Circular 23/2021/TT-BGDDT promulgating the Regulation on enrollment and training at the master’s level

CIRCULAR

Promulgating the Regulation on enrollment and training at the master’s level^[1]

Pursuant to the June 14, 2019 Education Law;

Pursuant to the June 18, 2012 Law on Higher Education and the November 19, 2018 Law Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of the Law on Higher Education;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No. 99/2019/ND-CP of December 30, 2019, detailing, and guiding the implementation of, a number of articles of the Law Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of the Law on Higher Education;

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No. 69/2017/ND-CP of May 25, 2017, defining the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Ministry of Education and Training;

At the proposal of the Director of the Higher Education Department;

The Minister of Education and Training promulgates the Circular promulgating the Regulation on enrollment and training at the master’s level.

Article 1. To promulgate together with this Circular the Regulation on enrollment and training at the master’s level.

Article 2. This Circular takes effect on October 15, 2021, and applies to courses enrolled as of the effective date of this Circular. This Circular replaces the Minister of Education and Training’s Circular No. 15/2014/TT-BGDDT of May 15, 2014, promulgating the Regulation on training at the master’s level.   

Article 3. The Chief the Office, the Director of the Higher Education Department, and heads of related units under the Ministry of Education and Training; directors of general universities and academies; rectors of universities; rectors or directors of other education institutions licensed to provide training at the master’s level; and related organizations and individuals shall implement this Circular.-

For the Minister of Education and Training
Deputy Minister
HOANG MINH SON

REGULATION ON ENROLLMENT AND TRAINING AT THE MASTER’S LEVEL

(Promulgated together with the Minister of Education and Training’s Circular
No. 23/2021/TT-BGDDT of August 30, 2021)

Chapter I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of regulation and subjects of application

1. This Regulation provides the enrollment and organization and management of training at the master’s level and grant of master’s degrees.

2. This Regulation applies to higher education institutions and other education institutions licensed to provide master’s level training (below collectively referred to as training institutions); and related organizations and individuals.

3. This Regulation serves as a basis for training institutions to formulate and issue detailed provisions on enrollment and organization and management of training at the master’s level and grant of master’s degrees for application at their institutions (below referred to as Regulations of training institutions).

4. This Regulation does not apply to the enrollment and organization of training under master’s training programs with degrees granted by foreign education institutions (including also joint training programs with foreign partners in accordance with regulations on foreign cooperation and investment in the field of education).

Article 2. Training programs

1. Master’s training programs shall be formulated, appraised and issued by training institutions following the research- or application-oriented approach, meeting requirements set by the Vietnamese Qualifications Framework and regulations on training program standards of the Ministry of Education and Training.

2. Training programs shall be implemented for grant of master’s degrees under this Regulation; no other higher education diplomas will be granted. 

3. A training program shall be commonly applied to different forms and modes of training and different groups of learners.

4. A training program must specify:

a/ A list of compatible disciplines for leaners with a bachelor’s degree (or degrees of equivalent or higher levels);

b/ Acceptable foreign languages in entry requirements and outcome standards; for each learner, the entry requirements and outcome standards must refer to the same foreign language.

5. Training programs must have compulsory contents specified by the Ministry of Education and Training.

6. Training programs carried out in foreign languages must comply with regulations of the Prime Minister.

7. Changes and adjustments related to training programs must comply with current regulations and be publicized to students before being applied.

Article 3. Training forms and duration

1. The form of formal training shall apply to research-oriented and application-oriented programs. The form of in-service training shall apply to application-oriented programs. The duration of teaching activities for each form of training must comply with the Ministry of Education and Training’s Regulation on training at the bachelor’s level.

2. For each form of training, training institutions shall provide a standard whole-course study plan for each training program so as to set orientations for students. The training duration is provided as follows:

a/ The training duration according to the standard whole-course study plan must conform with the duration prescribed in the Framework Structure of the National Education System and, at the same time, ensure that most students complete training programs;

b/ For a training program in the form of in-service training, the training duration according to the standard whole-course study plan must be at least 20% longer than that of such training program in the form of formal training;

c/ The maximum duration for students to complete a training course shall be provided in the Regulations of training institutions but must not exceed twice the duration specified in the standard whole-course study plan for each form of training.

