Circular No. 08/2017/TT-BGDĐT Issuing Regulations on Admissions and Training for Doctoral Degree

CIRCULAR

Issuing the Regulation admission and training at the doctoral level

 

Pursuant to the Law geducation on June 14, 2005; Law amending and supplementing certain articles of the Education Law on November 25, 2009;

Pursuant to the Law greplacing the higher education bachelor's degree training regulation issued on June 18, 2012;

Pursuant to Decree No. 75/2006/NĐ-CP dated August 2, 2006 of the Government detailing and guiding the implementation of certain provisions of the geducation law; Decree No. 31/2011/NĐ-CP dated May 11, 2011 of the Government amending and supplementing certain articles of Decree No. 75/2006/NĐ-CP dated August 2, 2006 of the Government detailing and guiding the implementation of certain provisions of the geducation law; Decree No. 07/2013/NĐ-CP dated January 9, 2013 of the Government amending point b kclause 13 Article 1 of Decree No. 31/2011/NĐ-CP dated May 11, 2011 amending and supplementing certain articles of Decree No. 75/2006/NĐ-CP dated August 2, 2006 of the Government detailing and guiding the implementation of certain provisions of the geducation law;

Pursuant to Decree No. 123/2016/NĐ-CP January 1 the 9 year 2016 of the Government stipulating functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of Ministries and ministerial-level agencies;

Pursuant to Decree No. 32/2008/NĐ-CP dated March 19, 2008 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Education and Training;

Pursuant to Decree No. 141/2013/NĐ-CP dated October 24, 2013 of the Government qdetailing and guiding the implementation of certain 1. NATIONAL UNIVERSITIES ARE PUBLIC HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS MANAGED BY THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING, HAVE LEGAL PERSONALITY, SEPARATE ACCOUNTS, AND USE STAMPS WITH THE NATIONAL EMBLEM. of the Law ghigher education laws;

Pursuant to Decision No. 418/QD-TTg dated March 17, 2016 of the Prime Minister Cgovernment approving the simplification plan for a group of administrative procedures related to admission and training at the doctoral level;

At the proposal of Director of the Higher Education Department;

The Minister of Education and Training issues this Circular issues Regulation admission and training at the doctoral level.

Article 1.This Circular sets forth regulations on admission and training at the doctoral level.

12/2025/TT-BNNMT dated June 19, 2025 issued by the Minister of Agriculture and EnvironmentThis Circular takes effect from May 20, 2017 and replaces Circular No. 10/2009/TT-BGDĐT dated May 7, 2009 of the Minister of Education and Training promulgating the Doctoral Training Regulations and Circular No. 05/2012/TT-BGDĐT dated February 15, 2012 amending and supplementing certain articles of the Doctoral Training Regulations promulgated together with Circular No. 10/2009/TT-BGDĐT dated May 7, 2009.

Article 3.The Head of the Office, Director of the Higher Education Department, Heads of units under the Ministry of Education and Training responsible for doctoral training; Heads of higher education institutions entrusted with or permitted to conduct doctoral training shall be responsible for implementing this Circular./.

 

 

REGULATIONS

Admission and training at the doctoral level

(Issued together with Circular No. 08/2017/TT-BGDĐT dated April 4, 2017 of the Minister of Education and Training)

 

 

PART I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation

These regulations govern admission and training at the doctoral level including: admission; organization and management of training activities; standards, duties, and rights of individuals and relevant units; dissertation, evaluation, and defense of the dissertation; assessment of the training process, quality of the dissertation, and awarding of the doctoral degree; complaints, accusations, inspection, supervision, and handling of violations.

Article 2. Applicability

1. These regulations apply to national universities, regional universities, academies, and universities (including member universities of national universities and regional universities) entrusted with doctoral training and research institutes permitted to conduct doctoral training (hereinafter referred to collectively as training institutions), organizations, and individuals related thereto.

2. These regulations do not apply to doctoral training programs, joint doctoral training programs between domestic training institutions and foreign training institutions where the foreign institution awards the degree, and joint doctoral training programs between domestic training institutions and foreign training institutions where both parties jointly award the degree.

a) Understand the provisions of the Road Traffic Law and related guiding documents concerning traffic safety and road traffic safety audits;

1. The training program at the doctoral level shall be established, reviewed, and issued by the training institution in accordance with current regulations, meeting the following conditions:

a) Minimum study load of 90 credits for doctoral candidates holding a master's degree and a minimum of 120 credits for doctoral candidates holding a bachelor's degree;

b) Graduation criteria including practical knowledge and theoretical knowledge; cognitive skills, vocational practice skills, and communication and interpersonal skills; the level of autonomy and personal responsibility in applying knowledge and skills to perform specialized tasks must reach Level 8 of the National Qualifications Framework approved by Decision No. 1982/QD-TTg dated October 18, 2016 of the Prime Minister (hereinafter referred to as the National Qualifications Framework).

2. The training program structure includes: supplementary courses, doctoral-level courses, and doctoral dissertation.

3. Supplementary courses aim to support doctoral candidates in acquiring sufficient knowledge and professional expertise to undertake their research projects.

a) For doctoral candidates who already hold a master's degree: based on the courses accumulated at the master's level, the knowledge that needs to be updated and supplemented, and the requirements of the field and research topic, the directors of universities and academies, principals of universities, and presidents of research institutes permitted to conduct doctoral training (collectively referred to as heads of training institutions) determine the number of supplementary courses and credit load that the doctoral candidate needs to complete.

b) For doctoral candidates without a master's degree: supplementary courses include master's level courses in the relevant field or specialty (collectively referred to as the field), excluding language courses and master's thesis; with a minimum knowledge load of 30 credits to ensure that doctoral candidates meet the graduation criteria of Level 7 of the National Qualifications Framework and the requirements of the field and research topic.

