Laws of Vietnam

THE MINISTER OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

DECIDES:

Article 1- General provisions

1. The second university diploma is the diploma awarded to persons who have at least one university graduation diploma and who, after fully completing the university training program in the new subject, meet all the conditions for being recognized as a university graduate and awarded with a university graduation diploma.

2. Training for the award of the second university graduation diploma aims to meet the need to change jobs, foster knowledge and skills, and raise the adaptability of the manpower resource in face of the increasing demand of society.

3. Training for the award of the second university graduation diploma is carried out in the modes of formal and non-formal education according to the following systems and forms of education:

a/ The non-formal system: Learning in the form of study-and-work (non-continuous full-time learning, the former in-service training system), distant learning, guided self teaching.

b/ The formal system: Continuous full-time learning at school.

4. The learners for a second university graduation diploma, who are male students in the military service age group, shall not fall in the category temporarily exempted from military service duty during peacetime as stipulated in Clause 1, Article 1 of Decree No. 3-CP of January 16, 1995 of the Government and in Joint Circular No. 1144/TTLB-QP-GDDT of June 15, 1995 of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Education and Training.

Article 2.- Conditions for learning to get a second university diploma

1. Vietnamese citizens physically fit for learning as prescribed in Joint Circular No. 10/TTLB of August 18, 1989 of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Tertiary and Vocational Secondary Education and Job Training (now the Ministry of Education and Training) and Official Dispatch No. 2445/TS of August 20, 1990 of the Ministry of Education and Training, not in a period of conviction or examination for penal liability and having obtained a university graduation diploma, are entitled to register to learn for a second university diploma.

2. To submit on time a complete dossier of registration for candidacy of examinations as prescribed by the school. The dossier form of registration for candidacy to learn for a second university diploma is stipulated at the appendix attached to this Decision.

3. To meet the criteria for candidacy as prescribed by the school.

Article 3.- Conditions for training to get the second university diploma

1. The training for the second university diploma shall be conducted at the training establishments authorized by the Ministry of Education and Training (or by the National University, the Hue University, the Thai Nguyen University and the Da Nang University with regard to the member universities and the attached faculties) in the branches, which have been allowed to train in the formal system after at least two formal courses of these branches have been completed.

2. The training establishment must send a written proposal to the Ministry of Education and Training (through the Tertiary Education Department and the Planning and Finance Department) and to the National University, the Hue University, the Thai Nguyen University, the Da Nang University (with regard to the training establishments attached to the Universities). The proposal must specify the number of students to be trained for the second university diploma in each branch and the current size of the formal system of this branch; the conditions to assure the training quality such as teachers (number, standard, ratio of students to a teacher), schooling equipment, material bases, teaching and learning materials.

3. On the basis of proposals of the training establishments, the annual rates of formal university training and the conditions to ensure quality, the Ministry of Education and Training shall assign the rates of student enrolment for the second university diploma to the eligible establishments (the Universities shall assign the rates of student enrolment for the second university diploma to the member universities and the attached faculties).

Article 4. Student enrolment

1. After receiving the assigned rates of trainees for the second university diploma, the school Director shall determine the number of students to be enrolled to each branch of training of the school and make public the plan of enrolment on the mass media two months at the latest before the time of enrolment.

2. Form and organization of enrolment

a/ Exemption from exams shall apply to the following cases:

- Persons having a graduation diploma from the formal system of university education now registering to study in a new discipline of the formal system or non-formal system of the same group of disciplines and at the same school where they have studied and graduated from;

- Persons having a university graduation diploma from the formal system of the group of disciplines of natural sciences now registering to study a new discipline of the non-formal system in the group of disciplines composed of technique, technology, economy and foreign languages.

- Persons having a university graduation diploma from the formal system in the disciplines of the group composed of natural sciences, technique and technology and now registering to study in a new discipline of the non formal system in the group of disciplines composed of economy and foreign languages.

In case the number of candidates exceeds the assigned rate of trainees, the Director of the training establishment shall organize examinations to choose the required number. The subjects, contents and forms of examinations shall be decided by the Director of the school and notified to the candidates.

b/ Forms of examination

- Persons not in the category of exam-exemption mentioned at Point a, Clause 2 of this Article and those registering to learn for the second university diploma, formal system, shall sit for examinations in two subjects of general education knowledge of the discipline in which they shall be trained for the second diploma.

