center served as the main host for the 13th Asian Games
Asian Games
The Asian Games, officially known as Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until the 1978 Games. Since the 1982 Games they have been organised by the...
in 1998 and the World University Games in 2007.
Bangkadi Campus
Located in Bangkadi Industrial Park, the Bangkadi Campus is about 15 kilometers away southeast from the Rangsit Campus. The information technology program moved to this facility in June 2002. The management technology and the telecommunications programs moved to Bangkadi in May 2003. It houses all new ICTICT (education)
Information and communication technologies in education deal with the use of information and communication technologies within educational technology.-Purpose:...
-related programs, for example, the computer science program. In June 2006, the new building Sirindhralai (Thai: สิรินธราลัย), the name graciously granted by Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, was opened to accommodate the telecommunications, engineering management, and management technology programs.
See also
- Education in ThailandEducation in ThailandEducation in Thailand is provided mainly by the Thai government through the Ministry of Education from pre-school to senior high school. A free basic education of twelve years is guaranteed by the constitution, and a minimum of nine years' school attendance is mandatory.Formal education consists of...
— List of universities in Thailand - Thammasat UniversityThammasat UniversityThammasat University , or in brief TU , is Thailand's second oldest university. Officially established on 27 June 1934, the university was originally named by founder Pridi Banomyong, University of Moral Science and Politics , reflecting the political fervor of the time...
— Nihon Keidanren — Federation of Thai IndustriesFederation of Thai IndustriesFormerly known as the Association of Thai Industries , the Federation of Thai Industries came into existence in November 13, 1967 and upgraded on December 29, 1987. It was a transformed body of ATI, which was created in 1967. FTI is a private sector organisation that brings together industrial... - Education and Technology in Pathum Thani province
Institute Websites
- SIIT official website
- SIIT International Office for all international affairs including training, student exchange (in-bound/out-bound), visiting faculty, and scholarships
- Research Groups
- Ergonomics and Safety Solutions Group
- Knowledge Information & Data Management Laboratory
- A New Software for 5-Axis Machining, Optimization, Simulation, and Verification Project
- Mobile Soccer Robot Group (RoboCup)
- Image and Vision Computing Laboratory
- Construction and Maintenance Technology Research Center
- Transportation Research Center
In the News
- 10th Anniversary Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology
- Back to the drawing board (Bangkok Post, 1999) – about engineering/technology education/research in Thailand
- Engineering & Technology Education in Thailand (TransWorldEducation.com)
- SIIT สถาบันการศึกษาของเด็กไทยหัวใจอินเตอร์ (in ThaiThai languageThai , also known as Central Thai and Siamese, is the national and official language of Thailand and the native language of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group. Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai–Kadai language family. Historical linguists have been unable to definitively...
) (Manager Online, 16 Feb 2005) - Sandhya Babel answers a few questions about this month's fast breaking paper in field of Engineering. (ISI Essential Science Indicators, December 2004)
Others
- SIIT Network — Online community