Circular No. 17/2021/TT-BGDĐT on standards for training programs; construction, examination, and issuance of training programs at various levels of higher education

CIRCULAR

Regulations on training program standards; construction, review and issuanceof

training programs for higher education levels

__________________________

 

pursuant to the Law on Geducation on June 14, 2019;

Pursuant to the Higher Education Law on June 18, 2012;

Pursuant to the Law Amending and Supplementing Certain Provisions of the Higher Education Law on November 19, 2018;

Pursuant to Decree No. 69/2017/NĐ-CP dated May 25, 2017 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 detailing and guiding the implementation of certain provisions of the Higher Education Law;

Pursuant to Decree No. 99/2019/NĐ-CP dated December 30, 2019 of the Government detailing and guiding the implementation of certain provisions of the Law Amending and Supplementing Certain Provisions of the Higher Education Law;

At the request of the Director of the Department of Higher Education,

The Minister of Education and Training issues this Circular regulating training program standards; construction, review and issuance of training program standards for fields and majors; construction, review and issuance of training programs for higher education levels.

PART I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation and Applicability

1. This Circular regulates training program standards for higher education levels; construction, review and issuance of training program standards for fields and majors; construction, review and issuance of training programs for higher education levels.

2. This Circular applies to higher education institutions, other educational institutions permitted to train higher education levels, academies and institutes established by the Prime Minister under the Science and Technology Law, which are permitted to train doctoral level (hereinafter referred to collectively as training institutions) and related organizations and individuals.

3. This Circular does not regulate training programs issued by foreign training institutions, including joint programs with foreign countries as stipulated in regulations on foreign cooperation and investment in the field of education.

4. Training programs implemented according to point c, Clause 1, Article 36 of the Higher Education Law (amended and supplemented in 2018) must comply with the provisions of this Circular.

Article 2. Interpretation of Terms

In this Circular, the following terms are understood as follows:

1. A training program is a system of educational and training activities designed and organized to achieve training objectives, aiming to confer a higher education diploma upon completion. A training program includes objectives, volume of knowledge, structure, content, teaching methods, and evaluation forms for courses, majors, training levels, and appropriate exit standards in accordance with the National Qualifications Framework of Vietnam.

2. A training program standard for a higher education level is a set of common and minimum requirements for all training programs in that level's majors (or major groups, fields); including requirements regarding objectives, exit standards (or output requirements), entry standards (or input requirements), minimum study load, structure and content, teaching methods and assessment, conditions for implementing the program to ensure quality.

3. A training program standard for a major (or a group of majors, a field) at a level is a set of common and minimum requirements for all training programs in that major (or group of majors, field), consistent with the corresponding level training program standard.

4. An exit standard is the required achievement regarding the qualities and capabilities of students upon completion of a training program, including minimum requirements for knowledge, skills, autonomy, and responsibility of students upon graduation.

5. An entry standard (or input requirement) of a training program is the minimum requirements regarding the level, capability, and experience that students need to have to enroll in the training program.

6. A specialized advanced training program at level 7 is a training program for some specialized fields as prescribed by the Government, requiring graduates to reach level 7 equivalent qualifications according to the National Qualifications Framework of Vietnam; a specialized advanced training program at level 8 is a training program for some specialized fields as prescribed by the Government, requiring graduates to reach level 8 equivalent qualifications according to the National Qualifications Framework of Vietnam.

7. A research-oriented training program has goals and content focused on deep specialization in fundamental principles and theories in scientific fields, developing foundational technologies for the development of applied sciences and technology.

8. An application-oriented training program has goals and content focused on developing basic research results, applying foundational technologies into technological solutions, management processes, and complete tool designs serving diverse human needs.

9. A career-oriented training program has goals and content focused on equipping students with specialized knowledge and skills, developing work capabilities linked to specific occupational roles.

10. A training field is a collection of some major training groups sharing common professional or occupational characteristics, corresponding to the Secondary Education and Training Catalogue within the National Education and Training Catalogue.