Article 4. Recognition of learning outcomes and transfer of credits

1. A learner who has completed another master’s training program or graduated from a specialized intensive training program specified in Article 14 of the Government’s Decree No. 99/2019/ND-CP of December 30, 2019, detailing, and guiding a number of articles of, the Law Amending and Supplementing a Number of Articles of the Law on Higher Education, may have credits cumulated under such program recognized and transferred. The number of credits to be recognized and transferred must not exceed 30.

2. Students who are attending bachelor’s (or equivalent or higher-level) training programs, have their academic performance, as measured by cumulative grade point average, ranked at good or higher level, and meet other conditions specified by training institutions may register to attend a number of modules of master’s training programs in advance at the same training institutions. The number of credits to be recognized must not exceed 15.

3. A learner will have the credits cumulated under a module considered for recognition and transfer under Clauses 1 and 2 of this Article if:

a/ Outcome standards, requirements on lecturers, study hours and other requirements applicable to such module of master’s training programs are fully met;

b/ The learner has attained a score reaching level C (or equivalent) or higher level for such module;

c/ The period from the time of completion of such module to the time of consideration for recognition and transfer of credits does not exceed 5 years.

4. Regulations of training institutions must specify:

a/ Conditions and criteria for evaluation and process of consideration for recognition of learning outcomes and transfer of credits;

b/ Conditions for and process of registration by students under Clause 2 of this Article;

c/ Validity period of learning outcomes serving the consideration for recognition and transfer of credits;

d/ Modules (or groups of modules) and the number of credits to be recognized and transferred for each group of learners and training program.

Chapter II

ENROLLMENT

Article 5. Subjects of and conditions for enrollment  

1. Requirements on candidates for enrollment:

a/ Having graduated or being qualified for recognition as bachelor’s graduates (or equivalent or higher level) in compatible disciplines; for research-oriented programs, candidates must have graduated with distinction or have published scientific articles relevant to the fields of study or research;

b/ Possessing foreign-language competency at level 3 or higher level of the Vietnam’s Six-Level Foreign-Language Proficiency Framework;

c/ Meeting other requirements set in the training program standards promulgated by the Ministry of Education and Training and requirements of the training programs.

2. Compatible disciplines specified in Clause 1 of this Article and other articles of this Regulation are training disciplines at the bachelor’s level (or equivalent or higher level) that provide learners with necessary professional foundation for further study at the master’s level in corresponding disciplines, which will be specified in the entrance requirements of master’s training programs. Training institutions shall specify cases in which candidates must complete complementary courses before registering for enrollment. For application-oriented master’s level training in administration and management disciplines, compatible disciplines at the bachelor’s level include disciplines directly related to professions and occupations in the fields of administration and management.

3. Candidates shall be considered meeting the requirement specified at Point b, Clause 1 of this Article if they possess one of the following diplomas and certificates:

a/ A bachelor’s or higher-level degree in foreign-language disciplines or a bachelor’s or higher-level degree under training programs carried out mostly in a foreign language;

b/ A bachelor’s or higher-level degree granted by the training institutions with which they register for enrollment to master’s training programs in the last 2 years under a training program for which the outcome standards for foreign-language requirement reach level 3 or higher level of the Vietnam’s Six-Level Foreign Language Proficiency Framework;

c/ One of diplomas or certificates of foreign-language competencies at a level equivalent to or higher than level 3 of Vietnam’s Six-Level Foreign Language Proficiency Framework specified in the Appendix to this Regulation or other equivalent certificates announced by the Ministry of Education and Training, which remains valid by the date of registration for enrollment.

4. Foreign candidates who register for enrollment to master’s training programs carried out in Vietnamese must attain level 4 or higher level of the Vietnamese Language Proficiency Framework for Foreigners or have graduated from a bachelor’s or (equivalent or higher level) training program which is carried out in Vietnamese; and meet requirements on the second foreign language according to regulations of training institutions (if any).

