Circular No. 25/2021/TT-BGDĐT guiding the implementation of doctoral and master's training for university lecturers at higher education institutions according to Decision No. 89/QĐ-TTg dated January 18, 2019 of the Prime Minister approving the Project to Enhance the Capacity of University Lecturers and Managers to Meet the Requirements of Comprehensive and Fundamental Educational Reform from 2019 to 2030.

CIRCULAR

Guidelines for implementing doctoral and master's degree training programs for university lecturers pursuant to Decision No. 89/QĐ-TTg dated January 18, 2019 of the Prime Minister approving the Project on Enhancing the Capacity of University Lecturers and Managers to Meet the Requirements of Comprehensive and Fundamental Educational and Training Reform from 2019 to 2030.Enhancing the capacity of the teaching staff and management personnel at higher education institutions to meet the requirements of comprehensive and fundamental educational and training reformfrom 2019 to 2030Period 2019 - 2030

Pursuant to the Education Law dated June 14, 2019;

Pursuant to the Higher Education Law dated June 18, 2012; the Law Amending and Supplementing Certain Provisions of the Higher Education Law dated 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. 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;

Pursuant to Decision No. 89/QĐ-TTg dated January 18, 2019 of the Prime Minister approving the Project on Enhancing the Capacity of University Lecturers and Managers to Meet the Requirements of Comprehensive and Fundamental Educational and Training Reform from 2019 to 2030,

7. Components of a training program include a group of courses and other learning and research activities with common characteristics in specialized fields; clearly playing a role in achieving a set of goals and requirements of the training program. These components are used to design the overall structure of the training program (such as general education, basic sciences, core subjects, internships and experiences, scientific research, and other components).

The Minister of Education and Training issues this Circular guiding the implementation of doctoral and master's degree training programs for university lecturers pursuant to Decision No. 89/QĐ-TTg dated January 18, 2019 of the Prime Minister approving the Project on Enhancing the Capacity of University Lecturers and Managers to Meet the Requirements of Comprehensive and Fundamental Educational and Training Reform from 2019 to 2030.

PART I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation and Applicability

Article 1. This Circular guides the organization and implementation of doctoral and master's degree training programs for university lecturers pursuant to Decision No. 89/QĐ-TTg dated January 18, 2019 of the Prime Minister approving the Project on Enhancing the Capacity of University Lecturers and Managers to Meet the Requirements of Comprehensive and Fundamental Educational and Training Reform from 2019 to 2030 (hereinafter referred to as the Project), including general provisions; criteria for selecting candidates, rights and responsibilities of students; requirements and criteria for selecting training institutions, responsibilities and authorities of training institutions, sending institutions and organizations implementing the Project. This Circular applies to higher education institutions, organizations and individuals related to the implementation of the objectives and tasks of doctoral and master's degree training programs for university lecturers within the scope of the Project.

Sending institution

Article 2. Interpretation of Terms

1. is a domestic higher education institution (excluding private higher education institutions with foreign investment capital) that has the need to enhance the capacity of its teaching staff at the doctoral and master's levels within the scope of the Project. is a domestic or foreign higher education institution, research institute, or educational organization permitted by the competent authority of the host country to organize and award doctoral and master's degrees; meeting the provisions of this Circular, selected and announced by the Ministry of Education and Training within the scope of the Project.

2. Training Institutions Full-time lecturer

3. is a full-time lecturer of the sending institution who meets the provisions set out in point e, Clause 1, Article 10 of Decree No. 99/2019/NĐ-CP dated December 30, 2019 of the Government detailing and guiding the implementation of certain articles of the Law Amending and Supplementing Certain Provisions of the Higher Education Law. Source lecturer

4. refers to those who, upon the effective date of this Circular, have been admitted or are currently enrolled in doctoral programs at domestic or foreign training institutions, but are not yet full-time lecturers, and have the willingness and commitment from the sending institution to be hired as full-time lecturers after completing their doctoral program through a source lecturer training contract. Full-time lecturer, source lecturer who meets the provisions of this Circular, selected by the sending institution and approved by the Ministry of Education and Training to receive funding support from the Project during their study in doctoral and master's programs, where doctoral students are those studying doctoral programs and master's students are those studying master's programs.