11. A major training group is a collection of some major training programs sharing common professional characteristics, corresponding to the Tertiary Education and Training Catalogue within the National Education and Training Catalogue.

12. A course or module (hereinafter referred to collectively as a module) is a set of teaching and learning activities designed to achieve specific learning objectives, providing students with specialized knowledge and skills within a narrow scope of the training program. A module is typically organized for teaching and learning over one semester.

13. Components of a training program are a group of modules and other learning activities sharing common professional characteristics; playing a clear role in achieving a group of program objectives and exit requirements. These components are used to design the overall structure of the training program, such as general education, basic sciences, major foundations and cores, internships and experiences, scientific research, and other components.

Article 3. Purpose of issuing the training program standards

1. The training program standards serve as the basis for:

a) The Ministry of Education and Training to issue regulations on opening training fields, determining admission quotas and organizing admissions, organizing and managing training, interconnecting within training, evaluation criteria and accreditation of training programs;

b) Training institutions to develop, review, issue, implement, evaluate and improve training programs; establish regulations on admissions, organization and management of training, recognition and conversion of credits for students, recognition of other training institutions' programs; fulfill accountability for the quality of training programs;

c) State management agencies with authority to inspect and supervise training programs and ensure their quality; related parties and the whole society to monitor the activities and outcomes of training institutions.

2. The training program standards for higher education levels serve as the foundation for developing, reviewing, and issuing training program standards for each field and group of fields at each level. The training program standards for each field and group of fields at each level may be more stringent or broader than the general provisions in the training program standards for that level.

Chapter II

TRAINING PROGRAM STANDARDS FOR

 HIGHER EDUCATION LEVELS

Article 4. Objectives of the training program

1. Must clearly state the expectations of the training institution regarding the capabilities and career prospects of graduates from the training program.

2. Must reflect the training orientation: research orientation, application orientation, or vocational orientation; meeting the needs of employers and related parties.

3. Must align with and integrate into the mission, vision, development strategy of the training institution, social needs; comply with the objectives of higher education as stipulated in the Higher Education Law and describe the level according to the National Qualifications Framework of Vietnam.

Article 5. Graduation standards of the training program

1. Must be clear and practical, reflecting the learning outcomes that graduates need to achieve in terms of general knowledge and core competencies at the training level, specific requirements of the field or training discipline.

2. Must be measurable and assessable at different cognitive levels serving as the basis for designing, implementing, and improving teaching content and methods; testing, evaluating learning outcomes, and awarding certificates to students.

3. Must be consistent with the objectives of the training program, clearly demonstrating contributions while reflecting high-level demands of employers and other related parties.

4. Must specify the specific level of qualification and meet the graduation standards concerning knowledge, skills, degree of autonomy and responsibility, necessary abilities as prescribed for the corresponding level according to the National Qualifications Framework of Vietnam.

5. Must ensure compatibility with the entry standards of higher training levels (if applicable), while creating opportunities for lateral transfer between programs at the same training level, especially among programs within the same group of disciplines or the same field.

6. Must be fully and clearly specified in the graduation standards of individual courses and components within the training program, and systematically implemented through connections between courses and components.

7. Must ensure feasibility, appropriate to the volume of the program so that most students who have met the entry standards have the ability to complete the training program within the standard timeframe.

Article 6. Admission Standards for Training Programs

1. The admission standards for training programs must clearly define the minimum requirements regarding level, capacity, and experience appropriate to each level, field, and training orientation that learners need to meet in order to successfully study and complete the training program.

2. Admission standards for undergraduate training programs and specialized advanced training programs at level 7: Learners must have completed secondary school or an equivalent level.

3. Admission standards for master's degree training programs: Learners must have completed a bachelor’s degree (or an equivalent or higher level) in a relevant field; possess a foreign language proficiency level of Level 3 according to the Vietnamese Foreign Language Competency Framework of Six Levels or an equivalent level. For master's degree training programs oriented towards research, learners must have completed a bachelor’s degree with good grades or have published scientific works related to their field of study.