5. For a training program carried out in a foreign language, candidates must meet requirements on foreign-language competency. Specifically, they must possess one of the following diplomas and certificates:

a/ A bachelor’s or higher-level degree in the language to be used in teaching activities under the program; or a bachelor’s or higher-level degree granted under a training program carried out mostly in the language to be used in teaching activities under the program;

b/ One of the diplomas or certificates of competency in the language used in teaching activities under the program at a level equivalent to level 4 or higher level of Vietnam’s Foreign Language Proficiency Framework specified in the Appendix to this Regulation or other equivalent certificates announced by the Ministry of Education and Training, which remains valid by the date of registration for enrollment.

Article 6. Enrollment and recognition of student status

1. The enrollment shall be carried out once or several times in a year as decided by training institutions after they meet conditions for assurance of quality of master’s training programs under current regulations.

2. The mode of enrollment shall be decided by training institutions, which may be entrance examination, admission consideration or combined entrance examination and admission consideration; it is required to ensure transparent, fair, objective and truthful assessment of candidates’ knowledge and competencies. Training institutions may hold online entrance enrollment if meeting quality assurance conditions so that assessment results are reliable and fair as in case of in-person enrollment.

3. Announcement of enrollment shall be published on websites of training institutions for at least 45 days, counted up to the deadline for submission of dossiers of registration for enrollment, covering the following information:

a/ Subjects of, and conditions for, enrollment;

b/ Enrollment quotas for each training program and each form of training;

c/ A list of compatible disciplines for each training program and cases in which candidates are required to complete complementary courses;

d/ Dossier of registration for enrollment;

dd/ Enrollment plan and mode;

e/ Tuition fees, enrollment service charge rates and other service charges rates for each academic year and the whole course;

g/ Other necessary information.

4. Training institutions shall issue decisions on recognition of successful candidates who meet all entry requirements of training programs with sufficient proofs.

5. Regulations of training institutions must specify:

a/ Enrollment plans, announcement and modes;

b/ Process of organizing entrance examination, admission consideration and combined entrance examination and admission consideration, assessment of entry requirements on foreign-language competency and recognition of successful candidates;

c/ Priorities in enrollment;

d/ Document archives and confidentiality in organization of entrance examination and admission consideration;

dd/ Inspection, examination and internal monitoring in organization of entrance examination;

g/ Other regulations related to enrollment.

Chapter III

ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT OF TRAINING ACTIVITIES

Article 7. Organization of training activities and evaluation of learning outcomes

1. Places of organizing training activities are the headquarters or branches of training institutions; practice, probation, research and experience activities shall be organized outside training institutions but must not exceed 20% of the volume of the training programs. For disciplines in the health sector, the organization of training activities at practical training facilities must comply with the Government’s regulations, meet requirements of the training programs and be clearly stated in teaching plans.

2. Criteria, responsibilities and powers of lecturers teaching at the master’s level must comply with Articles 54, 55, 57, and 58 of the Law on Higher Education (revised in 2018); regulations on training program standards of the Ministry of Education and Training, and other relevant regulations.

3. The formulation of plans on, and organization of, teaching, and evaluation and processing of learning outcomes must comply with relevant provisions in the Regulation on training at the bachelor’s level issued by the Ministry of Education and Training and provisions in Clauses 4 thru 10 of this Article. For research-oriented programs, the organization of evaluation of theses must comply with Article 9 of this Regulation, and for application-oriented programs, the organization of evaluation of graduation modules must comply with Article 11 of this Regulation.

4. Study schedules must show the time, place and teaching and learning activities of each class of different courses, forms and programs of training. Module-based teaching and learning activities under a training program shall be evenly arranged within weeks of each semester. When necessary to concentratedly arrange teaching and learning activities within a certain period of time, the study duration for each module must not exceed 15 hours per week and 4 hours per day. 

5. Training institutions shall provide the process for registration for credit-based study by students for each training program before a semester begins and the maximum and minimum numbers of credits allowed to be registered by students in each semester, in which the maximum number of credits allowed to be registered in an academic year must not exceed 45, for formal training, or must not exceed 30, for in-service training.

6. Learning outcomes of a module under a training program will be considered satisfactory when the score reaches level C or higher level.

