The ASEAN Economic Community 2015: a case study of challenges in Thai higher education

This paper presents an overview of Thailand’s higher education system with regard to the challenges and opportunities presented by the forthcoming AEC 2015. The research is based on three main perspectives; policy, management and practice. A case study analysis of one faculty’s preparedness for the AEC 2015. The paper concludes by showing that Thailand is partially prepared for the AEC 2015, but suggests mobility presented by the free flow of students, staff and finance throughout the ASEAN region is a significant force for educational change and requires an alignment of policy, management and practice.