Thông tư 17/2021/TT-BGDDT

CIRCULAR

PROVIDING FOR STANDARDS AND FORMULATION, APPRAISAL AND PROMULGATION OF TRAINING PROGRAMS OF HIGHER EDUCATION

Pursuant to the Education Law dated June 14, 2019;

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

Pursuant to the Law on Amendment to the Law on Higher Education dated November 19, 2018;

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

Pursuant to the Government’s Decree No. 141/2013/ND-CP dated October 24, 2013 detailing and providing guidelines for a number of Articles of the Law on High Education;

Pursuant to the Government's Decree No. 99/2019/ND-CP dated December 30, 2019 elaborating and providing guidelines for a number of Articles of the Law on Amendments to Law on Higher Education;

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

The Minister of Education and Training hereby promulgates a Circular providing for standards and formulation, appraisal and promulgation of training programs of higher education.

Chapter I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope and regulated entities

1. This Circular provides for standards of training programs of higher education; formulation, appraisal and promulgation of standards of training programs of academic disciplines; and formulation, appraisal and promulgation of training programs of higher education.

2. This Circular is applicable to higher education institutions, other educational institutions permitted to provide higher education programs, academies and institutes established by the Prime Minister in accordance with the Law on Science and Technology and permitted to provide doctoral programs (hereinafter collectively referred to as “training institutions”) and relevant organizations and individuals.

3. This Circular is not applicable to training programs whose degrees are awarded by foreign training institutions, including training programs provided in cooperation with other countries according to regulations on foreign cooperation and investment in education.

4. Training programs adopted according to regulations in Point c Clause 1 Article 36 of the Law on Higher Education (amended in 2018) must adhere to regulations of this Circular.

Article 2. Definitions

In this Circular, the terms below are construed as follows:

1. “training program” refers to a system of designed and organized educational and training activities that count towards training objectives and a higher education degree. A training program includes objectives, knowledge volume, structure, content, methods for assessment appropriate to the subjects, academic discipline and qualification, and expected learning outcomes in compliance with the Vietnamese Qualifications Framework.

2. “standards for training programs at a higher education level” means general and minimum requirements applicable to all training programs of an academic discipline (or academic discipline group or field of training) at such level, including requirements for objectives, expected learning outcomes, admission requirements, minimum academic load, structure and content, methods for teaching and learning assessment, and program provision conditions to ensure training quality (herein after referred to as “level-based program standards”).

3. “standards for training programs of an academic discipline (or academic discipline group or field of training) at a level” means general and minimum requirements applicable to all training programs of the academic discipline (or academic discipline group or field of training) and appropriate to the corresponding level-based program standards (hereinafter referred to as “discipline-based program standards”).

4. “expected learning outcomes” means the quality and capacity that learners will achieve after completing a training program, including minimum requirements for knowledge, skills, independence and responsibilities of learners upon graduation.

5. “admission requirements” of a training program refers to minimum requirements in terms of qualifications, capacity and experience for persons who wish to enroll in the training program.

6. “level-7 specialized training programs” means the training programs of some special academic disciplines according to the Government’s regulations that require learners to achieve qualification equivalent to level 7 of the Vietnamese Qualifications Framework; “level-8 specialized training programs” means the training programs of some special academic disciplines according to the Government’s regulations that require learners to achieve qualification equivalent to level 8 of the Vietnamese Qualifications Framework.

7. "research-oriented training programs” refers to training programs whose objectives and content focus on basic theory and principles of sciences and development of source technologies that provide the foundation for development of applied sciences and technology.

8. “application-oriented training programs” refers to training programs whose objectives and content focus on development of basic research results, application of source technologies as technological solutions and management procedures and design of tools that meet human’s diverse needs.

9. “job-oriented training programs” refers to training programs whose objectives and content focus on equipment of in-depth knowledge and skills and development of professional capacity in connection with a group of specific professional titles.

10. “field of training” means a collection of some academic discipline groups having common specialized or professional characteristics and corresponding to level II education and training list of list of education and training of the national educational system.

11. “academic discipline group” means a collection of some academic disciplines having common specialized characteristics and corresponding to level III education and training list of list of education and training of the national educational system.

12. “subject” or “unit of study” (hereinafter collectively referred to as “unit of study”) means a collection of designed teaching and learning activities that aim to achieve certain learning objectives and equip learners with knowledge and skills concerning a specific area of study in the training program. A unit of study is usually taught in one semester.

