The Chulalongkorn University (informally known as Chula) is listed amongst the best universities in Thailand as well as in the Southeast Asia Region. Founded in 1917, Chula is considered as the country’s oldest university.
King Vajiravudh, or Rama VI, established the university and even named it after his father: King Chulalongkorn, or Rama V. During the late 19th century, the country experienced bureaucratic reforms, especially during the realm of Rama V.
In 1899, the Civil Service Training School was established and graduates from this school became royal pages. These alumni learned how to administer organizations by working closely with Rama V, a traditional way to Siamese bureaucracy. After training, they could work for the Mahattai Ministry or other government agencies.
In April 1902, the Royal Pages School became the official name of the school until it was renamed as the Civil Service College of King Chulalongkorn in 1911. During this time, the college had 5 schools, including the Schools of International Relations in the Royal Palace, Teacher Training at Baan somdet Chao Phraya, Royal Medical College at Siriraj Hospital, Legal studies, and the School of Mechanical Sciences at the Windsor Palace.
On March 26, 1917, King Rama VI felt that education shouldn't be limited to the bureaucrats only, thereby deciding to change the college into a public university and renaming it as the Chulalongkorn University. The Rockefeller Foundation was also instrumental in building the institution by reorganizing its Faculty of Medicine’s curriculum. And in 1923, the faculty was the first to accept female students. Today, Chula has around 20 Faculties and Schools, including the Faculties of Allied Health Sciences, Architecture, Arts, Dentistry, Economics, Engineering, Law, Medicine, Political Science, Science, Nursing as well as the Faculty of Sport Sciences.
The Chulalongkorn University has also experienced significant development in the field of technology and robotics. The Control Automation and Robotics Lab within the Faculty of Engineering’s Regional Center of Robotics Technology is engaged in several important projects, including the development of a rocker-bogie field mobile robot, frame walking robot, six-legged walking robot, as well as a mobile robot that uses omni-directional wheels.