7. Training institutions may organize online classes under a training program with a study volume not exceeding 30% of the total volume of the training program if meeting current requirements on application of information technology in management and organization of online training; and ensure that the quality of online classes is not lower than that of in-person classes.  

8. The form of online assessment may be applied to a module when reliability, fairness and objectivity can be assured as in case of in-person assessment and, at same time, scores for online classes must not contribute more than 50% of the weighted average score of the module, except theses and graduation modules which must comply with Article 9 and 11 of this Regulation, respectively.

9. In case of natural disasters, epidemics and other force majeure circumstances, training institutions shall carry out online training and assessment for modules under guidance of the Ministry of Education and Training.

10. Regulations of training institutions shall specify:

a/ Organization of teaching and learning activities;

b/ Methods of assessment and scoring for each module; organization, implementation and evaluation of practice, probation and research activities;

c/ Criteria, responsibilities and powers of lecturers;

d/ Tasks and rights of students and relevant professional, managerial and supporting units under current regulations;

dd/ Collection of feedback of learners and other related provisions in organization of master’s training activities of training institutions.

Article 8. Thesis guidance   

1. Students following research-oriented programs shall implement a research topic equaling 12-15 credits of which outcomes shall be expressed in a thesis. Students shall carry out their theses for at least 6 months.

2. A thesis is a scientific report which sums up major research outcomes of the concerned student and must:

a/ Have theoretical and academic contributions or contributions in terms of technology development or innovation; and show the student’s research capacity;

b/ Be compatible with cultural and moral standards and fine customs and traditions of Vietnamese people;

c/ Comply with the training institution’s regulations on academic integrity and current provisions on intellectual property.

3. Every student will have one or two thesis supervisor(s), one of them must be a permanent lecturer of the training institution. A person may concurrently act as independent supervisor for at most 5 students (including also students implementing graduation modules under application-oriented programs); a person who concurrently acts as co-supervisor for 2 students shall be regarded as acting as independent supervisor for 1 student.

4. Criteria on thesis supervisors:

a/ Possessing a doctor’s degree in professions compatible to the training disciplines and topics of students’ theses;

b/ Possessing sufficient foreign-language competencies and information technology application skills serving international scientific research and exchanges;

c/ Having published scientific research outcomes related to topics of students’ theses in the last 5 years, counted up to the time of being assigned to act as thesis supervisors;

d/ Meeting other requirements according to standards on training programs of training disciplines and fields and regulations of training institutions.

5. Regulations of training institutions shall specify:

a/ Criteria, responsibilities and powers of supervisors;

b/ Assignment of thesis topics and supervisors; change of thesis topics and supervisors; thesis implementation duration;

c/ Requirements on the contents, structure, form of theses and assurance of academic integrity for theses.

Article 9. Thesis evaluation

1. The evaluation of a thesis shall be conducted in the form of thesis defense in front of a council. Thesis defense ceremonies shall be held publicly, except for theses whose topics fall into the fields subject to confidentiality requirements which must comply with regulations of the State.

2. A thesis evaluation council must meet the following requirements:

a/ To consist of at least 5 members, including a president, a secretary, 2 opponents and other members of whom at least 1 opponent must be an external member;

b/ Council members must satisfy the criteria similar to those applied to thesis supervisors specified in Clause 4, Article 8 of this Regulation; particularly the president must be a permanent lecturer or permanent researcher of the training institution;

c/ Supervisors may join the council in the capacity of council member but not give evaluation score; parents, spouses, children and siblings of the student may not join the council.

3. Conditions for a student to defend his/her thesis:

a/ Having completed all modules of the training program;

c/ Having submitted his/her thesis, having obtained his/her supervisor’s approval to defend his/her thesis;

c/ Having fulfilled other requirements specified by the training institution.

4. A thesis defense ceremony shall be held when it is attended by at least two-thirds of total members of the thesis evaluation council, including the president, the secretary and at least 1 opponent. The form of online thesis defense may be applied only when it is so agreed by all council members and the students concerned; all happenings in online thesis defense ceremonies shall be audio-visually recorded and such records shall be stored at the training institution.

