Degree-level students won’t have to face graduation deadline anymore
The Commission on Higher Education Standards has approved a motion to remove the graduation deadline for students at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels at educational institutes, which had previously stipulated that students at each level must graduate within a limited number of academic years or face being retired from the course, chairman Prof Dr Kittichai Wattananikorn said.
“The motion is in line with Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Minister Anek Laothamatas’ policy to promote life-long learning and adjust educational regulations to suit the modern world,” he pointed out.
“In the past, each institute used to set their own deadlines for graduation in accordance with their curriculum,” he added. “Bachelor’s-degree students usually needed to graduate within eight years or retire from the course, while master’s-degree students have usually had a deadline of five years and doctoral candidates six years,” he said.
“The removal of these deadlines will enable students to work and study simultaneously without worrying that they will be forced to quit,” Kittichai said.
“In fact, studying and working at the same time will help promote learners’ skills and experience in a real life working environment, which should benefit the students in the long run,” he added.