5. Learner is a permanent lecturer or a lecturer who meets the requirements stipulated in this Circular, dispatched by their institution to participate in selection processes and approved by the Ministry of Education and Training for financial support from the Project during their study in doctoral and master's training programs, where doctoral students are those studying doctoral training programs and master's students are those studying master's training programs.

Article 3. Level of education, field of training, and form of training

1. The level of education and field of training within the scope of the Project include:

a) Training at the doctoral level in all fields; prioritizing fields determined to require focused training in Vietnam's high-level human resource development strategy up to 2030 and in subsequent periods;

b) Training at the master's level in fields belonging to the arts sector and the sports group.

2. Forms of training include:

a) Full-time domestic training;

b) Full-time overseas training;

c) Joint training for doctoral programs with part of the study time concentrated domestically and part of the study time concentrated overseas, where the maximum period of overseas training does not exceed two years.

Article 4. Support policies for students

1. Funding support for full-time domestic students includes:

a) Tuition fees paid to the training institution;

b) Study and research support costs;

c) One-time support cost for doctoral students to attend international conferences or short-term internships abroad for a maximum of three months during their study and research period.

2. Funding support for full-time overseas students includes:

a) Tuition fees paid to the training institution;

b) Study and research support costs.

3. For joint training of doctoral programs, students receive funding support according to the provisions of point a and point b, Clause 1 of this Article when studying and researching domestically, and according to the provisions of Clause 2 of this Article when studying and researching overseas.

4. The funding support provided to students is within the term specified in the decision approving the Ministry of Education and Training under Clause 5, Article 12 of this Circular; calculated from the date the student officially enrolls at the training institution or from the effective date of the decision for doctoral students; but not exceeding four years (48 months) for doctoral students and not more than two years (24 months) for master's students.

5. Funding support from the state budget to implement the Project as stipulated in Clauses 1, 2, and 3 of this Article, with specific contents and levels of expenditure according to the guidance of the Ministry of Finance, does not include language training and enhancement costs (if any) for students before they enroll in formal doctoral and master's programs.

Chapter II

OBJECTS AND STANDARDS FOR PARTICIPATION IN SELECTION, RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF STUDENTS

Article 5. Objects and standards for participation in selection

1. Permanent lecturers and source lecturers may participate in the selection to receive project funding support if they meet the following requirements:

a) They are Vietnamese citizens, aged no more than 40 years old at the time of participating in the selection; have good political qualities and morals; are in good health to study; are not under disciplinary review or punishment at the warning level or higher; and are not in cases prohibited from leaving or entering the country according to the law when participating in full-time overseas studies;

b) Participate in the selection to study for a doctorate or master's degree or are currently enrolled in their first doctoral program;

c) Permanent lecturers who meet the admission requirements of the training program, are expected to be officially admitted by the training institution in the year of application or the next consecutive year; or source lecturers and permanent lecturers currently enrolled in doctoral programs must still have at least 18 months of study and research time remaining until the time of application;

d) Have not received or committed to receiving full scholarships from the state budget or other sources for study and research at the level of the selected program at the time of selection.

2. The object participating in the selection to receive project funding support for studying a master's degree must be permanent lecturers teaching fields in the arts sector and the sports group in institutions dispatched from cultural, artistic, and sports sectors.

Article 6. Rights and responsibilities of students

1. Students have the following rights:

a) To be provided with funding support from the Project according to the approved period by the Ministry of Education and Training during their study of doctoral and master's programs at educational institutions;

b) To be sent abroad by the institution and provided with conditions and time arrangements to complete their training program and return to work after graduation;

c) To receive additional financial support from other organizations and individuals during their study and research, provided that such financial support is not a full scholarship and there is no conflict between the student's benefits and responsibilities from receiving funding support under the Project and those from receiving financial support according to the regulations of these organizations and individuals;

d) To enjoy the rights of Vietnamese citizens when studying and researching abroad as stipulated by current regulations.