4. Admission standards for doctoral training programs: Learners must have completed a master's degree or a specialized advanced training program at level 7 in a relevant field, or have completed a bachelor’s degree with excellent grades (or an equivalent or higher level) in a relevant field; possess a foreign language proficiency level of Level 4 according to the Vietnamese Foreign Language Competency Framework of Six Levels (or an equivalent or higher level); and demonstrate research capability and experience.

Article 7. Study Load

1. The study load of a training program, of each component, or of each course within a training program is determined by the number of credit hours.

a) One credit hour is equivalent to 50 standard learning hours of the learner, including time spent attending lectures, guided study hours, self-study, research, experience, and examination preparation.

b) For classroom teaching activities, one credit hour requires a minimum of 15 lecture hours or 30 hours of practical work, experiments, discussions, where one classroom hour is counted as 50 minutes.

2. The minimum study load for a training program must be consistent with the requirements of the National Qualification Framework, specifically as follows:

a) Undergraduate training program: 120 credit hours, plus physical education and national defense-security education as stipulated currently;

b) Specialized advanced training program at level 7: 150 credit hours, plus physical education and national defense-security education as stipulated currently; or 30 credit hours for those with a bachelor’s degree in the same field group;

c) Master's degree training program: 60 credit hours for those with a bachelor’s degree in the same field group;

d) Doctoral training program: 90 credit hours for those with a master's degree, 120 credit hours for those with a bachelor’s degree in the same field group.

3. The minimum study load for dual-major training programs must be increased by 30 credit hours, while for major-minor training programs it must be increased by 15 credit hours compared to single-major training programs.

Article 8. Structure and Content of Training Programs

1. Structure and content of training programs:

a) Must clearly show the role of each component and course, the logical connection and complementarity between components and courses to ensure the achievement of overall objectives and requirements of the training program;

b) Must clearly reflect the characteristics and general professional requirements in the field, field group at the training level, creating conditions for interconnectivity between fields and training levels; while also reflecting the specific characteristics and requirements of the training field;

c) Must clearly specify the main compulsory components for all learners; while also providing supplementary and elective components for learners to choose based on their career orientation;

d) Must guide learners while ensuring flexibility, allowing learners to build personal study plans according to their capabilities and conditions.

2. Each component and course of a training program must specify its objectives, input and output requirements, credit hours, and professional content; making clear contributions to achieving the program's goals and output standards.

3. Requirements for undergraduate training programs and specialized advanced training programs at level 7:

a) Compulsory general education includes political theory, law, physical education, and national defense-security education as stipulated currently;

b) For dual-major and major-minor training programs, the program structure must clearly reflect common and specific components for each field;

c) For specialized advanced training programs at level 7, there must be a minimum of 8 credit hours for internships.

4. Requirements for master's degree training programs:

a) Research-oriented: a minimum of 24 to 30 credit hours for scientific research, including 12 to 15 credit hours for the thesis, and 12 to 15 credit hours for other projects, assignments, or research topics;

b) Application-oriented: a minimum of 6 to 9 credit hours for internships; a graduation course from 6 to 9 credit hours in the form of a project, assignment, or research topic.

5. Requirements for doctoral training programs:

a) At least 80% of the program must be dedicated to scientific research and the doctoral dissertation;

b) A maximum of 16 credit hours for required or elective courses for those entering with a master's degree;

c) A minimum of 30 credit hours for required or elective courses for those entering with a bachelor’s degree.

Article 9. Teaching Methods and Evaluation of Learning Outcomes

1. Teaching methods must be designed with a learner-centered approach, making learners the subjects of the training process, promoting their initiative and efforts to participate in learning activities; effectively guiding learners to achieve the exit standards for each course component and the entire training program.

2. The evaluation of learning outcomes must be based on the exit standards, clearly indicating the level of achievement of learners according to the cognitive levels specified in the exit standards for each course component and the entire training program.

3. The evaluation of learning outcomes must be based on both process evaluation and final evaluation; serving as a basis for timely adjustments to teaching and learning activities, encouraging learners' efforts and supporting their progress, improving the training program, and organizing its implementation.