4. Doctoral-level courses (including mandatory and elective courses) aim to enhance theoretical expertise, research methods, and the ability to apply research methods, wherein:

a) The comprehensive review essay requires doctoral candidates to demonstrate their ability to analyze and evaluate domestic and international research works directly related to the research topic, thereby identifying the purpose and tasks of the doctoral dissertation;

b) Doctoral topics require doctoral candidates to enhance their research capabilities and conduct independent research, updating new knowledge directly related to the research topic of the doctoral dissertation;

c) Each doctoral candidate must complete from six to nine doctoral-level courses with a credit load ranging from fourteen to twenty credits, among which the comprehensive review essay and two or three doctoral topics determined by the head of the training institution are mandatory courses.

5. The doctoral dissertation is the result of scientific research conducted by the doctoral candidate, containing new contributions to theory and practice in the specialized field, having value in developing and increasing scientific knowledge and fully addressing the issues raised by the dissertation topic.

6. Training institutions may use foreign higher education institutions' doctoral training programs in accordance with point c, Clause 1, Article 36 of the Higher Education Law.

Chapter II

ENROLLMENT

          Article 4. Enrollment Methods and Time

1. Enrollment method: as stipulated in point a, Clause 2, Article 34 of the Higher Education Law.

2. Number of enrollments in a year: once or multiple times.

3. The head of the training institution shall be responsible for building the enrollment proposal based on the provisions of this Regulation and relevant regulations, ensuring the provision of full information about the enrollment methods, time of organization, quality assurance conditions, and other necessary information (refer to Model I in Appendix).

Article 5. Eligibility Requirements

Individuals applying for doctoral training must meet the following requirements:

1. Hold a bachelor's degree classified as excellent or higher, or a master's degree.

2. Be the author of at least one article or report related to the intended research area published in a scientific journal or proceedings of a specialized academic conference within a period of three years (36 months) prior to the application date.

3. For Vietnamese applicants, they must possess one of the following language certificates or diplomas:

a) A bachelor's or master's degree awarded by a foreign educational institution for full-time students studying abroad where the language of instruction is English or another foreign language;

b) A bachelor's degree in foreign languages awarded by Vietnamese educational institutions;

c) A TOEFL iBT certificate of 45 or higher or an IELTS (Academic Test) certificate of 5.0 or higher issued by an internationally and domestically recognized testing organization within a period of two years (24 months) prior to the application date;

d) If the applicant meets the requirement set forth in point a of this clause when the language of instruction is not English; or meets the requirement set forth in point b of this clause when holding a bachelor's degree in a foreign language other than English; or holds other foreign language certificates equivalent to those specified in point c of this clause issued by an internationally and domestically recognized testing organization within a period of two years (24 months) prior to the application date, then the applicant must have the ability to communicate in English in their professional field (able to express professional issues in English for others to understand and understand professional issues presented in English by others);

đ) Applicants for doctoral training in the English Language field must hold a certificate in a foreign language other than English at an equivalent level (as specified in Appendix II) issued by an internationally and domestically recognized testing organization within a period of two years (24 months) prior to the application date; or meet the requirement set forth in point a of this clause when the language of instruction is not English; or meet the requirement set forth in point b of this clause when holding a bachelor's degree in a foreign language other than English.

4. Foreign applicants must have a minimum Vietnamese proficiency level of Level 4 according to the Vietnamese Proficiency Framework for Foreigners or meet specific language requirements set by the training institution.

5. Meet the specific experience and tenure requirements for each applied field as stipulated by the head of the training institution.

Article 6. Application Files

1. The application files shall include:

a) An application form for admission;

b) A scientific curriculum vitae;

c) Certified copies of diplomas and certificates or photocopies accompanied by original documents for verification (in case of direct submission);

d) Evidence of research experience and years of service as prescribed in Clause 2, Article 5 of this Regulation;

đ) A research outline (according to the model specified by the training institution, if applicable);

e) At least one letter of recommendation evaluating the applicant's professional ethics, expertise, and research capability from a scientist holding the title of professor, associate professor, or doctorate degree who has worked with the applicant in their field of intended research;

g) A dispatch document for admission issued by the direct management agency according to current regulations on civil servant and public official training and development (if the applicant is a civil servant or public official);

          h) Other relevant documents as required by the training institution.

          2. Number of application files: 01 set.

Article 7. Announcement of Admissions

1. The admissions announcement shall be publicly disclosed on the electronic information website of the training institution and other mass media at least three months before the examination and selection process, specifying:

a) Admission requirements;

b) List of eligible fields for each doctoral program and list of supervisors meeting the criteria stipulated in Article 11 of this Regulation;

c) Enrollment quotas for each doctoral program;

d) Application files as prescribed in Article 6 of this Regulation and the deadline for submission and application fees;

đ) Enrollment plan, methods, time for announcing results, and time for registration;

e) Tuition fees, policies for tuition fee exemptions and financial support for doctoral students during their studies (if applicable);

g) Other requirements and necessary information.