13. “component” of a training program means a group of units of study and other learning and research activities that have common specialized characteristics; and play a clear role in achieving a group of objectives and expected learning outcomes of the training program. Components are used to design the general structure of the training program, such as introductory courses, basic science, basics and core of the academic discipline, practical, experiences and scientific research, and other elements.

Article 3. Objectives for promulgation of training program standards

1. Training program standards shall provide the bases for the following activities:

a) Promulgation of regulations on offering of new academic disciplines, admission quota determination, admission organization, organization and management of joint training, and standards for training program assessment and accreditation by the Ministry of Education and Training;

b) Development, appraisal, promulgation, adoption, assessment and improvement of training programs; formulation of regulations on admission, training organization and management, recognition and transfer of credits for learners, and recognition of training programs of other training institutions; and accountability assurance by training institutions;

c) Inspection of training programs and training program quality assurance by competent authorities; supervision of training operations and results of training institutions by relevant parties and the whole society.

2. Level-based program standards shall provide the bases for formulation, appraisal and promulgation of discipline-based program standards at each level. Discipline-based program standards at each level may have higher or broader requirements compared to the general requirements in the corresponding level-based program standards.

Chapter II

LEVEL-BASED PROGRAM STANDARDS

Article 4. Objectives of training programs

Requirements for objectives of a training program:

1. State the expectations of the training institution for the capacity and career prospects of learners after they complete the training program.

2. Specify whether the training program is research-oriented, application-oriented or job-oriented; how it meets requirements of employers and relevant parties.

3. Be appropriate and connected to the mission, vision and development strategy of the training institution and society’s need; suitable for the objectives of higher education mentioned in the Law on Higher education and description of the education level according to the Vietnamese Qualifications Framework.

Article 5. Expected learning outcomes of training programs

Requirements for expected learning outcomes of a training program:

1. Be clear and practical; name academic results concerning general understanding and core capacity at the education level as well as specific requirements of the field of training or academic discipline that learners should achieve after they complete the program.

2. Measure and evaluate according to cognitive learning levels, providing the basis for design, application and improvement of teaching content and methods; assess learners’ performance and award degrees to learners.

3. Be consistent with objectives of the training program, show contributions in a clear manner and include requirements representative of employers and other relevant parties.

4. Specify the education level and ensure expected learning outcomes concerning necessary knowledge, skills, independence, responsibilities and capacity according to regulations for the corresponding level in the Vietnamese Qualifications Framework.

5. Ensure relevance to admission requirements of the higher education level (if any) and, concurrently, facilitate admission to other programs at the same level, especially programs in the same academic discipline group or field of training.

6. Be elaborated in expected learning outcomes of units of study and components of the training program, and adopted in a systematic manner via connections between units of study and components.

7. Be feasible and appropriate to the program load so that the majority of learners, who meet admission requirements, can complete the program in standard time.

Article 6. Admission requirements of training programs

1. Admission requirements of a training program must clarify minimum requirements in terms of qualifications, capacity and experience applicable to the education level, academic discipline and training orientation for persons who wish to complete the training program successfully.

2. Admission requirement of undergraduate programs and level-7 specialized training programs: learners must complete high school or equivalent.

3. Admission requirements of masters programs: learners must complete undergraduate study (or equivalent level or higher) in a suitable academic discipline and have level-3 foreign language qualification according to the Vietnamese 6-level framework of reference for foreign languages or equivalent. Admission requirements of research-oriented masters programs: learners must hold a bachelor's degree classified as good or higher or have published scientific papers related to the field of training for which they are applying.

4. Admission requirements of doctoral programs: learners must complete graduate study or a level-7 specialized training program in a suitable academic discipline or hold a bachelor's degree classified as very good (or equivalent or higher degree) in a suitable academic discipline; and have level-4 foreign language qualification according to the Vietnamese 6-level framework of reference for foreign languages (or equivalent or higher qualification); and have research capacity and experience.

Article 7. Academic load

1. Academic load of a training program or each component or each unit of study of a training program shall be determined by number of credits.

a) A credit shall be equivalent to 50 hours of study by a learner, including time for class attendance, study with instructions, self-study, research, experiences, examinations and assessments;

b) For in-class teaching activities, a credit requires at least 15 hours of teaching or 30 hours of practical, experimentation and/or discussion, with one class hour equivalent to 50 minutes.