Article 10. Faculty and Support Staff

1. The curriculum standards must specify the minimum requirements regarding the number, structure, qualifications, capabilities, and experience of faculty and support staff necessary to organize teaching and support learners to achieve the exit standards of the training program.

2. Requirements for faculty teaching undergraduate programs and specialized advanced programs at level 7:

a) Lecturers must have a master's degree or higher, and teaching assistants must have a bachelor's degree or higher;

b) At least one full-time lecturer with a doctorate in a relevant field must lead the development and implementation of the training program;

c) At least five full-time lecturers with expertise in relevant fields must lead the teaching of the program, with each component of the program having a lecturer with appropriate expertise leading the teaching;

d) There must be sufficient lecturers to ensure that the student-to-lecturer ratio does not exceed the prescribed limit for each field, group of disciplines, or discipline.

3. Requirements for faculty teaching master's programs:

a) Lecturers must have a doctorate;

b) At least five full-time lecturers with expertise in relevant fields must be available, including one professor or associate professor leading the development and implementation of the training program;

c) Full-time lecturers with appropriate expertise must lead the teaching of each subject and course component of the program;

d) There must be sufficient supervisors to ensure a maximum ratio of five students per supervisor.

4. Requirements for faculty teaching doctoral programs:

a) Lecturers must hold the title of professor or associate professor; or have a doctorate with strong research capabilities;

b) At least one professor (or two associate professors) and three full-time lecturers with doctorates in relevant fields must be available;

c) There must be sufficient supervisors to ensure a maximum ratio of seven doctoral candidates per professor, five doctoral candidates per associate professor, and three doctoral candidates per doctorate holder.

5. Curriculum standards for specific fields, groups of disciplines, or disciplines prescribe specific requirements for faculty that are not lower than those stipulated in Clauses 2, 3, and 4 of this Article; specific requirements for the student-to-faculty ratio; and requirements for support staff (if necessary), suitable for the characteristics of each field, group of disciplines, or discipline.

Article 11. Material infrastructure, technology, and learning materials

The curriculum standards for fields and groups of fields shall specify the minimum requirements for infrastructure, practical equipment, laboratory facilities, information technology, libraries, learning materials, management systems supporting learning and training, to help learners achieve the program's output standards, suitable for the characteristics of each field, group of fields, or training area.

Chapter III

CONSTRUCTION, REVIEW AND ISSUANCE OF CURRICULUM STANDARDS

FOR TRAINING FIELDS AND INDUSTRIES

Article 12. Construction of curriculum standards for training fields and industries

1. Curriculum standards for training programs are developed for each level and according to each field or a number of related groups of fields when necessary (hereinafter referred to collectively as "field group"), meeting the following requirements:

a) Meeting the requirements of the curriculum standards for corresponding levels as stipulated in Chapter II of this Circular;

b) Must include a general section applicable to all training fields within the field group and a specific section for each relevant field (if necessary);

c) Must be based on common requirements regarding future job positions and work tasks for graduates from training fields within the field group;

d) Must involve active participation and effective contribution from all relevant parties, including representatives of training institutions, employers, professional associations, and experts in the relevant field;

đ) Must refer to and compare with models, standards, or criteria for training programs from other countries or related international organizations;

e) Ensuring autonomy in developing training programs for training institutions; setting requirements but not specifying the detailed structure of the program or the detailed components of the program except those specified in Clause 3, Clause 4, and Clause 5 of Article 8 of this Circular.

2. The process of constructing curriculum standards for training programs in fields and field groups shall be carried out in accordance with the provisions set forth in the Appendix attached to this Circular.

Article 13. Advisory Council for Field Groups

1. The Advisory Council for Field Groups is established by Ministries pursuant to the assignment in Decision No. 436/QĐ-TTg dated March 30, 2020 of the Prime Minister (hereinafter referred to as the Managing Ministry), performing the function of assisting the Managing Ministry in implementing the task of building curriculum standards for corresponding field groups.

