Thai Language Programs

University of Hawaii Manoa

• Founded in 1907, the University of Hawaii Manoa is a public institution in Honolulu. Home to more than 20,400 undergraduate and graduate students, the school received the 159th-place ranking among all universities in the United States in the "Best Colleges 2011" rankings published by U.S. News & World Report. The college offers both a baccalaureate degree in Thai for students who wish to major in the language and a certificate in Thai for undergraduates whose major is in a different field. Courses required for the degree include reading and writing Thai script, speaking Thai language, Thai short stories and novels, Thai media and Thai language structure. Students in both programs have the opportunity to spent a semester or one year studying Thai language at one of five universities in Thailand. Approximately 55 percent of freshmen and 46 percent of continuing students at the University of Hawaii Manoa receive some form of financial aid, according to the "2009 Barron's Profiles of American Colleges."

  University of Hawaii Manoa

  2500 Campus Road

  Honolulu, HI 96822

  808-956-8975

  hawaii.edu

Northern Illinois University

• With a combined enrollment of more than 24,000 undergraduate and graduate students, Northern Illinois University is a public institution in DeKalb, approximately 65 miles west of Chicago. The university's Center for Southeast Asian Studies offers language courses in Thai. Undergraduate students who wish to major in the language can do so by developing a baccalaureate major in liberal arts with the help of a faculty adviser. The Center also allows master's and doctoral students to specialize in Thai. A small number of courses related to Thai culture and literature are offered online. Study abroad in Thailand is available for students in the undergraduate and graduate programs. Around 50 percent of freshmen and 74 percent of continuing students benefit from financial aid, reports the 2009 Barron's Profiles of American Colleges.

  Northern Illinois University

  P.O. Box 3001

  DeKalb, IL 60115

  815-753-0446

  niu.edu

Calvin College

• The Christian Reformed Church founded Calvin College in 1876 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and since that time, the school has grown to an enrollment of more than 4,000 students. The college received the 101st-place ranking among all liberal arts colleges in the United States in the Best Colleges 2011 rankings from U.S. News & World Report. The college does not offer a degree in the Thai language, but does offer a study abroad language immersion and ecology program. To participate, students spend one semester in Chang Mai, Thailand, living with a Thai family. Students in any major may participate in the program, and those majoring in international development can apply their institutional financial aid from Calvin College to the cost of the program. Approximately 96 percent of freshmen and 89 percent of continuing students at Calvin College are financial aid recipients, explains the 2009 Barron's Profiles of American Colleges.

  Calvin College

  3201 Burton St. Southeast

  Grand Rapids, MI 49546

  616-526-6106

  calvin.edu