2. Minimum academic load of a training program must comply with requirements of the Vietnamese Qualifications Framework. To be specific:

a) For undergraduate programs: 120 credits and physical education and national defense-security education load per existing regulations;

b) For level-7 specialized training programs: 150 credits and physical education and national defense-security education load per existing regulations; or 30 credits for persons holding a bachelor’s degree in the same academic discipline group;

c) For masters programs: 60 credits for persons holding a bachelor’s degree in the same academic discipline group;

d) For doctoral programs: 90 credits for persons holding a master’s degree, and 120 credits for persons holding a bachelor’s degree in the same academic discipline group.

3. Minimum academic load of dual-degree programs shall have 30 credits and major/minor degree programs shall have 15 credits more than that of corresponding single-degree programs.

Article 8: Structure and content of training programs

1. Requirements for structure and content of a training program:

a) Specify the role of each component and unit of study as well as logical connection and mutual complementation between components and units of study with the aim of achieving the general objectives and requirements of the training program;

b) List out general specialized and professional requirements and characteristics of the field of training and/or academic discipline group at the education level, facilitating bridge programs between academic disciplines and education levels; concurrently, elaborate specific requirements and characteristics of the academic discipline.

c) Stipulate major components compulsory for all learners; concurrently, provide additional and optional components that learners may choose according to their career plans;

d) Provide guidance for learners in a flexible manner; enable learners to draw up their own study plans as suitable for their capacity and personal circumstances.

2. Each component and unit of study of the training program must specify their objectives, entry requirements, expected learning outcomes, credit quantity and specialized content and characteristics; and clear contribution to achievement of objectives and expected learning outcomes of the training program.

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

a) Compulsory introductory courses include political theory, law, physical education and national defense-security education per existing regulations;

b) For dual-degree programs and major/minor degree programs, their structures must present the common components and specific components of each academic discipline.

c) Minimum practical load of level-7 specialized training programs shall be 8 credits.

4. Requirements for masters programs:

a) For research-oriented programs: scientific research load shall range between 24 and 30 credits, including 12-15 credits for thesis and 12-15 credits for other research topics, graduate projects and projects;

b) For application-oriented programs: practical shall be 6-9 credits; unit of study for graduation shall be 6-9 credits in the form of graduate project or project.

5. Requirements for doctoral programs:

a) At least 80% of each program is dedicated to scientific research and doctoral thesis;

b) Maximum 16 credits are for compulsory or elective units of study for learners who enroll with a master’s degree;

c) Maximum 30 credits are for compulsory or elective units of study for learners who enroll with a bachelor’s degree.

Article 9. Teaching methods and academic performance assessment

1. Teaching methods must be designed by regarding the learner as the center and subject of the training process and with the aim of encouraging the learner to participate in learning activities with proactivity and effort, and providing effective guidance to enable the learner to achieve the expected learning outcomes of each unit of study, each component and the whole program.

2. Academic performance assessment must be made based on expected learning outcomes and determine the learner’s cognitive learning level according to the expected learning outcomes of each unit of study, each component and the whole program.

3. Academic performance assessment must include formative assessment and summative assessment; and shall provide the basis for timely revision of teaching and learning activities, supporting the learner’s progress, improvement of the training program and adoption of the training program.

Article 10. Lecturers and support personnel

1. Training program standards must stipulate minimum requirements in terms of quantity, structure, qualifications, capacity and experience of lecturers and support personnel teaching and supporting learners with achieving the expected learning outcomes of training programs.

2. Requirements for lecturers of undergraduate programs and level-7 specialized training programs:

a) Lecturers shall hold a master’s degree or higher; assistant lecturers shall hold a bachelor’s degree or higher;

b) At least 01 full-time lecturer shall have a doctorate in a suitable academic discipline to take charge of formulating and adopting the training program;

c) At least 05 full-time lecturers shall have a doctorate in a suitable specialization to take charge of teaching the training program, with each component of the program in charge by a lecturer with a suitable specialization;

d) There shall be sufficient lecturers to ensure compulsory learner/lecturer ratio.

3. Requirements for lecturers of masters programs:

a) Lecturers shall have a doctorate;

b) At least 05 full-time lecturers shall have a doctorate in a suitable academic discipline, with one professor or associate professor taking charge of formulating and adopting the training program;

c) A full-time lecturer with a suitable specialization shall take charge of teaching each unit of study;

d) There shall be sufficient instructors to ensure that each instructor is in charge of no more than 05 learners.