2. The Advisory Council for Field Groups is permitted to use the seal of the agency or unit tasked by the Managing Ministry to organize activities for building curriculum standards for the field group (hereinafter referred to as the organizing agency for building curriculum standards).

3. The Advisory Council for Field Groups operates in accordance with the guidance of the Ministry of Education and Training.

4. Organizational Structure of the Advisory Council for Field Groups

a) The Council consists of a Chairman, Deputy Chairmen, Members, and a Secretary who are experts in the field, group of fields, or industry requiring the construction of curriculum standards; having reputation, experience, and appropriate professional qualifications for the functions, tasks, and specialized areas of the Council;

b) The Council must have at least nine members, including: representatives of the Ministry of Education and Training; representatives of the Managing Ministry; representatives of the organizing agency for building curriculum standards; representatives of some higher education institutions; representatives of enterprises, associations, occupational organizations, and human resource management agencies; experts in building, developing, and ensuring the quality of training programs;

c) The number, composition, specific components, and member standards of the Advisory Council and the Chairman of the Advisory Council for Field Groups are decided by the Managing Ministry;

d) Specialized Committees of the Council assist the Council in carrying out tasks in specific specialized areas. Each Committee includes some Council members and other reputable, experienced, and appropriately qualified experts in the Committee's specialized area.

5. Tasks of the Advisory Council for Field Groups

a) Determine the construction of curriculum standards for field groups according to each field or group of fields and the list of related fields; the necessity to specify specific requirements for each field;

b) Construct and update curriculum standards for field groups to ensure compliance with curriculum standards for corresponding levels as stipulated in Article 12 of this Circular, to be reviewed and issued by the Minister of Education and Training;

c) Participate in inspecting, supervising, and evaluating the compliance of training institutions with curriculum standards in accordance with the law;

d) Carry out other tasks assigned by the main agency responsible for building curriculum standards in accordance with the law.

6. Responsibilities of the Advisory Council for Field Groups

a) Be responsible for the content and quality of curriculum standards for field groups; their suitability with reality; their suitability with curriculum standards for higher education levels; their compliance with current regulations and ensuring the autonomy of training institutions;

b) Fulfill the responsibility of reporting to competent state management agencies, training institutions, and other relevant parties about issues related to curriculum standards for field groups;

c) Develop working regulations, assign tasks to members of the Advisory Council for Field Groups; propose to the Managing Ministry changes to members and improvements to the Advisory Council for Field Groups (if necessary);

d) Coordinate with the organizing agency for building curriculum standards to report to the Ministry of Education and Training and the Managing Ministry on plans, progress, and results of building curriculum standards.

Article 14. Organizing bodies for the development of training program standards

1. The competent ministry shall be responsible for selecting agencies or units under its jurisdiction with high reputation and significant influence in relevant training fields, having the capacity and experience in developing and ensuring the quality of training programs to assign tasks related to organizing activities for the development of training program standards for each sector.

2. Tasks of the organizing body for the development of training program standards:

a) Coordinate with the Advisory Council of each sector to plan, ensure funding, human resources, and the progress of implementing the development of training program standards in accordance with laws and guidelines of the Ministry of Education and Training;

b) Serve the activities of the Advisory Councils of each sector and organize other activities supporting the development of training program standards for each sector;

c) Fulfill the responsibility of reporting to state management agencies and society on issues related to organizing activities for the development of training program standards for each sector.

Article 15. Reviewing and Issuing Training Program Standards

1. The Minister of Education and Training decides to establish the Review Board for the training program standards of each sector. The criteria and structure of the Review Board are stipulated as follows:

a) The Board consists of the Chairperson, Deputy Chairpersons, Members, and Secretary who are experts in the specific field or industry requiring the review of training program standards, possessing credibility, experience, and professional qualifications suitable for the functions, responsibilities, and specialized fields of the Board; in special cases, decided by the Minister of Education and Training;

b) The Board must have at least nine members, including representatives from the Ministry of Education and Training; the competent ministry; some higher education institutions; enterprises, associations, occupational organizations, and human resource management agencies; experts in the development, construction, and quality assurance of training programs;

c) Members of the Review Board shall not be members of the Advisory Council of each sector.