2. The content of the admissions announcement is the responsibility of the head of the training institution, ensuring compliance with current regulations and alignment with the institution's enrollment plan.

          Article 8. Organization of Admissions and Recognition of Doctoral Candidates

Based on the provisions of point b, Clause 2, Article 34 of the Higher Education Law, the head of the training institution shall detail the organization of admissions, standards, number, duties, and rights of individuals and groups involved in the admissions process; approve the list of successful candidates and issue a decision recognizing doctoral candidates.

Chapter III

ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT OF TRAINING ACTIVITIES

Article 9. Organization and Management of Training Activities

1. Based on the provisions of Clause 2, Article 37 of the Higher Education Law, the head of the training institution shall detail the organization and management of doctoral training, ensuring compliance with this Regulation and related regulations.

2. Duration of doctoral training:

a) The duration of doctoral training (from the date of the recognition decision) shall be carried out in accordance with Clause 1, Article 35 of the Higher Education Law and point d, Clause 4, Decision No. 1981/QĐ-TTg dated October 18, 2016 of the Prime Minister approving the National Education Structure Framework and ensuring completion of the minimum study load as stipulated in Clause 1, Article 3 of this Regulation;

b) In special cases, doctoral candidates may have their study period shortened or extended as provided for in Clause 7 of this Article.

3. The organization of doctoral training shall be conducted through regular education, doctoral candidates must spend at least 12 months studying continuously at the training institution within the first 24 months from the date of the recognition decision.

4. The teaching and learning of supplementary courses and doctoral-level courses shall be implemented at the training institution where the doctoral candidate is enrolled. If the training institution does not offer the required supplementary courses, it shall send the doctoral candidate to study at another authorized training institution according to an agreement between the institutions.

5. Scientific research is mandatory during the dissertation process, the research time shall be arranged within the period specified in Clause 2 of this Article.

6. Changes during the training process:

a) Changing the thesis topic can be done when the doctoral candidate and supervisor ensure completion of the training program as stipulated in Clause 1, Article 3 of this Regulation within the timeframes specified in points a, b, and c of Clause 7 of this Article;

b) Adding or changing the supervisor can be done no later than 12 months before the end of the course according to the recognition decision (including any extension periods, if applicable), except in cases of force majeure;

c) Transferring to another training institution will be considered if the remaining study period of the doctoral candidate is at least 12 months according to the recognition decision and the receiving institution is implementing the corresponding doctoral program. After obtaining the consent of the current training institution, the head of the receiving institution shall accept and issue a recognition decision for the doctoral candidate with the remaining study period as specified in the previous recognition decision (including any extension periods, if applicable). The recognition of accumulated study results and additional courses needed (if any) shall be decided by the head of the receiving institution.

7. Completion of the training program on schedule, extension, and shortening of the study period:

a) A doctoral candidate is deemed to have completed the training program on schedule if the dissertation has been approved by the university or institute evaluation council within the timeframe specified in point a, Clause 2 of this Article;

b) In case the doctoral candidate is unable to complete the training program within the prescribed time limit, before the deadline, the doctoral candidate must go through the procedures to request an extension of study. The maximum extension period is twenty-four months. During this time, the doctoral candidate must continuously attend full-time studies at the training institution.

At the end of the extended period, if the doctoral candidate's dissertation is not approved by the thesis evaluation board of the university or institute (including cases where re-evaluation is allowed according to Article 22 of this Regulation), the head of the training institution shall decide to terminate the candidate's studies. The academic results of the doctoral training program will not be retained.

c) The head of the training institution may consider and decide to allow the doctoral candidate to shorten the study period if the candidate completes the entire training program as stipulated by this Regulation.

Chapter IV

STANDARDS, DUTIES AND RIGHTS

OF INDIVIDUALS AND RELATED UNITS

Article 10. Lecturers teaching the doctoral training program

1. Lecturer standards:

a) A Vietnamese citizen or foreign citizen meeting the provisions of Clause 1, Article 54 of the Higher Education Law;

b) Holding the title of professor, associate professor, or having a Doctorate in Science or a Doctorate in a relevant field corresponding to the courses they are responsible for in the training program;

c) Currently or previously leading scientific and technological tasks at the institutional level or higher, or participating in such tasks at the ministerial level or higher;

d) Being the main author of at least two articles or scientific publications published in specialized scientific journals.

2. Lecturers perform duties and rights as prescribed in Articles 55 and 58 of the Higher Education Law and related regulations.

Article 11. Thesis advisors

1. Standards for independent advisors:

a) A Vietnamese citizen or foreign citizen meeting the provisions of Clause 1, Article 54 of the Higher Education Law;

b) Holding the title of professor, associate professor, or having a Doctorate in Science or a Doctorate in a relevant field corresponding to the thesis topic or research area of the doctoral candidate; for those without the titles of professor or associate professor, they must have at least three years (36 months) of research work or teaching since receiving their Doctorate degree;

c) Currently or previously leading scientific and technological tasks at the institutional level or higher;

d) Being the main author of at least one article or scientific report published in a journal listed in the ISI Thomson Reuters database or the Scopus - Elsevier database (hereinafter referred to as the ISI - Scopus journal list) or at least one chapter in a reference book with an international standard book number (ISBN) issued by foreign publishers; or being the main author of at least two papers in a foreign language published in proceedings of international conferences with peer review, or two articles published in peer-reviewed foreign scientific journals related to the thesis topic of the doctoral candidate;

đ) In cases where there is no title of professor or associate professor, in addition to meeting the requirements set out in point d of this clause, they must also be the main author of an additional article published in a journal listed in the ISI - Scopus journal list;

e) Possessing language skills for international research and scientific exchange;

g) Independent advisors must be permanent lecturers or researchers of the training institution or foreign scientists working abroad under contracts for teaching and scientific research with the training institution.