4. Requirements for lecturers of doctoral programs:

a) Lecturers shall have the title of professor or associate professor; or hold a doctorate with good research capability;

b) Full-time lecturers shall include at least 01 professor (or 02 associate professors) of a suitable academic discipline and 03 lecturers holding a doctorate in a suitable academic discipline;

c) There shall be sufficient instructors to ensure that each professor is in charge of no more than 07 research students, each associate professor is in charge of no more than 05 research students and each doctorate holder is in charge of no more than 03 research students.

5. For discipline-based program standards, their requirements for lecturers shall not be lower than the requirements in Clauses 2, 3 and 4 of this Article; requirements for learner/lecturer ratio; and requirements for supporting personnel (if necessary) shall be appropriate to the characteristics of each field of training, academic discipline group or academic discipline.

Article 11. Facilities, technology and educational resources

Discipline-based program standards shall stipulate minimum requirements for facilities, equipment for practice and experiments, information technology, libraries, educational resources and systems for learning support and management and training management to assist learners in achieving expected learning outcomes of their programs and as appropriate to the characteristics of each field of training, academic discipline group or academic discipline.

Chapter III

FORMULATION, APPRAISAL AND PROMULGATION OF DISCIPLINE-BASED PROGRAM STANDARDS

Article 12. Formulation of discipline-based program standards

1. Discipline-based program standards shall be formulated for each education level and each field of training or some academic discipline groups (hereinafter collectively referred to as “discipline set”) where necessary in compliance with the following requirements:

a) Meet requirements of the corresponding level-based program standards in Chapter II of this Circular;

b) Have general regulations applicable to all academic disciplines of the discipline set and specific regulations for each relevant academic discipline (if necessary);

c) Be based on general requirements for future jobs and work positions of learners of academic disciplines of the discipline set;

d) Have active participation and useful contribution from relevant parties, including representatives of training institutions, employers, professional associations and experts in specialized areas;

dd) Refer to and compare with training program models and standards of relevant international organizations or other countries;

e) Ensure autonomy in training program formulation of training institutions; provide requirements but not stipulate detailed structure of training programs or units of study, excluding the units of study mentioned in Clauses 3, 4 and 5 Article 8 of this Circular.

2. Procedure for formulation of discipline-based program standards is provided for in the Appendix enclosed therewith.

Article 13. Discipline set advisory councils

1. Discipline set advisory councils shall be established by Ministries as assigned in the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 436/QD-TTg dated March 30, 2020 (hereinafter referred to as "supervisory Ministries”) and support supervisory Ministries in formulating training program standards for corresponding discipline sets (hereinafter referred to as “set-based program standards”).

2. Discipline set advisory councils may use seals of units assigned to organize formulation of set-based program standards by supervisory Ministries (hereinafter referred to as “standard formulating authorities”).

3. Discipline set advisory councils shall operate according to the guidance of the Ministry of Education and Training.

4. Organizational structure of discipline set advisory councils

a) Every council shall consist of a chairperson, deputy chairpersons, members and secretary being experts in the field of training, academic discipline group or academic discipline of the program standards to be formulated; these persons shall have good reputation and professional experience and qualifications suitable for the functions, duties and specialized areas of the council;

b) The council shall have at least 09 members, including representative of the Ministry of Education and Training; representative of the supervisory Ministry; representative of the standard formulating authority; representatives of some higher education institutions; representatives of enterprises, professional organizations, associations and human resources management authorities; and experts in formulation, development and assurance of quality of training programs;

c) Quantity, structure, composition and standards of council members and council chairperson shall be decided by the supervisory Ministry;

d) Specialized boards of the council shall assist the council with its duties. Members of each specialized board shall include some council members and other experts whose reputation and professional qualifications and experience are suitable for the specialized area of the board.

5. Duties of discipline set advisory councils

a) Determine formulation of set-based program standards for each field of training or discipline set and list of relevant academic disciplines; necessity of providing specific requirements for each academic discipline;

b) Formulate and update set-based program standards in compliance with corresponding level-based program standards according to regulations in Article 12 of this Circular and propose them to the Minister of Education and Training for appraisal and promulgation;

c) Participate in inspection, supervision and assessment of compliance with training programs of training institutions as prescribed by law;

d) Perform other duties assigned by the standard formulating authority as prescribed by law.

