A Message from the Director

 

In today's global economy, one of the biggest challenges facing Thailand's competitiveness is human resources and development. The domestic chemical, petrochemical, and refinery industries are no exceptions, and also face a shortage of quality chemical engineers who possess strong problem-solving skills and a good command of English. The mission of the Chemical Engineering Practice School at KMUTT is to train and produce top chemical engineers to fill the gap in these vital industrial sectors. The key to our success is a combination of the dedication of our faculty and staff, the support of our industrial partners, and the well-rounded curriculum that stresses hands-on learning. The old adage: "practice makes perfect" is true and particuarly apt in ChEPS. Our students learn more and learn quicker by practicing what they have been taught, be it solving real industrial problems or giving numerous oral presentations.

 

As we approach the 10th anniversary of ChEPS, I am pleased that our program is stronger than ever. Despite tough competitions from other curricula as well as a tight job market, there is no discernible drop in the number of applications we have received in the last few years. We continue to see a strong interest in our program each year. Our alumni base, now 148-people strong and soon to increase to 166, is our best alliance, as they make a significant impact on Thailand's chemical/petrochemical industries and continue to spread the good words about ChEPS. Needless to say, our industrial partners have also been instrumental in promoting our program. Moreover, we owe much of what we are today to the visions of ChEPS' founders, Dr. Harit Sutabutr, Vice Chairman of KMUTT Council and former President, and Dr. Sakarindr Bhumiratana, former Vice President of KMUTT, and the legacy they left behind.

 

There is, of course, room for improvements, and I personally look forward to hearing more ideas and implementing more initiatives to make ChEPS a better academic program. Finally, I thank our alumni, students, and sponsors for their continued support.

 

Dr. Hong-ming Ku

 

December 18, 2005

 

 

P.S. As of March 2016, we have graduated 365 students who now serve the chemical, petrochemical, and refinery industries.  We will have graduated an additional 18 students in May 2016.  Furthermore, a new batch of 27 students will soon join ChEPS as Class-20, and we are very pleased with the caliber of the admitted students. This year's recruitment is another resounding success amid very fierce competitions for top students.

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P.P.S. As of December 2020, ChEPS has graduated 435 students from the program. In addition, we've added a new academic track called AR-ChEPS (Academic-Research ChEPS, which is further subdivided into AR and AR+) into the program since 2017. The students in this track focuses more on academic research, which requires a 12-credit thesis as opposed to the short 6-credit thesis for regular ChEPS students. AR-ChEPS allows more diverse incoming students as well as expanding the program's enrollment.

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