2. Each doctoral candidate can have a maximum of two advisors, including:

a) The primary advisor must meet all the standards specified in Clause 1 of this Article;

b) The secondary advisor must meet the minimum standards specified in points a, b, and c of Clause 1 of this Article;

c) At least one must be a permanent lecturer or researcher of the training institution.

3. Duties and rights of advisors:

a) Performing duties and rights as prescribed in Articles 55 and 58 of the Higher Education Law;

b) At the same time, a person holding the title of professor can independently advise or co-advises a maximum of five doctoral candidates; a person holding the title of associate professor or having a Doctorate in Science can independently advise or co-advises a maximum of four doctoral candidates; a person holding a Doctorate can independently advise or co-advises a maximum of three doctoral candidates;

c) Shall not advise or co-advice new doctoral candidates if within six years (72 months) from the date of being assigned the task, two doctoral candidates' dissertations were not approved by the thesis evaluation board of the university or institute, including re-evaluations of dissertations as provided for in Article 22 of this Regulation (if applicable);

d) Advising, supporting, evaluating, monitoring, and urging doctoral candidates to fulfill their academic and research tasks;

đ) Approving the doctoral candidate's dissertation and recommending it for evaluation by the relevant department and at the university or institute's thesis evaluation board if the dissertation meets the requirements stipulated in Article 15 of this Regulation;

e) Fulfilling other duties and rights as prescribed.

Article 12. Tasks and rights of doctoral candidates

1. Implement the provisions set forth in Articles 60 and 61 of the Higher Education Law.

2. Develop a comprehensive study and research plan for the entire program and each semester, which must be approved by the supervisor and the specialized unit.

3. Regularly report progress and achievements according to the regulations of the training institution.

4. Have access to resources, use libraries, and experimental equipment for learning, scientific research, and thesis implementation.

5. Perform other tasks and rights as prescribed.

Article 13. Tasks and rights of specialized units

1. Approve the study and research plans of doctoral candidates; create conditions, support, urge, supervise, and inspect the implementation of these plans.

2. Manage doctoral candidates during their studies and research at the specialized unit.

3. Organize regular scientific activities for doctoral candidates.

4. Organize the evaluation of doctoral candidates' theses within the specialized unit; consider and approve or disapprove the proposal to submit the thesis for evaluation by the university or institute council based on point b, Clause 3, Article 16 of this Regulation.

5. Perform other tasks and rights as prescribed.

Article 14. Tasks and rights of the training institution

1. Develop, issue, and publicly announce detailed regulations of the training institution regarding doctoral admissions and training in accordance with this Regulation and related regulations.

2. Publicly announce information related to doctoral admissions and training on the training institution's website.

3. Organize doctoral admissions, training, thesis evaluation, and manage the training process and issuance of doctoral degrees according to plans and current regulations.

4. Ensure sufficient human and material resources necessary for lecturers, supervisors, doctoral candidates, and thesis evaluation councils (including the task of using information technology tools to check and review thesis plagiarism, transferring results to the university or institute thesis evaluation council for consideration, evaluation, and conclusion).

5. Organize national and international scientific conferences, publish scientific journals with peer reviews from the training institution.

6. Develop specific policies to promote gender equality in admissions and doctoral training to contribute to achieving the national strategy's goals on gender equality in education and training.

7. Organize inspections and audits of the implementation of regulations on doctoral admissions and training.

8. Fully implement reporting and archiving systems including:

a) After each admission period, report to the Ministry of Education and Training on the organization of admissions and admission results, accompanied by decisions recognizing successful candidates (according to Model III in the Appendix);

b) In December each year, report to the Ministry of Education and Training on doctoral training, issuance of doctoral degrees, quotas, and plans for recruiting doctoral candidates in each field for the following year (according to Model IV in the Appendix);

c) On the last day of even-numbered months in the year, report to the Ministry of Education and Training a list of doctoral candidates who have completed training records and theses that have been approved by the university or institute thesis defense council in the previous two months (according to Model V in the Appendix);

d) Archive and preserve records in accordance with Circular No. 27/2016/TT-BGDĐT dated December 30, 2016, issued by the Ministry of Education and Training on the retention period for professional documents in the education sector.

Chapter V

THESIS, EVALUATION AND DEFENSE OF THESES

Article 15. Requirements for doctoral theses

1. Comply with the provisions set forth in Clause 5, Article 3 of this Regulation and the head of the training institution's regulations on the volume, form, presentation method, citation rules, and reference list of the thesis (refer to Model VI in the Appendix).

2. Adhere to laws on intellectual property protection, specifically:

a) Fully cite and clearly indicate sources for references to other authors' research results (if applicable);

b) In cases where the thesis uses content from a collective scientific work in which the doctoral candidate is a co-author, written consent from other co-authors allowing the doctoral candidate to use the group's research results must be obtained;

c) Adhere to other intellectual property laws.

