Khon Kaen, the most important economic hub of Thailand’s Northeast, is now ranked the most affordable destination in Asia-Pacific. On top of that, it is where the well-known Khon Kaen University is located. Today, this university has attracted students – including foreigners – from the whole region as its international programs respond well to the world’s future needs.

Asst. Prof. Donruetai Kovathanakul, deputy dean for academic affairs and the chair of the Business Administration Program in Tourism Innovation Management, says, “The Faculty of Business Administration and Accountancy of the Khon Kaen University is committed to producing and developing new-generation business administrators, accountants, and entrepreneurs for the international labor market while upgrading our excellence for social and national benefits in line with our vision to be a “Leading World-Class Institute of Business Administration and Accountancy”. Currently, the Khon Kaen University is ranked 5th out of 21 Thai educational institutions that have taught business administration, management science, and accountancy as per SCImago Institutions Rankings (SIR).

“The university’s Faculty of Business Administration and Accountancy has taught in both Thai and English languages. Available are Available are the Bachelor of Accountancy, International Program, the Tourism Innovation Management Program (English section) and the Hospitality and Event Management Program (Thai and English section). Our international program is completely conducted in English. Lecturers in the program are either overseas educated or foreign. The contents of the programs are up to date. We also offer grants for international students. 

“The Tourism Innovation Management Program (English section) has combined arts with management science, offering students opportunities to hone their thinking, analytical and creative thinking. There are several specialized fields in the program namely tour agency, tour guide, airlines, MICE / event / festival organizers, health tourism and cultural tourism. Our students attend both theoretical and practical sessions. We have even established KKU Travel as a dummy company for our students to explore and plan new tour routes. Moreover, our students receive opportunities to join the Isan MICE Student Chapter and get certificates in MICE / event / festival organizing as we seek to give them real-life work experience. On top of this, we have signed cooperation agreements with prominent external organizations so that our students can receive internships at those organizations. In addition, we have offered a dual-degree program in collaboration with Mexico’s University of Colima and various short-term exchange programs through our partnerships with several other varsities around the world”. 

Dr. Pinprapa Sangchan, chair of the Bachelor of Accountancy, International Program, Program, says, “We are ready to produce experienced accountants who have received training from companies in the relevant industry and acquired strategic thinking skills. Our program is the first international accountancy program in Thailand to feature three years of coursework and one year of internship. We have designed our program this way to give another alternative to our target groups namely students in Thailand’s Northeast or from other parts of ASEAN or Mekong Basin region. As we have sought to boost our graduates’ chance of getting a job relevant to their field of study, we have included the one-year internship in our program. Our concept is about letting them “Learn from real world business experts”, which promises to equip our graduates with the applied knowledge of accounting and greater ability to adjust themselves to corporate culture and various situations. At present, we have been an educational partner of many nationally and internationally recognized firms. Among them are the Big 4 auditing firms namely PwC, KPMG, Deloitte, and EY. Mitr Phol Group has also been our partner. 

“Furthermore, we have had academic cooperation with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), which is a world-class accountancy organization in the United Kingdom, as well as with New Zealand’s University of Waikato to ensure the graduates of Bachelor of Accountancy, International Program, have the qualifications and meet the standards expected by employers worldwide”. 

Assoc. Prof. Supawat Meeprom, chair of the Business Administration Program in Hospitality and Event Management, says, “We have developed our program in response to the labor market’s needs and in pursuit of international standards. Our program’s strengths lie with its five specialized fields. Hospitality field covers hotel business, cruise-line business, and restaurant business. Two other fields are Foods & Beverages field and Event field. Data Analytics field, meanwhile, teaches students how to analyze figures related to hospitality & event businesses for consumer insights. Meaningful information will lead to proper studies and sustainable business development. Aside, we have Special Interest field, which answer the diverse interests of students. They, for example, may be interested in working for airliners, cruise lines, or a health business. We will prepare relevant special-interest subjects for them. Moreover, we have collaborated with Switzerland’s International Management Institute for a dual-degree program. Our students therefore may choose to study there as a part of the program if they would like to receive degrees from both the institute and our university. 

“Also, our program has established Event station as a dummy company to engage students in the provision of event services. Foods & beverages services, meanwhile, are provided by our students at KKBS Café. We have created these facilities to empower our students based on our “Learning by Doing” and “Creating Your Bright Future” concepts. We always actively encourage our students to do as much self-discovery as possible so that they can work well in any organization or securely run their own business in the future. Many leading firms such as IMPACT Arena, Muang Thong Thani, and Intercontinental Hotel Group are our program’s partners”. 

If you are interested in furthering your education at the Faculty of Business Administration and Accountancy, please visit https://admissions.kku.ac.th/ or call 0 4320 2401, 0 4320 2342, 0 4320 2344.

About Khon Kaen University

Khon Kaen University (KKU) was established as the major university in the northeastern part of Thailand in 1964 and has since devoted itself to becoming one of the top universities in Thailand. The university’s major mission is to prepare future global citizens to work in a continually changing world. KKU’s strategic goal is to be recognized both internationally and regionally as a leading university in research. KKU currently has more than 40,000 students studying in 19 faculties, 3 colleges 1 school, and 2 campuses.

This press release has also been published on VRITIMES