The BIR programme

BIR (the Bachelor of Political Science in Politics and International Relations) is the English-medium international programme run by the Faculty of Political Science at Thammasat University.

"Be part of the international standard, be part of BIR."

What it's like to be a BIR student#

You learn from BIR's professors and from guest lecturers across many fields and professions, who bring real-world experience into the classroom. Extracurricular opportunities include a study trip abroad and an internship abroad.

Founding and standing#

BIR was founded in 2009, making it the first English-language political science programme in Thailand. The programme is based at Thammasat's Tha Prachan campus in Bangkok.

Degree structure#

The programme requires approximately 126 credits to graduate. The academic year runs on a bi-semester calendar: first semester (August to December), second semester (January to May), and an optional summer session (June to July) for students who choose to take it.

Exchange and double-degree partners#

BIR has exchange and double-degree partnerships with universities including:

• Meiji University (Japan)
• Aberystwyth University (United Kingdom)
• University of Bristol (United Kingdom)

These partnerships give students the option to spend part of their studies abroad, depending on the terms of each arrangement.

Field trip and BISC#

Third-year students take part in an annual field trip as part of the programme. BIR also hosts the Bangkok International Student Conference (BISC), bringing together students for discussion and exchange on politics and international relations topics.

Internships#

Third-year students complete an 8-week summer internship (June to July), credited as PI574 Internship in Politics and International Relations and graded satisfactory or unsatisfactory. You find the host organisation yourself; the programme office issues the request and acceptance letters once you submit the Internship Request Form.

Deadlines, the internship calendar, the forms, and the marking criteria are in the student handbook: Internship. The programme office publishes the current cycle at birpolsci.com/birinternship (opens in a new tab).

Programme office contact#

For official academic matters, enrolment questions, or anything requiring the programme office directly, contact:

• Email: bir@tu.ac.th
• Phone: 02-221-6111 ext. 3409
• Address: BIR, Faculty of Political Science, Thammasat University, 2 Prachan Road, Bangkok 10200
• Website: www.birpolsci.com (opens in a new tab)

BIRSA is a separate, student-run association. See What is BIRSA? for how the two relate. For BIRSA's own contact details (not the programme office), see Contact BIRSA.