Article 16. Evaluation of the dissertation at the specialized unit

1. Conditions for doctoral candidates to register for dissertation evaluation at the specialized unit:

a) Having completed supplementary courses and doctoral-level courses as prescribed in Clauses 3 and 4 of Article 3 of this Regulation;

b) Having published a minimum of two articles on the research results of the dissertation, including one article published in a scientific journal listed in the ISI-Scopus directory, or having published a minimum of two reports in foreign languages in the proceedings of international conferences with peer review, or two articles published in foreign scientific journals with peer review;

c) Receiving agreement from the research supervisor or the collective to register for dissertation evaluation at the specialized unit.

2. The evaluation of the dissertation at the specialized unit is a form of scientific activity organized once or multiple times until the dissertation is proposed for evaluation by the university or institute's dissertation evaluation council; members of the specialized unit, doctoral candidates, students, and interested parties have the right to participate (except in cases where the dissertation is defended under confidential conditions).

3. The head of the training institution shall detail the procedures and methods for evaluating the dissertation at the specialized unit, the number, criteria, and tasks of invited scientists to review the dissertation, ensuring compliance with the following requirements:

a) The number of invited scientists to review the dissertation must be a minimum of five persons holding the title of professor, associate professor, or doctorate in science or doctorate, with expertise relevant to the research topic or field of study of the doctoral candidate; there must be participation from scientists both within and outside the training institution. For subsequent evaluations (if any), the number of participating scientists must ensure that at least two-thirds (2/3) overlap with the total number of invited scientists who reviewed the dissertation in the previous evaluation to assess the completion process of the doctoral candidate’s dissertation; among them, those who had objections to submitting the dissertation for evaluation at the university or institute's council must be present;

b) The dissertation can only be proposed for evaluation by the university or institute's council when at least three-quarters (3/4) of the invited scientists who reviewed the dissertation in the final evaluation agree (recorded in the review form).

Article 17. Independent Review of the Dissertation

1. The dissertation of the doctoral candidate shall be sent for independent review by two reviewers before being submitted for evaluation by the university or institute's dissertation evaluation council.

2. Independent reviewers are scientists or experts from Vietnam or abroad; they must have research experience and expertise relevant to the dissertation's research topic; they must not have familial relationships such as parent, spouse, child, or full sibling with the doctoral candidate; they must not have cooperative or supportive relations with the doctoral candidate or the supervisor during the dissertation completion process.

3. The list of independent reviewers is a confidential document of the training institution.

4. The head of the training institution shall detail the standards for independent reviewers; the sequence, procedures for selecting, sending for review, and processing independent reviewer comments; requirements for confidentiality responsibilities for staff, civil servants, independent reviewers, and information and documents related to independent reviews according to current regulations.

Article 18. Conditions and Documents for Requesting Thesis Evaluation at the University-Level Thesis Evaluation Council

1. Conditions for doctoral candidates to defend their thesis at the University-Level Thesis Evaluation Council:

a) The thesis of the doctoral candidate is proposed by the specialized unit to be evaluated by the University-Level Thesis Evaluation Council;

b) The thesis of the doctoral candidate is approved by the independent reviewers specified in Article 17 of this Regulation;

c) The doctoral candidate is not serving a criminal sentence or disciplinary action at or above the warning level.

2. Documents for requesting thesis evaluation at the University-Level Thesis Evaluation Council include:

a) Full text of the thesis;

b) Summary of the thesis;

c) A page of information about the new aspects of the thesis in Vietnamese and English or another foreign language as prescribed by the training institution;

d) Written consent from co-authors as stipulated in point b, Clause 2, Article 15 of this Regulation (if applicable);

đ) Written document from the specialized unit proposing permission for the doctoral candidate to defend the thesis at the University-Level Thesis Evaluation Council;

e) Grade sheet of supplementary courses (if applicable), courses of the doctoral training program, doctoral seminars, and comprehensive review papers;

g) Decision recognizing the doctoral candidate and evidence of changes during the training process (if applicable);

h) Comments from two independent reviewers;

i) Other documents as prescribed by the training institution.

3. The doctoral candidate is responsible for preparing the documents as specified in points a, b, c, and d of Clause 2 of this Article; other documents are compiled by the training institution.

          Article 19. University-Level Thesis Evaluation Council

1. The head of the training institution issues a decision to establish the University-Level Thesis Evaluation Council, detailing the criteria and responsibilities for each member of the Council as stipulated in Clauses 2, 3, 4, and 5 of this Article.

2. Criteria for Council members:

a) They are Vietnamese citizens or foreign citizens;

b) They hold the title of professor or associate professor, or have a Doctor of Science degree, doctorate degree, with expertise relevant to the research topic or field of the doctoral candidate;

c) They have research works, reputation, and professional experience related to the research field of the doctoral candidate; reviewers must have at least two scientific articles or reports, including at least one article published in a foreign scientific journal with peer review or one report in a foreign language in the proceedings of an international conference with peer review.

3. Number of Council members:

a) The Council consists of seven members; among them, the minimum number of professors and associate professors is five; the maximum number of members who have participated in thesis evaluation at the specialized unit is three; the maximum number of members who are staff of the training institution is three;

b) The head of the training institution decides the number of professors and associate professors, and the number of members who are staff of the training institution in cases where the doctoral candidate's thesis defense is organized for pilot training programs at the institution.