6. Responsibilities of discipline set advisory councils

a) Take responsibility for content and quality of set-based program standards; practicality; compliance with level-based program standards; conformity to existing regulations and assurance of autonomy of training institutions;

b) Be held accountable before competent authorities, training institutions and other relevant parties for matters concerning set-based program standards;

c) Formulate regulation of operations, assign tasks to council members; propose member change and council strengthening to the supervisory Ministry (if necessary);

d) Cooperate with standard formulating authorities in reporting on standard formulation plans, progress and results to the Ministry of Education and Training and supervisory Ministries.

Article 14. Standard formulating authorities

1. Supervisory Ministries shall select and assign affiliated entities that are reputable, have large influence on relevant fields of training, are capable of and experienced in developing training programs and ensuring quality thereof to organize set-based program standard formulation.

2. Duties of standard formulating authorities:

a) Cooperate with discipline set advisory councils in preparing program standard formulating plans and ensuring funding and workforce for as well as progress of program standard formulation as per regulations of law and guidelines of the Ministry of Education and Training;

b) Assist operations of discipline set advisory councils and organize other activities in support of set-based program standard formulation;

c) Be held accountable before state agencies and the society for matters concerning organization of set-based program standard formulation.

Article 15. Appraisal and promulgation of training program standards

1. The Minister of Education and Training has the power to decide establishment of a council for appraisal of the training program standards of each discipline set (hereinafter referred to as “standard appraising council”). Standards and structure of standard appraising councils are as follows:

a) Every standard appraising council shall consist of a chairperson, deputy chairpersons, members and secretary being experts in the field of training or academic discipline of the program standards to be appraised; these persons shall have good reputation and professional experience and qualifications suitable for the functions, duties and specialized areas of the council; special cases shall be decided by the Minister of Education and Training;

b) The council shall have at least 09 members, including representative of the Ministry of Education and Training; representative of the supervisory Ministry; representative of the standard formulating authority; representatives of some higher education institutions; representatives of enterprises, professional organizations, associations and human resources management authorities; and experts in formulation, development and assurance of quality of training programs;

c) Members of standard appraising councils may not join discipline set advisory councils.

2. Duties and powers of standard appraising councils:

a) Appraise set-based program standards to evaluate their quality and advise the Ministry of Education and Training on issuing decisions to promulgate these standards;

b) Appraise training program standards according to regulations of this Circular, existing regulations on admission and training organization for corresponding education levels; minimum requirements for program provision; other relevant regulations on training programs; and requirements and standards of academic disciplines;

c) Give one of the following conclusions in a clear manner: the program standards are approved by the council and do not require any revision; or the program standards are approved by the council but require some revision and specify such revision; or the program standards are not approved by the council and provide the reason for such disapproval;

d) Take responsibility before state agencies and the society for their work; and be held accountable by request.

3. Meetings of standard appraising councils

a) Standard appraising councils shall appraise training program standards as planned by the Ministry of Education and Training;

b) Meetings of standard appraising councils must be recorded in writing. The minutes shall include results of voting on conclusions of the councils and signatures of council members.

4. The Minister of Education and Training shall decide promulgation of standards for training programs of academic disciplines and discipline sets of each field of training and education level based on conclusions of standard appraising councils.

Article 16. Revision of training program standards

1. Training program standards must be revised at least once every 05 years. Where necessary, the Ministry of Education and Training may decide to revise training program standards of academic disciplines and discipline sets of each field of training in accordance with scientific and technological advancement and training development trends.

2. The Ministry of Education and Training shall cooperate with supervisory Ministries in deciding strengthening of existing discipline set advisory councils or establishment of new councils to revise set-based program standards according to regulations in Articles 12 and 13 of this Circular.

3. The Minister of Education and Training shall organize appraisal and promulgation of training program standards according to regulations in Article 15 of this Circular.

Chapter IV

FORMULATION, APPRAISAL AND PROMULGATION OF TRAINING PROGRAMS

Article 17. Formulation of training programs

1. Heads of training institutions have the power to decide establishment of councils for training program formulation (hereinafter referred to as “program formulating councils”) to formulate training programs. Every program formulating council shall include:

a) Lecturer representatives who are knowledgeable about the academic discipline or specialized area of the program, directly involved in teaching or training management of the training institution and capable of formulating and developing the training program;

b) Experts in training program development and higher education quality assurance;

c) Representatives of employers in relevant fields who are knowledgeable about recruitment requirements and job positions in relation to the field of training of the program.

