General Information

Students will enroll in three semesters (18 months) of intense study of concepts in social theory, philosophy, and world religions as a foundation for fieldwork or research exploring conflicts, world trouble spots, and methodologies for working to transform conflict into peace. The academic year is two semesters and runs from September through May. The language of instruction is English. The dissertation may be written in either English or Thai.

Minimun Qualifications for application

  1. Master’s Degree
  2. 3 years of work experience
  3. 550 TOEFL score (or equivalent) and English certificate. This is normally waived for students who have written their Master’s Thesis in English.

Method of selection

Selection will be based on:

  1. completed application form
  2. all official post-secondary transcripts
  3. statement of purpose (750-1,000 words)
  4. list of writings/publications (if any)
  5. letters of recommendation (two from former college/university instructors, and one from work colleague/supervisor)
  6. personal/telephone interview

Tuition

The total tuition package for the 4-year Ph.D. Program (8 regular semesters) is 768,100 baht (approximately 25,000 USD). Thai students are discounted 160,000 baht.

Curriculum

YEAR 1
SEMESTER 1
PB 804 Foundation of Peace Studies
PB 821 Religion and Peacebuilding
PB 839 Human Rights and Peacebuilding

SEMESTER 2
PB 811 Cultural Dimensions of Peacebuilding
PB 812 Peacebuilding as a Philosophical Enterprise
PB 837 Seminar on Contemporary Issues in Peacebuilding
YEAR 2
SEMESTER 1
PB 834 Research Methodology in Peacebuilding
PB 838 Selected Readings in Peace Studies


SEMESTER 2
PB 852 Individual Research
(Students will have  a qualifying examination at the end of this semester)
YEAR 3
SEMESTER 1
Develop dissertation topic
Present detailed dissertation proposal for approval
Begin writing dissertation

SEMESTER 2
PB 992
Dissertation (Begin writing dissertation)
YEAR 4
PB 992
Dissertation (Write, Submit, and Defend)

Grading & Examination

To be qualified for the qualifying exam, the student must earn at least a 3.25 GPA.
The Qualifying Examination include three components: (i) a general written comprehensive examination which cover major theoretical areas of peace studies; (ii) a preliminary paper on the student’s tentative research topic, and (iii) an oral examination.