- The director of the training establishment shall provide for the subjects, contents and form of the exams and notify the examinees in advance.

- All regulations on the compilation of tests, protection of the tests secrecy, organization of the exams, and marking of the tests shall conform to the Regulation on enrolment to universities, colleges and vocational secondary schools, formal system, issued together with Decision No. 05/1999/QD-BGDDT of February 23, 1999 of the Minister of Education and Training.

3. With regard to the teacher schools, the security and defense schools, and special branches in the domains of culture, art, physical culture and sports, the Director of the training establishment shall make concrete provisions for the conditions to register for the exams, the subjects of the exams, the contents, forms and organization of enrolment.

Article 5.- Program of training and reservation of knowledge

1. The training program for the second university diploma of each discipline is the training program of the formal system of this discipline which is being taught at the training establishment.

2. The learner has to pass all the parts of the curriculum of the second discipline which have not yet been studied in the first discipline or have not been fully taught as prescribed.

3. The learner can make reservation of only the result of his studies in the curriculum of the first training program which has a number of credits equivalent or greater than those in the training program of the new discipline and of which he has got marks five upward.

4. On the basis of the results of the studies shown in the marksheet attached to the diploma, the Director of the training establishment shall decide the reservation of knowledge, the volume of knowledge, the credits and contents to be learnt by each student.

Article 6.- Organization of training, appraisal of the study results, consideration and recognition of graduation and award of diploma

1. Basing himself/herself on the number of learners, the disciplines which they have followed, the disciplines they have registered to learn, the system of training and the form of training for the second university diploma, the Director of the training establishment shall organize the appropriate classes for the learners.

2. The regulations on the training to award the second university diploma shall be the same as to the organization of training, testing, examinations and recognition of graduation and award of graduation diploma with regard to the mode, system and form of training currently in force. More concretely:

a/ For learners in the form of study-and-work (the former in-service training system), the regulations on examinations, testing appraisal of the results of studies, consideration and recognition of graduation shall conform to the Regulation of the non-formal system. They are eligible for the award of the second university diploma in the study-and-work form (the former in-service training system) if they meet the graduation conditions.

b/ For learners in the forms of distant learning and guided self-teaching the regulations on testing, examinations, sitting for exams and recognition of graduation shall conform to the Regulation on these forms. They shall be awarded the graduation diploma in the form of distant learning or guided self teaching if they meet the graduation conditions.

c/ Learners in the form of continuous studies at school who fully observe the regulations on enrolment, theoretical studies, practice, exercises, thesis preparation, end-of-term essay or end-of-course examinations, examinations, testing, appraisal of results of studies shall conform to the Regulation on the formal system. They shall be awarded the formal-system graduation diploma if they meet all the conditions for the consideration and recognition of graduation as learners of the formal system.

3. The graduation diploma shall record the form of training. Under the title Graduation Diploma, the words "Second diploma" shall be printed in parenthesis.

Article 7.- Reporting on and managing the studies dossier

1. A month at the latest after the enrolment work, the training establishment shall have to send the report on the list of candidates, and a month after the end of a training course, send the list of the students awarded the graduation diploma to the Ministry of Education and Training and the managing ministry for monitoring.

2. The member universities, the departments attached to the National University. the Hue University, the Thai Nguyen University and the Da Nang University shall send their reports to the universities to which they are attached.

3. The dossier to monitor the enrolment, the results of studies, the award of the graduation diploma of the learner for the second university diploma is part of the long-term file dossiers of the training establishment.

Article 8.- Training cost

1. The cost of training for the second university diploma shall be borne by the learner or the agency which sends him/her for learning. The school fees thus collected are the complementary budget source of the school.

2. The collection and use of the school fees shall comply with the current prescriptions of the State.

Article 9.- Implementation provision

1. This document applies to the enrolments beginning from the 2001-2002 academic year. The earlier experimental training courses for the second university diploma which have been permitted by the Ministry of Education and Training shall be allowed to continue until the end of the training course as stipulated in these documents.

2. The Director of the Ministry Office, the Director of the Higher Education Department, the heads of the related units of the Ministry and the Directors and Rectors of the universities shall have to implement this Decision.

For the Minister of Education and Training
Vice Minister
VU NGOC HAI