5. The score of a thesis is the average of total scores given by the council members who attend the thesis evaluation ceremony, given on a 10-point scale. A thesis is classified as passed if the score is 5.5 points or higher.

6. In case his/her thesis does not meet requirements, a student may revise and supplement the thesis for the second evaluation within 3 months from the date of first-time evaluation by the thesis evaluation council; a thesis may not be evaluated for the third time.

7. After being successfully defended, the full text of the thesis (already revised and supplemented according to the council’s requirements, if any) shall be submitted and archived at the library of the training institution and posted on the website of the training institution for at least 30 days, except for theses whose topics fall into the fields subject to confidentiality requirements which must comply with regulations of the State.

8. Regulations of training institutions shall specify criteria on and process of thesis evaluation and other regulations concerning thesis evaluation.

Article 10. Thesis appraisal

1. Upon receiving reports, complaints or denunciations about a thesis or in other cases to meet management requirements, a training institution shall decide to conduct the appraisal of the thesis quality.

2. Composition and criteria applicable to members of thesis appraisal councils are similar to those specified for thesis evaluation councils; members of the council for evaluation of a particular thesis shall not participate in the council for appraisal of such thesis.

3. Regulations of training institutions must specify the establishment of thesis appraisal councils; process of meeting and handling of thesis appraisal results by appraisal councils.

Article 11. Guidelines, evaluation and appraisal of graduate modules of application-oriented programs

1. Students of an application-oriented program shall implement a graduate module consisting of between 6 credits and 9 credits in the form of a scheme or project (below collectively referred to as project). Students shall implement their projects in at least 3 months.

2. The evaluation of a project shall be conducted in the form of defense in front of a council. Project defense ceremonies shall be held publicly, except for projects whose topics fall into fields subject to confidentiality requirements which must comply with regulations of the State.

3. A project report means an explanatory statement of the process of making and implementing a project and project implementation results, which must meet the following requirements:

a/ Having managed to recommend and test new models or solutions for effectively addressing practical challenges; manifesting the concerned student’s  science and technology application and problem-solving abilities;

b/ Being compatible with cultural and moral standards and fine customs and traditions of Vietnamese people;

c/ Complying with the training institution’s regulations on academic integrity and current law on intellectual property.

4. Each student will have one or two project supervisor(s), one of them must be a permanent lecturer of the training institution. A person may concurrently act as independent supervisor for at most 5 students (including also students implementing theses under research-oriented programs); a person who concurrently acts as supervisor of 2 students shall be regarded as acting as independent supervisor for 1 student.

5. A council for evaluation of project implementation results must consist of at least 3 members, including a president, a secretary and an opponent. In case a council has more than 3 members, a supervisor may join the council as a member but not give his/her evaluation score. A project defense ceremony shall be held only when it is attended by the president, the secretary and an opponent of the evaluation council. The form of online project defense may be applied only when it is so agreed by all council members and the student concerned; all happenings in online thesis defense ceremonies shall be audio-visually recorded and such records shall be stored at the training institution.

6. In case his/her project does not meet requirements, a student may revise and supplement the project for the second evaluation within 45 days from the date of first-time evaluation by the evaluation council; a project may not be evaluated for the third time.

7. After being successfully defended, the full text of the project report (already revised and supplemented according to the council’s requirements, if any) shall be submitted and archived at the library of the training institution and posted on the website of the training institution for at least 30 days, except for projects whose topics fall into the fields subject to confidentiality requirements which must comply with regulations of the State.

8. Regulations of training institutions must, based on Articles 8, 9 and 10 of this Regulation and provisions of this Article, specify the supervision, evaluation and appraisal of projects.

Article 12. Graduation recognition and grant of master’s degrees

1. Conditions for a student to be recognized as being graduated:

a/ Having completed all modules of the training program and successfully defended his/her thesis or graduate project;

b/ Having attained foreign-language qualifications up to the outcome standards of the training program prior to the time of graduation consideration, which are proven by one of the diplomas or certificates of foreign-language qualifications at a level equivalent to Level 4 of Vietnam’s Six-Level Foreign Language Proficiency Framework specified in the Appendix to this Regulation or other equivalent certificates announced by the Ministry of Education and Training, or a bachelor’s or higher degree in a foreign language or a bachelor’s or higher degree in another discipline granted under a program which is wholly carried out in a foreign language;

c/ Having fulfilled the training institution-prescribed responsibilities; being neither examined for penal liability nor disciplined or suspended from study.