2. Heads of training institutions shall decide standards, quantity, composition and members for program formulating councils; stipulate duties and powers of program formulating councils and members thereof.

3. Requirements for training programs:

a) Meet requirements of level-based program standards according to regulations in Chapter II of this Circular, discipline-based program standards, set-based program standards (if any) and the Vietnamese Qualifications Framework;

b) Present contributions to labor demand satisfaction according to sectorial, local and national socio - economic development plans and strategies and demand of the labor market;

c) Reflect requirements of relevant parties, including representatives of lecturers of specialized units, representatives of employers and professional associations, experts in specialized areas and alumni currently working in their fields of training;

d) Refer and be compared with accredited training programs of the same education level and academic discipline of reputable Vietnamese and foreign training institutions;

dd) Be designed based on expected learning outcomes of training programs; provide both skills and knowledge; have matrices for units of study with expected learning outcomes, ensure that expected learning outcomes of training programs are sufficiently distributed to and covered by expected learning outcomes of their units of study;

e) Teaching, learning and assessing activities must be made into plans and designed based on expected learning outcomes of units of study, ensuring provision of teaching activities that support achievement of expected learning outcomes;

g) Provide regulations and guidelines on adopting training programs, ensuring training quality;

h) Be approved by scientific and training councils of training institutions before promulgation.

Article 18. Appraisal and promulgation of training programs

1. Heads of training institutions have the power to decide establishment of councils for training program appraisal (hereinafter referred to as “program appraising councils”). Standards and structure of program appraising councils are as follows:

a) Every program appraising council shall include professors, associate professors and holders of doctorates in the program’s academic discipline or an academic discipline close to the program's discipline if it is a new discipline and experts in the discipline and specialized area of the program who are capable of formulating and developing the program and ensuring higher education quality. Members of program appraising councils may not join program formulating councils;

b) The council shall have an odd number of members and be composed of a chairperson, secretary, at least 02 reviewers from two different training institutions and other council members, with at least 01 member representing employers;

c) Heads of training institutions shall decide standards, quantity, composition, structure and members for program appraising councils in compliance with regulations in Points a and b Clause 1 herein.

2. Requirements for training program appraisal:

a) Evaluate compliance with regulations of program standards, existing regulations on training organization for corresponding education levels; other relevant regulations on training programs; requirements of academic disciplines and predetermined objectives and expected learning outcomes;

b) Give one of the following conclusions in a clear manner: the training program is approved by the council and does not require any revision; or the training program is approved by the council but requires some revision and specify such revision; or the training program is not approved by the council and provide the reason for such disapproval.

3. After program appraising councils give their conclusions, based on opinions of scientific and training councils of training institutions, heads of training institutions shall sign decisions to promulgate and adopt training programs.

4. Training programs of foreign higher education institutions must be appraised as per regulations of this Article before they may be adopted according to regulations in Point c Clause 1 Article 36 of the Law on Higher Education (amended in 2018).

Article 19. Assessment and improvement of training program quality

1. Training programs shall be reviewed, assessed and revised on a regular basis; training institutions must improve training quality based on review and assessment results.

2. Requirements for training program assessment:

a) Meet requirements of the Vietnamese Qualifications Framework, level-based program standards according to regulations in Chapter II of this Circular, discipline-based program standards, set-based program standards (if any);

b) Be made based on evaluation of achievement of expected learning outcomes of the program for each cohort and feedback from relevant parties (employers, learners, lecturers, professional organizations, etc.). Each expected learning outcome must be assessed at least twice during the program assessment cycle;

c) Clarify efficiency of the current program (suitability for predetermined objectives and expected learning outcomes; consistency and connection between content, assessment methods and resources for learning and teaching of the program);

d) Put forwards proposals for improving the program's quality and predict impact of changes made to the program; assessment and improvement results must be published on the website of the training institution.

3. A cycle for comprehensive assessment of a training program shall last for no more than 05 years; procedures for such comprehensive assessment shall be similar to procedures for new training program formulation. Heads of training institutions may announce assessed and revised training programs as new training programs or revised training programs.

4. Assessment of a training program’s quality prior to graduation of the first cohort made in accordance with regulations on new program offering in Clause 18 Article 1 of the Law on Amendment to the Law on Higher Education must meet requirements provided in this Article.