2. Duties and powers of the Review Board for training program standards

a) The Review Board is responsible for reviewing the training program standards of each sector to assess quality and advise the Ministry of Education and Training to make decisions on issuing training program standards;

b) The Review Board bases its review on the provisions of this Circular, current admission regulations and organizational training rules for corresponding levels; minimum conditions for implementing the program; other related regulations on training programs; requirements and standards of the training sector;

c) The Review Board must conclude one of the following contents clearly: The Board approves the training program standards without needing revisions or supplements; or the Board approves the training program standards but requires revisions or supplements and specifies the specific content that needs revision or supplement; or the Board does not approve the training program standards and states the reasons for non-approval;

d) The Board is accountable to state management agencies and society for the results of its work; has the responsibility to explain when requested.

3. Holding meetings of the Review Board

a) The Board conducts reviews of training program standards according to the plan of the Ministry of Education and Training;

b) All meetings of the Review Board must be recorded in detail in minutes; including the voting results on the conclusions of the Review Board, signed by the members of the Review Board.

4. The Minister of Education and Training decides to issue training program standards for sectors and fields of higher education levels based on the conclusions of the Review Board.

Article 16. Reviewing, Amending, and Updating Training Program Standards

1. Training program standards must be reviewed, amended, and updated at least once every five years. In cases of necessity, the Ministry of Education and Training decides to review, amend, and update training program standards for each field's majors and sectors to meet the changing requirements of science, technology, and industry development trends.

2. The Ministry of Education and Training collaborates with relevant ministries to establish or reinforce advisory boards for sectors to organize the review, amendment, and updating of sectoral training program standards as stipulated in Articles 12 and 13 of this Circular.

3. The Minister of Education and Training organizes the evaluation and promulgation of updated training program standards according to the provisions of Article 15 of this Circular.

Chapter IV

BUILDING, EVALUATING AND PROMULGATING TRAINING PROGRAMS

 TRAINING PROGRAMS

Article 17. Organizing the Construction of Training Programs

1. The President of the institution (hereinafter referred to as the President of the training institution) decides to establish a Training Program Development Council to construct training programs. Requirements for the composition of the Council:

a) Representatives who are knowledgeable about the major and specialty of training, directly involved in teaching or managing training at the institution, and have the ability to develop and enhance training programs;

b) Experts in developing training programs and ensuring higher education quality;

c) Representatives from labor recruitment in related professional fields, knowledgeable about occupational skill requirements and job positions within the training field.

2. The President of the training institution determines the criteria, number, composition, structure, and members of the Training Program Development Council; specifies the tasks and authorities of the Council and its members.

3. Requirements for training programs:

a) Meeting the requirements set forth in the training program standards for various levels of higher education as stipulated in Chapter II of this Circular, the training program standards of each major and sector (if applicable), and the National Qualification Framework of Vietnam;

b) Clearly demonstrating the capacity to meet human resource needs according to the economic and social development plans and strategies of the industry, locality, and country, as well as market labor demands;

c) Reflecting the requirements of all stakeholders, including representatives of faculty members in specialized units, representatives of employers and professional associations, experts in the field, and graduates working in their respective fields;

d) Being compared with similar training programs of reputable institutions both domestically and internationally that have been accredited;

đ) Designed based on the program’s learning outcomes standards; must integrate skills instruction with knowledge; must include a matrix of courses or modules aligned with learning outcomes standards, ensuring comprehensive distribution and transmission of program learning outcomes standards to course or module learning outcomes standards;

e) Teaching and learning activities, as well as assessment methods, must be planned and designed based on course or module learning outcomes standards, ensuring provision of teaching activities that promote learning to achieve these standards;

g) Contain implementation guidelines to ensure training quality;

h) Must be reviewed and approved by the institution's Scientific and Training Council before promulgation.