 4. The Council includes a chairman, secretary, three reviewers, and members; the chairman of the Council must be a professor or associate professor in the relevant field of the doctoral candidate's thesis; reviewers cannot be co-authors with the doctoral candidate in related published works; representatives of the research guidance team may be invited to participate in the Council as members.

5. Parents, spouse, children, or full siblings of the doctoral candidate shall not participate in the University-Level Thesis Evaluation Council.

Article 20. Evaluation of dissertations at the university/institute level

1. The head of the training institution shall specify the time limit, conditions, procedures, and formalities for organizing dissertation evaluation sessions at the university/institute level to ensure the following provisions:

a) Dissertations must be evaluated publicly, except for those dissertations permitted to be evaluated under the confidential regime as stipulated in Article 21 of this Regulation;

b) The time, location for organizing dissertation evaluation, summary and full text of the dissertation, information page about new points of the dissertation in Vietnamese and English or another foreign language must be publicly announced on the training institution's electronic information website at least 20 days before the defense date, except for those dissertations permitted to be evaluated under the confidential regime as stipulated in Article 21 of this Regulation;

c) A meeting of the dissertation evaluation council at the university/institute level shall not be organized if the chairman or secretary or two or more members of the Council are absent;

d) Dissertations shall be evaluated through voting (approval or disapproval); a dissertation will not be approved if two or more members of the Council present at the defense session vote against it;

đ) The Council must issue a resolution on the dissertation, which clearly states: the evaluation results of each member of the Council; the new contributions of the dissertation to theory and practice; the shortcomings in content and form of the dissertation; the honesty of the research results; the Council's conclusion on not approving the dissertation and reasons or approving the dissertation (including any requirements for revision and supplementation, if applicable), recommendations for recognizing the doctoral degree and awarding the doctoral diploma to the doctoral candidate;

e) The minutes of the dissertation evaluation session at the university/institute level must be approved by all present members of the Council and signed by the chairman and secretary of the Council to confirm.

2. In case of necessity (due to objective reasons or because a member requests not to participate in the Council), the head of the training institution shall decide on changing or supplementing members of the dissertation evaluation council at the university/institute level, and the term related to the Council's activities shall be calculated from the effective date of the final decision on changing or supplementing members.

Article 21. Evaluation of dissertations under the confidential regime

1. In cases where the dissertation topic involves state secrets listed in the State Secret Catalogue as prescribed by the competent authority, the head of the training institution must determine the confidentiality nature of the topic immediately after the decision recognizing the doctoral candidate, report to the Ministry of Education and Training along with the basis for determining the confidentiality nature of the topic, and must obtain the Ministry of Education and Training's written approval.

2. The head of the training institution shall be responsible for confidentiality regulations during the organization of training, research, implementation of dissertations, organization of dissertation evaluation, management of related files and documents according to the State's confidentiality regulations.

3. Doctoral candidates implementing dissertations determined to be confidential as stipulated in Clause 1 of this Article are exempted from implementing the provisions at point b, Clause 1 of Article 16 and point b, Clause 1 of Article 20 of this Regulation.

4. Besides the provisions in Clause 3 of this Article, doctoral candidates implementing dissertations under the confidential regime must comply with all other provisions of this Regulation.

Article 22. Re-evaluation of dissertations at the university/institute level

1. In cases where the dissertation of a graduate student is not approved by the dissertation evaluation council at the university/institute level during the first evaluation, the graduate student is permitted to revise the dissertation and request a second defense.

2. The composition of the second dissertation evaluation council at the university/institute level must include at least five members who participated in the first council but cannot be absent from the council member who did not agree with the dissertation.

3. The head of the training institution shall specify in detail the time limit, procedures, and formalities for re-evaluating dissertations at the university/institute level for the second time.

4. A third re-evaluation of the dissertation shall not be organized.

 

Chapter VI

REVIEW OF TRAINING PROCESS, DISSERTATION QUALITY, AND GRANTING OF DOCTORAL DEGREE

Article 23. Review of Training Process and Dissertation Quality

The review of the training process and dissertation quality shall be carried out in the following cases:

1. Random review of up to 20% of the training process and dissertation quality files that have been approved by the university/institute-level dissertation evaluation council as reported by the training institution as stipulated in point c, Clause 8, Article 14 of this Regulation.

2. Review when there are complaints or reports about the training process file or dissertation quality.

Article 24. Documentation for Reviewing the Training Process and Dissertation Quality

1. Documentation for reviewing the training process

a) Application dossier for admission as a graduate student containing complete evidence of admission requirements as stipulated in Article 6 of this Regulation;

b) Dossier requesting evaluation of the dissertation at the university/institute-level dissertation evaluation council as stipulated in Clause 2, Article 18 of this Regulation;

c) Dossier for granting the doctoral degree as stipulated in Clause 2, Article 28 of this Regulation;

d) Number of dossiers: 01 set.

2. Documentation for reviewing dissertation quality

a) Doctoral dissertation with information on the graduate student, supervisor, and training institution removed;

b) Abstract of the doctoral dissertation with information on the graduate student, supervisor, and training institution removed;

c) Copies of published articles presenting research results of the graduate student as required;

d) Number of dossiers: three sets.