2. Students have the following responsibilities:

a) To comply with regulations and be subject to management by the educational institution during their study and research; to report progress and results of study and research to the sending institution every six months or at the end of each semester or academic year during the training period and upon completion of the training program;

b) To complete the training program on schedule and be awarded a doctoral or master's degree according to the regulations of the educational institution;

c) Within the study and research period or no later than twelve months after graduation, doctoral students must publish research results directly related to their thesis topic, evidenced by at least two scientific publications for those studying full-time abroad, or at least one scientific publication for others in publications listed in the Web of Science or Scopus (hereinafter referred to as WoS/Scopus) as the main author or corresponding author. For doctoral students in fields of art and sports, they may substitute scientific publications with one officially recognized national or international award by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism;

d) To ensure their own financial resources to continue studying, researching, and completing the training program if the training period exceeds the maximum duration eligible for funding support from the Project as specified in Clause 4, Article 4 of this Circular;

e) To fulfill the responsibilities of students according to the laws of the host country and current regulations applicable to Vietnamese citizens studying and researching abroad;

f) To return to the sending institution immediately after graduation and work for the minimum period as prescribed by Decree No. 143/2013/ND-CP dated October 24, 2013 of the Government on scholarship repayment and training costs for students who are not civil servants or public officials (hereinafter referred to as Decree 143); according to Decree No. 101/2017/ND-CP dated September 1, 2017 of the Government on cadre training and development for civil servants and public officials (hereinafter referred to as Decree 101) for students who are civil servants or public officials, and other relevant current regulations;

g) To repay the funding support received from the Project during their study and research according to the provisions of Decree 143 for students who are not civil servants or public officials, and according to the provisions of Decree 101 for students who are civil servants or public officials, and other relevant current regulations in case of violation of the provisions of Article 3 of Decree 143, Article 7 of Decree 101, and failure to fully fulfill other responsibilities of students as stipulated in this Article.

Article 7. Provisions for students during the training period

1. Students who have a desire and legitimate reasons to temporarily suspend their studies or research must submit a request and be approved by the sending entity and the training institution. During the suspension period, students will not receive support funding from the Project. Students will continue to receive support funding when they return to study or research at the training institution if the total suspension time does not exceed twelve months for doctoral students and six months for master's students. The total duration of support funding provided under the Project shall not exceed the maximum period specified in Clause 4, Article 4 of this Circular.

2. Students who wish to change their field of study or training institution without being disciplined or forced to withdraw due to disciplinary violations must submit a request and be approved by the sending entity. Support funding from the Project will continue to be provided to the student if the following requirements are met:

a) The change of field of study or training institution can only be implemented once throughout the entire study and research period when the remaining time to receive support funding from the Project is equal to or more than half of the time stipulated in the decision approving the Project by the Ministry of Education and Training;

b) The support funding for the student when studying a new field or at a new training institution shall be equal to or less than the total amount of support funding that the student was expected to receive according to the decision approving the Project minus the amount of funding already provided to the student when studying the original field or at the original training institution; in cases where it is higher, the student must self-fund the difference but must fulfill all responsibilities of a student as prescribed in this Circular;

c) The duration of support funding provision shall not exceed the maximum period specified in Clause 4, Article 4 of this Circular calculated from the date of formal enrollment in the original field of study or at the original training institution as stipulated in the decision approving the Project by the Ministry of Education and Training.

3. Support funding will cease to be provided to the student in cases where the student violates the law leading to criminal prosecution, imprisonment, or forced withdrawal due to violation of regulations set by the training institution during the study and research period.

4. Master’s students may register to transfer directly to doctoral studies and receive support funding from the Project if they meet the following requirements:

a) They have graduated and received a master’s degree or a graduation certificate in the same year they apply to enroll in doctoral studies;

b) At least 60% of the courses in the master’s program are rated at the highest level;

c) They are accepted to enroll directly in a suitable doctoral program by the training institution based on their master’s specialization.

5. Based on the requests of the student and the sending entity, the Ministry of Education and Training will consider and decide on the contents stipulated in Clauses 1, 2, 3, and 4 of this Article.