Article 18. Review and issuance of training programs

1. The Rector of the training institution issues a decision to establish the Program Review Board. The criteria and structure of the Program Review Board are stipulated as follows:

a) Members of the Program Review Board shall be professors, associate professors, doctors in the relevant field or closely related fields for new training programs, experts knowledgeable about the field and specialty, capable of developing and ensuring the quality of higher education training programs. Members of the Program Review Board shall not be members of the Program Development Board;

b) The Program Review Board shall have an odd number of members including the Chairperson, Secretary, at least two opposing members from different training institutions, and other Board members, among whom there must be at least one member representing the labor user unit;

c) The Rector of the training institution decides on specific criteria, quantity, composition, structure, and members participating in the Program Review Board in accordance with points a and b of this Clause.

2. Requirements for reviewing training programs:

a) Assessing the extent to which the program meets the standards of the training program, current organizational regulations for corresponding levels; related provisions on training programs; requirements of the training field and determined objectives and output standards;

b) Concluding clearly on one of the following contents: The Board approves the training program without need for revision or supplementation, or the Board approves the training program but requires revisions and supplements and specifies the specific contents that need to be revised and supplemented, or the Board does not approve the training program and states the reasons for non-approval.

3. After receiving the conclusion of the Program Review Board, based on the opinions of the Scientific and Training Council of the training institution, the Rector of the training institution signs a decision to issue and implement the training program.

4. The training program of foreign higher education institutions before being used according to point c, Clause 1, Article 36 of the Higher Education Law (amended and supplemented in 2018) must be reviewed in accordance with the provisions of this Article.

Article 19. Evaluation and Improvement of Training Program Quality

1. Training programs must be regularly reviewed, evaluated, and updated; the results of reviews and evaluations must be applied by the training institution to improve and enhance the quality of training.

2. Evaluations of training programs must meet the following requirements:

a) The evaluation must comply with the requirements of the National Qualification Framework of Vietnam, the training program standards for various levels of higher education as stipulated in Chapter II of this Circular, and the training program standards for specific fields and clusters (if applicable);

b) The evaluation must be based on the results of assessing the achievement of the program's output standards for each cohort and feedback from stakeholders (labor users, students, lecturers, professional organizations, etc.). Each output standard must be evaluated at least twice during the program evaluation cycle;

c) The evaluation must clarify the effectiveness of the implemented training program (in comparison with the determined output standards and objectives; consistency and integration between program content, assessment methods, learning materials, and teaching resources);

d) The evaluation must propose improvements to the quality of the training program and predict the impact of changes and updates to the program; evaluation results and improvements must be publicly disclosed on the training institution’s website.

3. The overall evaluation cycle for training programs is a maximum of five years; the overall evaluation process is similar to the process of developing new training programs. The Rector of the training institution announces the training program in the form of a new training program or a modified and supplemented training program after evaluation and updating.

4. The quality evaluation of training programs before the first graduation cohort according to the regulations on opening training fields in Clause 18, Article 1 of the Law Amending and Supplementing Certain Provisions of the Higher Education Law must meet the requirements stipulated in this Article.

Chapter V

IMPLEMENTATION

Article 20. Responsibility for implementation organization

1. The Ministry of Education and Training guides advisory councils to develop training program standards for specific fields and clusters.

2. The Ministry of Education and Training directs training institutions to build, review, issue, and implement training programs, and publicly disclose information on all training programs of the institution on the electronic portal in accordance with this Circular and relevant laws.

3. Training institutions specify the procedures for building, reviewing, issuing, and applying new training programs; reviewing, evaluating, and improving training programs in accordance with Article 19 of this Circular.

4. For fields, clusters, or areas without established training program standards, training institutions implement the provisions of Chapter II of this Circular and refer to domestic and international occupational standards for corresponding fields, clusters, or areas to develop, review, and issue training programs.