Article 25. Procedure for Reviewing the Training Process and Dissertation Quality

1. Within ten working days from the date of receipt of the report of the training institution as stipulated in point c, Clause 8, Article 14 of this Regulation, the Ministry of Education and Training will notify in writing the list of cases requiring review by the training institution with specific review requirements (training process or dissertation quality).

2. Within a maximum of sixty working days from the date of receipt of all documentation from the training institution as stipulated in Article 24 of this Regulation, the Ministry of Education and Training will conduct the review and issue a written notification of the review results.

3. The training process meets the review requirements if the review documentation complies with regulations on admissions, organization, and management of training, and the procedure for organizing dissertation evaluations under this Regulation.

4. Dissertation quality is reviewed through the opinions of three scientists holding the title of professor or associate professor, having a doctorate in science or doctorate, with professional experience and expertise in the research topic and field of the graduate student.

a) The dissertation meets the review requirements if at least two out of the three dissertation review opinions agree;

b) In cases where the dissertation does not meet the review requirements as stipulated in point a of this clause or there are complaints about the dissertation quality, the Ministry of Education and Training will issue a decision to establish a dissertation review council, entrusting the head of the graduate student's training institution to organize the dissertation review council with the supervision of a representative of the Ministry of Education and Training.

Article 26. Thesis Evaluation Board

1. The Thesis Evaluation Board consists of seven members, including at least four members who have not participated in thesis evaluation at the specialized unit, have not been independent reviewers, or have not been members of the university or institute thesis evaluation board; there must be scientists participating in the evaluation who do not agree with the thesis as stipulated in Clause 4, Article 25 of this Regulation.

2. The criteria for members of the Thesis Evaluation Board are the same as those for members of the university or institute thesis evaluation board as stipulated in Clause 2, Article 19 of this Regulation.

3. The Thesis Evaluation Board has a chairman, secretary, and members.

4. The Board only convenes when at least six members are present, including the chairman, secretary, and members of the board who do not agree with the thesis (if any).

5. The tasks of the Thesis Evaluation Board include reviewing, evaluating, and making decisions on the quality of the thesis or clarifying the contents of complaints and accusations.

6. The thesis does not meet the evaluation requirements if two or more members of the Board present do not agree with it.

7. In cases where the thesis is not approved by the Thesis Evaluation Board, the head of the training institution organizes and chairs a dialogue between the Thesis Evaluation Board and the university or institute thesis evaluation board, with the participation of representatives from the Ministry of Education and Training. The number of members attending the meeting must be at least twelve people, including the chairmen, reviewers, secretaries, and members of both boards who have expressed disagreement. The thesis will not be approved if three or more members present at the dialogue do not agree with it. The result of the dialogue meeting is the final evaluation result regarding the quality of the thesis.

Article 27. Handling the Evaluation Results

1. For theses that meet the evaluation requirements as stipulated in Point a, Clause 4, Article 25 of this Regulation or are approved by the Thesis Evaluation Board but require amendments and supplements, the university or institute thesis evaluation board, along with the supervisor and doctoral candidate, consider and decide on the necessary amendments and supplements according to the requirements of the evaluator or the Thesis Evaluation Board.

2. For theses not approved by the Thesis Evaluation Board:

a) In cases where the doctoral candidate has not yet received a doctorate degree, the doctoral candidate is allowed to amend and supplement the thesis and request a re-evaluation according to Article 22 of this Regulation;

b) In cases where the doctoral candidate has already received a doctorate degree, the training institution handles the situation according to Clause 2, Article 31 of this Regulation.

3. For training process files that do not meet the evaluation requirements, based on the notification of the Ministry of Education and Training, the head of the training institution supplements and completes the files and provides explanations.

4. Within a maximum period of two months (60 days) from the date of receiving the notification from the Ministry of Education and Training about the evaluation results, the head of the training institution submits a report to the Ministry of Education and Training on the handling of the evaluation results according to the contents specified in Clauses 1, 2, and 3 of this Article, accompanied by supporting evidence.

Article 28. Issuance of Doctoral Degree Certificate

1. Conditions for doctoral candidates to be considered for issuance of a doctoral degree certificate:

a) The doctoral candidate's thesis has been approved by the university or institute thesis evaluation board for at least three months (90 days);

b) The doctoral candidate has completed the amendments and supplements to the thesis according to the resolution of the university or institute thesis evaluation board and received confirmation from the supervisor, training management unit, and chairman of the board (if applicable);

c) If the thesis requires evaluation according to the notification of the Ministry of Education and Training stipulated in Clause 1, Article 25, the evaluation results must meet the requirements as stipulated in Clause 3 and Point a, Clause 4, Article 25, and Clause 1, Article 27 of this Regulation; or has not received the evaluation results from the Ministry of Education and Training after the evaluation deadline specified in Clause 2, Article 25 of this Regulation;

d) Has published the full text and summary of the thesis on the training institution's electronic information website and submitted them to the National Library of Vietnam (both printed version and PDF file), signed by the doctoral candidate, the supervisor, and confirmed by the head of the training institution after making amendments and supplements according to the requirements of the university or institute thesis evaluation board and the Thesis Evaluation Board (if applicable).