Chapter V

IMPLEMENTATION

Article 20. Implementing responsibilities

1. The Ministry of Education and Training shall provide discipline set advisory councils with guidelines on formulation of program standards for specific academic disciplines and discipline sets.

2. The Ministry of Education and Training shall direct training institutions to formulate, appraise, promulgate and adopt training programs, publish information on all of their training programs on their web portals according to regulations of this Circular and relevant law provisions.

3. Training institutions shall stipulate formulation, appraisal, promulgation and adoption of new training programs; review, assess and improve their training programs according to regulations in Article 19 of this Circular.

4. For academic disciplines, discipline sets and fields of training without applicable training program standards, training institutions shall implement regulations in Chapter II of this Circular and refer to Vietnamese and international professional standards for corresponding academic disciplines, discipline sets and fields of training to formulate, appraise and promulgate training programs.

Article 21. Requirements for reporting and publication of information on training programs

1. Training institutions shall submit annual reports on the following matters to the Ministry of Education and Training:

a) General information on their training programs, including program names, locations where the programs are provided, minimum requirements for provision of the programs and accreditation status of the programs;

b) Impacts of assessments of the programs and assessments of expected learning outcomes thereof upon program quality improvement;

c) Resources for program provision, including analysis of quantity and distribution of lecturers and lecturers whose qualifications are relevant to the academic discipline; budget and funding sources, and training facilities and equipment.

2. Reports on training programs according to regulations of this Circular shall be made in writing and updated to national databases according to guidelines of the Ministry of Education and Training.

3. Heads of training institutions and heads of educational quality accreditation organizations shall take responsibility for reporting time and report accuracy and quality.

4. Training institutions shall publish the following information on their websites:

a) General information on training programs, including specific admission cohorts; training mode, method and duration; and information required according to training program standards;

b) Results of assessment of expected learning outcomes of training programs, and improvements made to training programs in the past 5 years to increase training quality;

c) Accreditation status of currently available training programs.

Article 22. Implementation clauses

1. This Circular comes into force from August 07, 2021.

2. This Circular supersedes Circular No. 07/2015/TT-BGDDT.

3. Training institutions adopting training programs that are formulated according to regulations in Circular No. 07/2015/TT-BGDDT may continue to adopt these programs for cohorts admitted and enrolled before January 01, 2022. For cohorts admitted after January 01, 2022, training institutions shall implement regulations of this Circular.

4. New training programs shall be provided in compliance with regulations of this Circular from the entry into force of this Circular.

5. Chief of the Ministry Office, Director General of Higher Education Department, heads of relevant affiliates of the Ministry of Education and Training; heads of training institutions and relevant organizations and individuals shall implement this Circular./.

APPENDIX

(Enclosed with Circular No. 17/2021/TT-BGDDT dated June 22, 2021 by Minister of Education and Training)

PROCEDURES FOR FORMULATION OF TRAINING PROGRAM STANDARDS

Step 1: Collect, translate, compare and analyze documents describing services, activities and jobs of the academic discipline as follows:

Collect, review, translate and analyze documents describing services, activities and jobs of the academic discipline in some other countries;

Collect, review and consolidate Vietnamese legislative documents concerning jobs related to the academic discipline;

Compare with results of analysis on documents concerning duties of learners of the academic discipline in Vietnam (find similarities and differences).

Step 2: Conduct survey and formulate list of types of jobs related to the academic discipline based on results of secondary data analysis; Consolidate and finalize list of types of services, activities and jobs related to the academic discipline.

Step 3: Survey and collect opinions of relevant parties (managers, professionals, training institutions, employers) on list of types of jobs related to the academic discipline;

Write a draft report on list of types of jobs related to the academic discipline and required capabilities (capabilities necessary for these types of jobs).

Step 4: Formulate draft training program standards (based on regulations on discipline-based program standards and set-based program standards and required professional capabilities of the academic discipline);

Formulate a survey on the training program standards and feasibility of application of the standards to development of programs for Vietnam based on investigation, survey and interview results.

Step 5: Survey opinions of relevant parties (managers, professionals, training institutions, employers and learners of the academic discipline) on the draft training program standards and feasibility of application of the standards to learners of the academic discipline in Vietnam.

Step 6: Complete the draft training program standards and feasibility of application of the standards to learners of the academic discipline in Vietnam based on survey results.

Step 7: Complete the draft training program standards and report on the research into and analysis of capabilities required of learners of the academic discipline in Vietnam to the Ministry of Education and Training.