Overview | Academics | Cost | Location | Life Abroad | Student Voices
Offered through the Council on International Education Exchange (CIEE), students participating in this to Khon Kaen, Thailand choose one of two tracks; Community Public Health or Development and Globalization.
The Community Public Health program in Thailand provides an attractive option for students interested in studying community health issues and public health policy in an Asian context?in English?coupled with learning Thai as a second language. Thailand, a country known for its innovative public health system, provides a near perfect environment for students interested in an intensive and integrated immersion experience to examine issues of public health and social services on both a regional and national level through academic lectures from public health faculty coupled with site visits to communities, NGOs, and Ministry of Public Health projects.
The Development and Globalization program helps students to understand the complexities concerning development and globalization issues, and the role they play as global citizens. They will learn about development and globalization from both an academic and a grassroots community level and its overall effects on a developing nation. This is a great program for students hoping to work in some capacity that will benefit society and the environment.
Located in the center of the Northeast province of Isaan, Khon Kaen is Thailand?s fourth largest city with a population of over 300,000. About 300 miles north of Bangkok, it is the educational and government center of the Northeast, as well as the headquarters for many development organizations working in the region. Compared to other parts of Thailand, the Northeast has retained many traditional Thai customs, as well as Lao and Khmer influences.
Khon Kaen University (KKU), the major educational institution in the Northeast, is located four kilometers north of the city on 2,500 acres of partially wooded land. Founded in 1964, KKU has 17 faculties that offer Bachelor?s, Master?s, and professional degrees in such fields as law, health and medicine, social sciences, humanities, education, agriculture, business, engineering, and the physical sciences. Approximately 24,000 undergraduate students and 9,700 postgraduates study at KKU. There are approximately 1,500 full-time faculty members and 4,000 part-time faculty and staff.
Getting to Your Program
Students are responsible for arranging their own transportation to Bangkok but are given guidelines for arrival dates. Students then travel to their orientation site together.
Visa
A student visa is required. U.S. citizens must have a U.S. passport valid for at least six months beyond the end of the program. CIEE will provide you with visa information.
Orientation
IAP expects you to be an active participant in preparing yourself for your study abroad experience. As a participant on an IAP program, you will receive a pre-departure orientation, either in-person or online. The type and format of this orientation will vary by program and will be provided to you upon acceptance to the program.
The orientation in Thailand introduces students to the country, the culture, and the academic program, as well as provides practical information about living in Khon Kaen. Students are given a series of background lectures on Thai history, society, and culture. Students then begin classes. Students in the Development and Globalization program participate in a 5 day home stay.
Housing
Students live in off-campus housing with a Thai roommate. Students may also participate in short-term home stays throughout the program.
Excursions and Activities
Students in the Public Health program visit local cultural and natural sites of interest, and participate in frequent field trips to public health-related programs. These may include HIV/AIDS hospice or hospital wards, the Ministry of Public Health in Bangkok, the leper treatment and living facility in Khon Kaen, alternative health centers, and herbal medication production facilities. The program may also take participants to visit various public health projects in Laos, Cambodia, or Vietnam. A study visit to one of these countries typically involves an examination of health facilities in the capital or other major urban area, and at a more rural site. Details are provided in the on-site program guide as new projects are discovered.
Students on the Development and Globalization program will experience authentic exchange with villagers, NGOs, and others who are working for social change at the grassroots level. Students can expect to spend much of their time traveling and staying in communities. Students have the opportunity to meet and interact with members of the U.S. student-based group ENGAGE (Educational Network for Global and Grassroots Exchange).
Insurance
You will be enrolled in the UW System required health insurance through Cultural Insurance Services International (CISI) and the cost of the insurance coverage is included in program fees.
You will also be enrolled in a health and accident insurance program through CIEE.
Returned Student Network
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The CIEE study center is based at Khon Kaen University. The Community Public Health program combines traditional classroom instruction with extensive field study involving government, private and public health agencies, as well as visits to local communities. Students are required to take Public Health Management of Thailand, Community Public Health, Public Health Field Practicum, and one Thai language course at the appropriate level.
The Development and Globalization program places a great deal of emphasis on group process, consensus decision making, and forming an effective and responsible community. Students are required to take The Human Perspective on Development and the Environment, Directed Research Field Study/Practicum, Social Research Methods, and one Thai language course at their level.
Affiliate Institution(s)
Community Public Health Track
Development and Globalization Track
Foreign Courses
Available Courses
Available Courses
Course Equivalents
Use the links below to see a list of courses that students have taken on this program before and the UW equivalents. Note: this list only includes pre-approved courses for your program and may not be an exhaustive list of courses or departments. You will get instructions on the course equivalent process after acceptance.
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