2. The dossier for considering the issuance of a doctoral degree certificate for doctoral candidates includes:

a) Minutes of the thesis evaluation session at the university or institute level;

b) Resolution of the university or institute thesis evaluation board;

c) Minutes of ballot counting and evaluation forms of all members of the university or institute thesis evaluation board present at the evaluation session;

d) Comments and evaluations of the supervisor or supervisory team of the doctoral candidate;

đ) List of signatures of all members of the university or institute thesis evaluation board present at the doctoral candidate's thesis evaluation session;

e) Receipt confirming submission of the thesis and its summary to the National Library of Vietnam;

g) Evidence of public disclosure of the thesis evaluation date, except for theses evaluated under the confidential system as stipulated in Article 21 of this Regulation;

h) Other documents as prescribed by the training institution.

3. The training institution compiles the dossier for considering the issuance of a doctoral degree certificate and proceeds with the issuance procedure for doctoral candidates when they fully meet the conditions stipulated in Clause 1 of this Article and stores the dossier according to current regulations.

4. The head of the training institution is responsible for organizing inspections of the training process, thesis quality, and the organization and activities of the university or institute thesis evaluation board before convening regular meetings of the Scientific Research and Training Council of the training institution to approve the list of doctoral candidates eligible for the issuance of a doctoral degree certificate and issue a decision to grant a doctoral degree certificate to the doctoral candidates.

Chapter VII

COMPLAINTS, ACCUSATIONS, INSPECTION, AUDIT, AND VIOLATION HANDLING

Article 29. Complaints and Accusations

1. Agencies, organizations, individuals, and research students have the right to file complaints and accusations regarding violations in admissions, organization and management of training activities, thesis evaluation, and awarding of doctoral degrees.

2. The filing of complaints and accusations and their resolution shall be carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Complaints and the Law on Accusations.

Article 30. Inspection and Supervision

1. The Ministry of Education and Training shall conduct inspections and supervision of doctoral training activities at training institutions in accordance with current regulations.

2. The content of inspections and supervision includes admissions work; organization and management of training activities; procedures for organizing thesis evaluation and defense; awarding of doctoral degrees; and the handling of complaints and accusations from training institutions. The inspection conclusions and recommendations (if any) will be notified in writing by the Ministry of Education and Training to the training institution.

Article 31. Handling Violations

1. In cases where violations are discovered in admissions, organization and management of training activities, thesis evaluation, and awarding of doctoral degrees, the Ministry of Education and Training shall issue a document requiring the training institution to handle the matter or directly handle it within its authority.

2. The revocation of doctoral degrees shall be carried out according to current regulations and in the following circumstances:

a) Fraud in application documents that renders the degree recipient no longer meeting admission conditions and recognition as a research student;

b) Unauthorized copying or quoting in the thesis such that if these copied or quoted parts were removed, the thesis would not meet the requirements set forth in Article 15 of this Regulation;

c) The thesis not being approved by the Evaluation Board as stipulated in Clause 7, Article 26 of this Regulation.

3. In cases where research students are found to have committed other violations, they will be disciplined depending on the severity of the violation, ranging from reprimand, warning, suspension of studies, cessation of studies to criminal prosecution.

4. The determination of a thesis violating Point b, Clause 2 of this Article falls under the jurisdiction of the Evaluation Board established by the head of the training institution in accordance with Article 26 of this Regulation.

 

Chapter VIII

IMPLEMENTATION

Article 32. Investment projects related to the provisions at Amendment 1:2025 QCVN 07:2023/BXD issued accompanying this Circular that have been approved before this Circular takes effect shall continue to be implemented according to the regulations at the time of approval; the investment decision maker has the right to choose to apply Amendment 1:2025 QCVN 07:2023/BXD issued accompanying this Circular.

1. For recruitment sessions that have already had decisions recognizing research students made prior to the effective date of this Circular, the training institution shall implement the provisions of the Doctoral Training Regulations issued together with Circular No. 10/2009/TT-BGDĐT dated May 7, 2009, and amended and supplemented by Circular No. 05/2012/TT-BGDĐT dated February 15, 2012, of the Minister of Education and Training.

2. For recruitment sessions from the effective date of this Circular until December 31, 2018, the provisions concerning the criteria for thesis advisors at Point d, Clause 1, Article 11 and the conditions for research students to register for thesis evaluation at specialized units at Point b, Clause 1, Article 16 of this Regulation shall be implemented as follows:

a) Advisors for topics belonging to Group I (as specified in Appendix VII) must be the main author of at least one article in a foreign language published in journals listed in the directory of specialized scientific journals of the State Council for Professor Titles or in reputable international scientific journals in the field related to the research student's thesis topic;

b) Advisors for topics belonging to Group II (as specified in Appendix VII) must be the main author of at least one report in a foreign language published in proceedings of international conferences with peer review or at least one chapter in a reference book with an international standard book number (ISBN) published by foreign publishers or one article published in an international scientific journal with peer review in the field related to the research student's thesis topic;

c) Research students working on topics belonging to Group I (as specified in Appendix VII) must publish the content and results of their thesis in at least two articles or reports, including one article in a foreign language published in journals listed in the directory of specialized scientific journals of the State Council for Professor Titles or in reputable international scientific journals;

d) Research students working on topics belonging to Group II (as specified in Appendix VII) must publish the content and results of their thesis in at least two articles or reports, including one report in a foreign language published in proceedings of international conferences with peer review or one article published in an international scientific journal with peer review.

3. For recruitment sessions starting from January 1, 2019 onwards, thesis advisors must comply with the provisions at Point d, Clause 1, Article 11, and research students must comply with the provisions at Point b, Clause 1, Article 16 of this Regulation.