Article 21. Reporting and Public Disclosure of Information on Training Programs

1. Annually, training institutions shall be responsible for reporting to the Ministry of Education and Training according to the following requirements:

a) General information about the training program including: name of the training program, location where the training program is implemented, minimum requirements for implementing the training program, status of quality assessment of the training program;

b) The impact of evaluating the program and the standard of output assessment of training programs on improving the quality of training programs;

c) Resources for implementing the program including: analysis of the number and distribution of lecturers, lecturers with relevant professional qualifications; budget and funding sources, facilities and equipment supporting training.

2. Reports on training programs in accordance with the provisions of this Circular shall be submitted in written form and updated into the national database as directed by the Ministry of Education and Training.

3. The Rector of the training institution and the Director of the organization conducting educational quality assessment shall be responsible for the time of reporting, the accuracy and quality of the report.

4. Training institutions shall be responsible for publicly disclosing information on their website according to the following requirements:

a) General information about the program including the program applicable to specific enrollment sessions; forms, methods, and duration of training; information according to the requirements of the training program standards;

b) Results of the standard output assessment of the training program, improvements made to the training program over the past five years to enhance training quality;

c) Quality assessment status of the training programs currently being implemented at the training institution.

Article 22. Implementation Provisions

1. This Circular takes effect from August 7, 2021.

2. This Circular replaces Circular No. 07/2015/TT-BGDĐT dated April 16, 2015 issued by the Minister of Education and Training regarding the minimum volume of knowledge, requirements for competencies that students achieve upon graduation for each level of higher education training, and the process of building, reviewing, and issuing university, master's, and doctoral training programs.

3. Training institutions implementing training programs established under Circular No. 07/2015/TT-BGDĐT dated April 16, 2015 of the Minister of Education and Training shall continue to implement these programs for sessions enrolled and admitted before January 1, 2022. For sessions enrolled after January 1, 2022, the training institutions shall follow the provisions of this Circular.

4. New training programs at training institutions must be established in accordance with the provisions of this Circular from the date this Circular takes effect.

5. The Head of the Office, the Director of the Higher Education Department, the Heads of related units under the Ministry of Education and Training; the Rectors of training institutions, organizations, and individuals concerned are responsible for implementing this Circular./.

                                                                                                                   

 

ANNEX

(Attached to Circular No. 17/2021/2022/TT-BGDĐT dated June 22, 2021

of the Minister of Education and Training)

 

TRAINING PROGRAM STANDARDS DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

 

Step 1: Collecting, compiling, comparing, and analyzing documents describing services, activities, and jobs in the field of training:

Collecting, reviewing, compiling, and analyzing documents describing services, activities, and jobs in the field of training from some countries around the world;

Collecting, reviewing, and summarizing Vietnamese legal regulations related to professions in the field of training;

Comparing the results of analyzing relevant documents with the tasks of human resources in the field of training in Vietnam, identifying similarities and differences.

Step 2: Surveying and establishing a list of job groups for the type of human resource based on secondary data analysis results; Summarizing and unifying the list of service, activity, and job groups for the type of human resource in the field of training.

Step 3: Surveying and collecting opinions and views from stakeholders (managers, professionals, training institutions, employers) on the list of job groups for the type of human resource in the field of training;

Drafting a report on the results of the job group list and competency needs (the necessary skills to perform job groups) for the type of human resource in the field of training.

Step 4: Drafting the training program standards (based on the training program standards for fields and clusters of fields according to levels and occupational competencies);

Drafting a survey form on the training program standards and the feasibility of applying the training program standards to develop programs for the type of human resource in the field of training in Vietnam based on the results of surveys, interviews.

Step 5: Surveying opinions from stakeholders (managers, professionals, training institutions, employers, and the type of human resource in the field of training) on the draft training program standards and their applicability to the type of human resource in the field of training in Vietnam.

Step 6: Finalizing the draft training program standards and their applicability to the type of human resource in the field of training in Vietnam based on the survey results.

Step 7: Finalizing the draft training program standards and reporting the results of reviews, studies, and analyses of competency needs for the type of human resource in the field of training in Vietnam, submitting to the Ministry of Education and Training.