The world of Mahidol University International College (MUIC) today is one of state-of-the-art facilities and boundless opportunities. Yet, long before it became the sprawling, high-tech campus we know, it was a nascent program established 40 years ago called the International Students Degree Program (ISDP)—an intimate world built on simplicity, connection, and a pioneering spirit. For those who walked its halls, the memories are less about the buildings and more about the bonds forged within them.
“My memories of ISDP reflect a simple yet deeply meaningful student life,” recalls Prof. Dr. Pattanaporn “Aey” Chatjuthamard, who graduated in 1995 with a degree in Business Administration and who is now a Finance Professor at Sasin School of Management. She paints a picture of a time when the college had just one main building and Salaya felt a world away from Bangkok. “That sense of distance naturally drew us closer together. We spent most of our days learning, eating, and growing side by side.” This sentiment is vividly illustrated by her memory of sharing boxed lunches with friends behind the academic building, a daily ritual of “simple meals and unhurried conversations.”
For Clinical Psychologist Dr. Suniti “Honey” Kukreja Barua, who enrolled in ISDP and graduated with a degree in Business Administration four years later in 2000 after ISDP was elevated to MUIC, the physical evolution of the campus marked her student journey. “When I first stepped onto (the ISDP) campus… we were a tight-knit community,” she reminisces. “Our ‘canteen’ was a small shack tucked away at the side of the building.” The moment the new, modern building (now called MUIC Building 1) opened was transformative. “I can still vividly recall the scent of fresh paint and the collective excitement… It felt like we had finally ‘arrived.’”
The ISDP Experience: A Community Forged in Intimacy
The early days of ISDP were defined by a scale that fostered deep-seated camaraderie. With only a few hundred students, the program felt less like an institution and more like a family. “Being an ISDP student meant belonging to a diverse, close-knit family where help was always just a conversation away,” says Dr. Thadthong “Ja-ay” Bhrammanee, co-founder of Thonghathai Farmer Academy and Lecturer in the Faculty of Information Technology, Phetchaburi Rajabhat University, who also graduated with a degree in Business Administration in 1995.
This intimacy was a product of its environment. For Marketing alumna Ms. Sirintra “Jeab” Jittrawong who graduated in 1998 and is now CEO of Microfiber Industries, she describes the campus as a “startup-like environment where students and faculty were building the college’s culture from the ground up.” It was a place where students from different majors took general education courses together, allowing them to “network and get to know all the people within the same year easily.” The memories are simple, yet powerful: queuing for the public phone in the adjacent Faculty of Engineering building, as Carsome’s Managing Director Mr. Voravudh Varikarn (International Business and Marketing, Class of 2000) recalls, or gathering on stone benches near kangaroo-shaped trash bins after class before heading out together for lunch either in the university cafeteria or in an eatery outside the campus, according to Dr. Thadthong.
The Glow-Up: Transitioning to MUIC
The shift from ISDP to MUIC was, as Dr. Suniti puts it, a "total 'glow-up' for the program." The student body expanded, a uniform policy fostered a new sense of identity, and technology began to reshape academic life. Suddenly, the campus was buzzing with new energy. “We have more students. More teachers,” Mr. Voravudh notes. “Definitely better ambience and air con system.”
This growth brought a wave of modernization that astonished those who had known the simpler ISDP days. Ms. Sirintra, upon returning to campus recently, was struck by the "high-tech media communications studios, green screen production suites, drawing studios and acting rooms"—a world away from the basic classroom settings of the past. The curriculum blossomed from a handful of majors to seventeen, together with seven concentrations, and 23 minors—a testament to the college’s ambitious trajectory.
The Graduate's Edge: Adaptable Pioneers with a Global Mindset
What is it that sets these early graduates apart? Across the board, they point to a unique blend of adaptability, confidence, and cross-cultural competence. “ISDP graduates developed strong adaptability, confidence in using English, and an open international mindset,” Prof. Pattanaporn explains.
This was cultivated by a rigorous academic culture that demanded critical engagement. Ms. Sirintra credits this environment with instilling a “‘pioneer’s mindset,” giving both ISDP and MUIC alumni the resilience to “navigate uncertain markets and take on leadership roles in emerging industries.” Dr. Thadthong adds that the curriculum imbued her with a “habit of systematic thinking,” a quality that earned her trust and respect throughout her diverse career. For Mr. Voravudh, it was the ability to apply a scientific framework to business challenges. But perhaps Dr. Suniti sums it up best: “MUIC trained us to be comfortable in diverse, international spaces—to think critically, communicate confidently, and move between roles and cultures with ease.”
A Legacy of Excellence
From a single building and a handful of majors, from its first batch of 45 students in 1986 who studied under two full-time professors, ISDP developed into MUIC and has since evolved into a global powerhouse in international education over the past 40 years. Indeed, its impressive development is not just measured in infrastructure, but in the caliber of graduates it has produced for decades.
“My advice for today’s students is to truly lean Take your time to collaborate, debate, and build friendships. The technology and the buildings will always keep changing, but the connections you make here and the integrated culture you help create are what will actually stay with you. |  |
“Join student clubs in order to build |  |
“Make the most of your time at MUIC—academically and personally. Stay curious, |  |
“ISDP and MUIC share a long, distinguished |  |
“Always do the right thing and avoid short cuts.” |  |
