KU LEUVEN AND THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY SIGN A DUAL DEGREE AGREEMENT

FACULTY NEWS

On Thursday 11 January 2018, Prof. Luc Sels, Rector of KU Leuven and Prof. Gasinee Witoonchart, Rector of Thammasat University signed in Bangkok an agreement on a dual degree in Engineering Technology. The ceremony was attended by H.E. Philippe Kridelka, Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium in Thailand and many dignitaries and representatives of both universities.

150 years of diplomatic relations between Belgium and Thailand

Founded in 1935, Thammasat University (TU) is one of the oldest institutes of higher education in Thailand. Since its founding, TU has evolved from an open university for law and politics to an international comprehensive university offering more than 240 academic programmes in 23 colleges at 4 campuses. Today, TU has more than 36,000 students in the bachelor's, master's and PhD programmes and 7200 faculty members and supporting staff.

Prof. Thira Jearsiripongkul, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Thammasat University; Prof. Gasinee Witoonchart, Rector of Thammasat University; Prof. Luc Sels, Rector of KU Leuven; Prof. Bert Lauwers, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Technology KU Leuven; baron Frans van Daele, Minister of State and H.E. Philippe Kridelka, Ambassador of Belgium in Thailand.

Milestone

The official signing ceremony of the Dual Degree Agreement was opened by Prof. Bert Lauwers, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Technology of KU Leuven. He called the ceremony a milestone in a period of 15 years of collaboration and friendship. "During this period, our Faculty and Group T Leuven Campus in particular welcomed dozens of exchange students from Thammasat University in our International Engineering and Postgraduate Programmes. At our campus in Leuven, they gained not only expertise in science, technology and engineering, but they also learnt and experienced how to be creative in their thinking and endeavours. They developed distinct entrepreneurial skills and -last but not least- they discovered a new continent and a different culture".

Quality label

Research-based curricula, practice-based courses, teamwork in interdisciplinary projects and collaboration with regional and international high-tech companies and organisations. Prof. Lauwers called them the trump cards of the education and the research at the Faculty of Engineering Technology. These trump cards will also be played in the Dual Degree Programmes.

Prof. Lauwers is convinced that this Dual Degree will be considered a quality label by the students, the professors, the researchers and by the industry. Moreover, it will encourage and reinforce the collaboration between both universities.

Prof. Bert Lauwers, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Technology

Gateway

“The Faculty of Engineering Technology has familiarized itself with international co-operation and exchange of both students and staff”, Prof. Lauwers concluded. “Students of Thammasat quickly find them selves at home at our campus in Leuven, which is the home of a truly international community of out - standing engineering students.”

“More than 20% of our students in Leuven are international students representing 60 different nationalities from all continents. Our campus is a gateway to Europe and to the world”.

Yves Persoons