Chapter III

REQUIREMENTS AND CRITERIA FOR SELECTING TRAINING INSTITUTIONS; RESPONSIBILITIES AND LIMITATIONS OF TRAINING INSTITUTIONS AND SENDING ENTITIES

Article 8. Requirements and criteria for selecting training institutions

1. Training institutions wishing to participate in training within the scope of the Project must meet the following requirements:

a) For domestic training institutions: the field of study must be listed in reputable world rankings of fields or areas of education recognized by the Ministry of Education and Training at least once in the last five years up to the selection date; or the doctoral field of study has been recruiting and organizing training for at least five years, with at least five doctoral candidates having graduated and received degrees in the past five years; the master’s field of study has had at least five graduating classes receiving degrees;

b) For foreign training institutions: the doctoral field of study, except those in the arts, sports, and physical education fields, must be ranked among the top 500 in reputable world rankings of fields or areas of education (recognized by the Ministry of Education and Training) at least once in the last five years up to the date the Ministry of Education and Training announces the list of training institutions within the scope of the Project. The list of training institutions for arts and sports fields (including both doctoral and master’s levels) shall be proposed by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism;

c) Training institutions implementing joint doctoral training programs must meet the requirements set out in Point a, Clause 1 of this Article for domestic training institutions, the requirements set out in Point b, Clause 1 of this Article for foreign training institutions, and current regulations on foreign cooperation and investment in the education sector.

2. Fields of study of domestic training institutions meeting the requirements set out in Point a, Clause 1 of this Article will be selected based on the following prioritized criteria:

a) Fields of study with high rankings in internationally recognized rankings;

b) Fields of study with highly qualified faculty reflected in the number of professors, associate professors, international publications, or national-level projects or awards per faculty member;

c) Balance in the structure of fields or areas and regionally for domestic training institutions meeting the conditions to ensure quality.

Article 9. Responsibilities of Training Institutions

1. Domestic training institutions shall be responsible for:

a) Establishing detailed regulations on admissions and organization of training for students within the scope of the Project based on the current regulations on admissions and doctoral training of the Ministry of Education and Training, the institution's regulations, and relevant provisions of this Circular;

b) Organizing admissions, receiving, managing, and supporting students to complete their academic and research tasks during the training period; assigning experienced and reputable lecturers to teach and guide students;

c) Providing information to the sending institution and competent authorities about the academic results and progress of students when requested;

d) Notifying the sending institution when students violate or fail to comply with the institution's regulations;

đ) Refusing admission, handling violations, or dismissing students who do not meet professional requirements or fail to comply with the institution's regulations;

e) Taking the lead and coordinating with the sending institution to decide on sending students to attend conferences, seminars, or short-term internships abroad to support research, complete reports, or scientific articles related to thesis topics published in WoS/Scopus indexed publications;

g) Implementing reporting and archiving systems for related documents according to this Circular and other current regulations.

2. Overseas training institutions shall manage students during the training period; coordinate and provide information about the progress and results of students' studies to the sending institution when requested and in accordance with the institution's regulations and the laws of the host country.

Article 10. Responsibilities of Sending Institutions

1. Developing annual training plans for full-time lecturers and source lecturers with doctoral and master's degrees from 2023 to 2030 in line with the human resource development strategy of the institution.

2. Cultivating sources, supporting full-time lecturers and source lecturers in foreign languages and other skills to meet the admission requirements of domestic and overseas training institutions to enhance their ability to complete study and research tasks.

3. Establishing and promulgating detailed regulations of the institution regarding the selection of full-time lecturers and source lecturers for training under the Project, including regulations on application files, evidence for professional and research capability requirements (if applicable), commitments between the sending institution and full-time lecturers, training contracts with source lecturers, procedures for organizing selections, regulations on reimbursement of project support costs if students fail to fulfill commitments to the sending institution as stipulated in this Circular and other relevant current regulations.

4. Organizing transparent and fair public selections; being responsible for explaining the selection process for full-time lecturers and source lecturers for training, ensuring that they are the right candidates and meet the conditions; resolving issues within their authority during the implementation of the Project at the institution.

5. Supporting students to connect with domestic and overseas training institutions that meet the provisions of Article 8 of this Circular through registered training forms.

6. Coordinating with training institutions to manage and support students during their studies and research, including considering students' requests for changes during the training period, sending students to attend conferences, seminars, or short-term internships abroad; receiving and assigning work to graduates within a maximum of 12 months from the completion of the training program and urging students to fulfill all commitments and obligations.

7. Implementing reporting and archiving systems for related documents according to current regulations and this Circular; managing information about students sent by the institution, updating student information and changes during the training period into the database system for the Project as guided by the Ministry of Education and Training.