2. A training institution shall consider and issue a decision on recognition of graduation within 2 months from the date a student successfully defends his/her thesis or project; such time limit may be extended for at most 3 months in case organization of the thesis or project appraisal is required.

3. Training institutions shall grant a master’s degree to students within 1 month after the issuance of a graduation recognition decision.

4. Contents written on diplomas and diploma appendices must comply with the Ministry of Education and Training’s regulations in which the diploma appendix must clearly state whether the training program is a research-oriented or application-oriented program.

5. For a student who fails to meet the conditions for graduation within the study duration specified in Clause 2, Article 3 of this Regulation, the rector or director of the training institute (below collectively referred to as rector) shall issue a certificate of outcomes of the modules the student has cumulated under the training program.

6. Regulations of training institutions must specify the method to calculate the grade point average of the whole course; the process of consideration and recognition of graduation; reservation and issuance of certificates of cumulated learning outcomes for students having not yet satisfied conditions for graduation.

Chapter IV

OTHER REGULATIONS FOR STUDENTS

Article 13. Temporary absence, withdrawal

1. A student may temporarily be absent and have his/her learning outcomes reserved in the following cases:

a/ Being mobilized into the armed forces;

b/ Being mobilized by a competent agency, representing the country in an international contest or tournament or performing other tasks of the country or a sector;

c/ Being sick or facing pregnancy- or maternity-related issues or suffering an accident requiring long-term treatment; in this case, a written certification issued by a competent health facility as prescribed by the Ministry of Health is required;

d/ Other personal reasons; in this case, the student must complete at least one semester at the training institution and not fall into cases subject to forced expulsion or disciplinary consideration.

2. The duration of temporary absence specified at Point d, Clause 1 of this Article shall be counted into the maximum duration for completion of a course specified in Clause 2, Article 3 of this Regulation.

3. Training institutions shall consider allowing students to withdraw for personal reasons, except cases subject to forced expulsion or disciplinary consideration.

4. Regulations of training institutions must specify the conditions, competence and procedures for consideration of temporary absence, admission for students’ resumption of studies and withdrawal; reservation and certification of cumulated learning outcomes for students requesting withdrawal.

Article 14. Change of training institutions, change of campuses and change of training programs

1. A student shall be considered for change of training institution, change of campus or change of training program if the following conditions are fully met:

a/ The student meets admission requirements of the new training program and the new training institution meets all quality assurance conditions and has sufficient training capacities for that training program and discipline according to current regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training;

b/ The student obtains the agreement of the rector of the current training institution and the new training institution, for cases of change of training institutions;

c/ The student obtains the agreement of the heads of specialized units in charge of the training programs and disciplines and the persons in charge of his/her current campus and new campus and of the rector of the training institution, for cases of change of campuses and change of training programs within the same training institution;

d/ The student has sufficient time to complete the training program under Clause 2, Article 3 of this Regulation and is not subject to warning or more severe disciplinary forms.

2. The recognition of learning outcomes and transfer of cumulated credits for students in cases of change of training institutions and training programs must comply with Article 4 of this Regulation.

3. Regulations of training institutions must specify conditions, process and procedures for change of training institutions, change of campuses and change of training programs.

Article 15. Exchange of students and cooperation in training activities 

1. Training institutions may exchange students with domestic and foreign training institutions (below referred to as partner institutions) if meeting the following requirements:

a/ Partner institutions that are domestic training institutions are licensed to provide training in the same disciplines at master’s level;

b/ Partner institutions that are foreign training institutions are higher education institutions, have their quality recognized and be licensed by host countries’ education authorities to provide training and grant master’s degrees in corresponding groups of disciplines.

2. Principles for exchange of students:

a/ The exchange of students is agreed by rectors of the two training institutions;

b/ The number of recognizable credits of a student at a partner institution must not exceed 25% of the total credits of the training program he/she is following  and must comply with Article 4 of this Regulation.

