Program Mission, Vision and Goal
Mission: The Mission of the TESOL doctoral program at Udon Thani Rajabhat University (UDRU) is to meet the local and national demands for specialists in teaching English to speakers of other languages and to prepare graduates for leadership roles in educating and empowering English language learners in the Thai society.
Vision: The TESOL doctoral program of UDRU will become locally and nationally recognized and respected as the premier doctoral program for educating practitioner-scholars in the TESOL field with a focus on methodology, applied research, teacher training, program design and implementation, socio-cultural factors of second language acquisition, and technology-enhanced language teaching. The program will develop a community of learners through collaboration with other researchers, practitioners, and universities in Pacific Rim countries.
Program Outcomes
All doctoral programs of UDRU are aimed at preparing educational practitioners to be effective and creative educational leaders in their respective fields, providing them with a strong repertoire of knowledge and skills and professional dispositions. The PhD program in TESOL prepares potential students to:
- Acquire a strong theoretical knowledge base in TESOL, and applied linguistics research.
- Acquire the ability to apply TESOL theory and research to TESOL methodology.
- Acquire the ability to read, and evaluate professional TESOL-related literature.
- Acquire the ability to conduct and evaluate original field research and present the findings.
- Acquire a deep understanding of the role and the impact of social and cultural factors in learning and teaching English.
- Acquire a strong knowledge base in TESOL program design, development, and evaluation.
- Acquire the ability to integrate technology into TESOL teaching and learning.
- Acquire knowledge and skills to design, implement, and evaluate teacher training programs for EFL/EFL instructors.
Specialised Admission Requirements
Apart from a good command of English, all applicants to the PhD program in TESOL are expected to have a strong background in TESOL methodology with a master’s degree in TESOL or Education, or a related field. Additionally, all applicants are expected to have a minimum of three years prior EFL/ESL teaching experience.
Applicants must also satisfy the following requirements:
GPA: Students must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 in their Master’s degree.
Interview with TESOL Admissions Committee: Upon receipt and review of all documentation, the applicants will be considered for final admission made by the program chair and TESOL Admissions Committee.
Recommendations: Each applicant must provide two written confidential recommendations from persons who can attest to the applicant’s academic and professional abilities and proven accomplishments in education.
Goal Statement Essay: Applicants must submit an academic and professional autobiographical essay and goal statement essay.
Written Test: All TESOL applicants will be required to take the TESOL written test. Based upon the evaluation of student’s written test, an additional prerequisite Graduate Academic Communications Skills course may be required.
Curriculum and Degree Requirements
A minimum of 48 credits are required for the research-oriented doctoral degree (Type 1:1.) and 54 credits for the doctoral degree with coursework and dissertation. These credits reflect a semester term system.
Once admitted to the TESOL programs, applicants must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 or higher in all coursework. Students failing to maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 at the end of any term will be placed on academic warning and must correct the deficiency by the following semester or be subject to academic dismissal from the program.
A maximum of two courses with a grade of C may be counted towards the degree. Courses with D or F grades must be repeated to obtain credit. All grades are final once submitted to the Office of the Registrar. Incomplete grades are only issue in cases of documented illnesses and deaths in the family. Each Student is assigned a faculty mentor to assist with their professional and academic development. The TESOL Academic Advisor and faculty mentors assist students with their Master Plan of Study (MPS) and the Academic Advisor registers students in appropriate courses (per their MPS) each semester.
Curriculum Plan
Study Plan (Ph.D. in TESOL)
Plan 1: Type 1.1
Year 1 Semester 1 Advanced Listening & Speaking Skills for
PhD Students in TESOL 3(2-2-5)
Year 1 Semester 2 Advanced Reading & Writing Skills for PhD
Students in TESOL 3(2-2-5)
Year 2 Semester 1 Doctoral Dissertation 1 -12(540)
Year 2 Semester 2 Doctoral Dissertation 2 -12(540)
Year 3 Semester 1 Doctoral Dissertation 3 -12(540)
Year 3 Semester 2 Doctoral Dissertation 4 -12(540)
Plan 2: Type 2.1
Year 1 Semester 1
Quantitative Research Method in TESOL 3(2-2-5)
Applied Linguistics and Academic English for English Language Teachers 3(2-2-5)
Advanced Listening & Speaking Skills for PhD Students in TESOL 3(2-2-5)
Year 1 Semester 2
Qualitative Research Method in TESOL 3(2-2-5)
Seminar in Current English Language Teaching and Assessment 3(2-2-5)
Advanced Reading & Writing Skills for PhD Students in TESOL 3(2-2-5)
Year 1 Summer
Technology-Enhanced Language Learning 3(2-2-5)
Year 2 Semester 1
Elective Course 3(2-2-5)
Year 2 Semester 2
Doctoral Dissertation 1 (12 credits)
Year 3 Semester 1
Doctoral Dissertation 2 (12 credits)
Year 3 Semester 2
Doctoral Dissertation 3 (12 credits)
TESOL Program Core Faculty
Prayong Klanrit, EdD, Associate Professor and Program Director
Napasup Lerdpreedakorn, EdD, Associate Professor
Rapeeporn Sroinam, PhD (TESOL), Assistant Professor
Channarong Intaraprasert, PhD (TESOL), Associate Professor
Worrawoot…….., PhD Assistant Professor