8. Cooperating with the Ministry of Education and Training to implement procedures for disbursing support funds for students; being responsible for data and information related to students during their studies and research; recovering training support funds received by students under the Project when they violate the provisions of point g, Clause 2, Article 6 of this Circular or compensating for training costs to the State in cases where they do not accept or arrange employment for students as stipulated in Clause 6 of this Article according to current regulations.

9. Carrying out other activities within the scope of the Project.

Chapter IV

IMPLEMENTATION

Article 11. Registration for Training under the Project

1. For full-time training within the country, training institutions that meet the requirements set forth in point a, Clause 1, Article 8 of this Circular shall develop a project according to the model attached as Appendix I to this Circular, submit one copy of the project along with supporting evidence to the Ministry of Education and Training before September 30 each year.

2. For joint training programs, training institutions that meet the requirements stipulated in point c, Clause 1, Article 8 of this Circular shall cooperate to complete the joint training program dossier for doctoral level training in accordance with the Government's regulations on cooperation and foreign investment in education, submit one set of the dossier along with supporting evidence to the Ministry of Education and Training before September 30 each year.

3. The Ministry of Education and Training shall organize the selection of domestic training institutions and joint training programs at the doctoral level, and publish on its official website the list of domestic training institutions, joint training programs at the doctoral level, and the names of internationally recognized rankings in the relevant fields of training within the scope of the Project.

Article 12. Building Plans and Selecting Students

1. Based on the need to improve faculty members' qualifications, institutions shall prepare plans for selecting and sending their own faculty members and potential faculty members to study for doctorates and master’s degrees within the scope of the next year's Project, submit these plans according to the model attached as Appendix II to this Circular to the Ministry of Education and Training before April 15 each year, and update them into the Project database system.

2. The Ministry of Education and Training shall compile the plans and budget estimates of the institutions sending personnel as specified in point a, Clause 1, Article 14 of this Circular, and send them to the Ministry of Finance before June 15 each year for review.

3. Based on the reviewed and approved total budget estimate, the Ministry of Education and Training shall decide and notify the sending institutions of the number of students eligible to receive financial support from the Project according to each group of disciplines, levels of training, and forms of training before January 15 each year, and update this information into the Project database system.

4. Sending institutions shall organize the selection of their own faculty members and potential faculty members according to the number announced by the Ministry of Education and Training for each group of disciplines, levels of training, and forms of training, complete the selection process before March 15 each year, and update the results of the selection into the Project database system.

5. Periodically or upon receiving information from training institutions, sending institutions shall submit a list of students officially accepted for enrollment according to the model attached as Appendix III to this Circular to the Ministry of Education and Training. Based on this list, the Ministry of Education and Training shall issue decisions approving each individual student, send the sending institutions to complete financial documentation and procedures for sending students to study.

Article 13. Retention of Selection Results

1. Students selected by sending institutions as specified in Clause 4, Article 12 of this Circular shall retain their selection results from the date of the selection results until the date they are officially notified by the training institution to enroll, during the following periods:

a) A maximum of six months for full-time domestic students and students in joint training programs at the doctoral level;

b) A maximum of twelve months for full-time overseas students.

2. After three months for full-time domestic students or six months for full-time overseas students during the retention period specified in Clause 1 of this Article, if students have not been officially enrolled at the registered training institution or have not been allowed to transfer to another training institution or form of training by the sending institution and the Ministry of Education and Training, they may be permitted to transfer to another training institution or form of training if they meet the following conditions:

a) They are accepted for official enrollment by the training institution to which they wish to transfer;

b) The financial support provided to the student at the new training institution is equal to or less than the total estimated cost for the student based on the selection result of the sending institution as specified in Clause 4, Article 12 of this Circular.

3. Beyond the retention period specified in Clause 1 of this Article, if a student does not enroll officially at the registered training institution or at the training institution approved by the Ministry of Education and Training for transfer, they will be removed from the selection list of the sending institution as specified in Clause 4, Article 12 of this Circular. If the student wishes to reapply for selection in subsequent rounds, they may do so.

4. The period for receiving Project financial support begins from the date the student officially enrolls at the registered training institution or at the training institution approved by the Ministry of Education and Training for transfer.