3. Regulations of training institutions must specify the conditions and process for exchange of students; recognition of credits cumulated by students under training programs at partner institutions and publicization of information on the institutions’ websites.

Article 16. Handling of students’ violations

1. Students committing frauds in exams and assessment of learning outcomes shall be disciplined for each module during which they commit the violations.

2. A student sitting an exam on another person’s behalf or asking another person to sit an exam on his/her behalf shall be subject to suspension from study, for cases of first-time violation, and forced expulsion, for cases of second-time violation.

3. A student who commits one of the following violations shall be subject to forced expulsion and have his/her master’s degree, if granted, revoked or cancelled according to the Ministry of Education and Training’s regulations:

a/ Committing frauds in enrollment, learning, or thesis or project defense or in preparing dossiers for grant of diplomas or certificates;

b/ Using others’ research outcomes or reproducing or quoting others’ research outcomes in his/her thesis or project in contravention of regulations, and having his/her thesis or project evaluated by the appraisal council as unsatisfactory if such contents are removed;

c/ Asking or hiring another person to write his/her thesis or project.

4. Regulations of training institutions must specify the handling of students’ violations.

Chapter V

ORGANIZATION OF IMPLEMENTATION

Article 17. Formulation and implementation of Regulations of training institutions 

1. Based on this Regulation and other relevant current provisions, training institutions shall:

a/ Formulate, issue, and organize the implementation of, their own Regulations; concretizing this Regulation into requirements equivalent or higher than, but not contrary to, those of this Regulation;

b/ Fulfill responsibilities for education quality assurance specified in Article 50 of the Law on Higher Education (revised in 2018).

c/ Promote academic integrity; supervise and control plagiarism; impose sanctions and strictly handle violations; ensure honesty in theses, projects and other specialized researches;

d/ Formulate policies to promote gender equality in master training in order to make contributions to realize the objectives of the national strategy on gender equality in the fields of education and training.

2. Training institutions shall:

a/ Disseminate and provide candidates with guidance on their enrolment policies;

b/ Disseminate and provide students with guidance on their Regulations and other provisions pertaining to learning process, obligations and rights of students at the beginning of training courses;

c/ Examine and inspect the implementation of their plans, programs and Regulations and performance of other enrollment- and training-related tasks; be subject to examination, inspection and supervision by the Ministry of Education and Training and other competent agencies under current regulations.

Article 18. Archive, reporting and publicization of information 

1. Training institutions shall retain and preserve dossiers under the Ministry of Education and Training’s current regulations on the duration of retention of specialized documents of the education sector.

2. Training institutions shall complete their databases and fully and accurately update data on master training to the national higher education database system; export summarized data reported from the system, affix the institutions’ signatures to such reports for certification and send them to the Ministry of Education and Training before December 31 every year.

3. For each training program, training institutions shall publicize on their websites the following information:

a/ Brief introduction of the training program;

b/ Time, location and forms of training;

c/ Entry requirements and enrollment information;

d/ Structure of the program (with information on the number of credits for each module, thesis, project and specialized research);

dd/ Contingent of lecturers teaching and supervising theses and projects;

e/ Study, exams and evaluation;

g/ Outcome standards and job opportunities;

h/ Tuition fees and scholarships (if any);

i/ Other information about the training program that candidates and students need to know.

4. Before enrollment and training, training institutions shall post on their websites:

a/ Their Regulations and provisions on training management concerning enrollment, organization of training and grant of master’s degrees;

b/ Decisions on the launch of disciplines;

c/ Conditions for quality assurance under the current regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training and other information according to regulations.

5. Training institutions shall regularly update on their websites the following information:

a/ Statistics on the number of admitted and current students, dropouts and graduates of each course, discipline, training program and training form;

b/ The teaching plan, timetable of each class; titles and summarized contents of theses and projects with information on students, supervisors and date of defense (except for theses whose topics fall into the fields subject to confidentiality requirements which must comply with regulations of the State).-

For the Minister of Education and Training
Deputy Minister
HOANG MINH SON

* The Appendix to this Circular is not translated