5. The transfer of training institutions specified in this Article does not fall within the scope of transferring training institutions as stipulated in Article 7 of this Circular.

Article 14. Management and Implementation of Funding for the Support Program

1. Sending Institutions:

a) Prepare the annual budget estimate for supporting students within the scope of the Program in accordance with the plan stipulated in Clause 1, Article 12 of this Circular, following the guidance of the Ministry of Education and Training, with specific items and levels of expenditure as prescribed by the Ministry of Finance, and submit to the Ministry of Education and Training;

b) Periodically and when necessary, complete financial files of students who have received approval decisions from the Ministry of Education and Training and officially enrolled, following the guidance and requirements of the Ministry of Education and Training; monitor and compile information on the provision of support funding to students throughout their training period and update regularly into the system of data on the Program;

c) Implement other relevant provisions according to the financial regulations for implementing the Program as guided by the Ministry of Finance.

2. Ministry of Education and Training:

a) Complete the total annual budget estimate for implementing the Program based on the guidance for preparing the state budget estimate issued by the Ministry of Finance, based on the consolidated budget estimates for student support funding submitted by sending institutions to the Ministry of Finance for review and follow the approval process as prescribed;

b) Provide support funding to students who have received approval decisions from the Ministry of Education and Training and officially enrolled, in accordance with current payment control and disbursement regulations upon receiving complete financial files of students from sending institutions, and notify sending institutions of the progress in providing support funding to students to update into the system of data on the Program.

c) Implement other relevant provisions according to the financial regulations for implementing the Program as guided by the Ministry of Finance.

Article 15. Reporting, Inspection, and Audit System

1. By no later than December 20 each year, sending institutions and domestic training institutions shall implement and submit periodic reports to the Ministry of Education and Training in accordance with the form and method of submission and receipt of reports as stipulated in Article 6 of Circular No. 19/2020/TT-BGDĐT dated June 29, 2020, concerning the reporting system under the management of the Ministry of Education and Training, and simultaneously update into the system of data on the Program the following required report contents:

a) Sending institutions shall report using the form attached as Appendix IV to this Circular, including: list of students who have received approval decisions from the Ministry of Education and Training and officially enrolled in the year, by training forms; list of students not yet officially enrolled and expected to be officially enrolled in the next year; number of students expected to be sent for training in the next year by field, level of training, and training form;

b) Domestic training institutions shall report using the form attached as Appendix V to this Circular, listing students currently studying at various levels and the expected number of graduates in the next year;

c) The cut-off date for report data is from December 15 of the previous reporting year to December 14 of the reporting year.

2. Sending institutions and domestic training institutions are responsible for periodically conducting internal inspections, audits, monitoring, and self-assessments of the implementation of the provisions of this Circular.

3. The Ministry of Education and Training shall periodically organize inspections and audits of the implementation of this Circular at sending institutions and domestic training institutions.

Article 16. Effectiveness and Transitional Provisions

1. This Circular shall take effect from October 24, 2021, and replace Circular No. 35/2012/TT-BGDĐT dated October 12, 2012, promulgating regulations on doctoral training under the Project "Training Doctorate-Level Lecturers for Universities and Colleges during the Period 2010-2020," approved by Decision No. 911/QĐ-TTg dated June 17, 2010 of the Prime Minister (Circular 35). 2. Those subjects who have been selected and enrolled in doctoral programs according to Circular 35 shall continue to implement the provisions of Circular 35 until they complete their training program as decided by the Ministry of Education and Training.

3. The Heads of the Office, the Deputy Ministers in charge of Higher Education Department, the Heads of relevant units under the Ministry of Education and Training; the Rectors of universities and academies; the Presidents of university colleges; the Directors of research institutes that offer doctoral training; the Principals or Directors of other educational institutions permitted to conduct doctoral training; and related organizations and individuals are responsible for implementing this Circular./.

3. The Director of the Office, the Head of the Higher Education Department, the Heads of relevant units under the Ministry of Education and Training; the Rectors of universities and academies; the Presidents of research institutes offering doctoral training programs; the Rectors or Directors of other educational institutions permitted to offer doctoral training programs; and related organizations and individuals are responsible for implementing this Circular./.