Draft reforms usher in ‘two-track’ masters system

By Hiep Pham. New draft regulations for postgraduate degree programmes – including introducing a two-track system of masters degrees to tackle Vietnam’s need for higher qualified university lecturers – have been released by the Ministry of Education and Training.
The draft, published for consultation on the ministry’s website, proposes overarching changes, even though wide-ranging regulations on postgraduate education were issued just a year ago.
In particular, masters-level courses will be divided into ‘professional’ and ‘research-oriented’ tracks.
Most masters students are expected to enrol in the ‘professional’ category, while research masters students would spend more time on high-level research, preparing them for future academic careers, according to Deputy Minister for Education Bui Van Ga.
Speaking to local media last week, Ga admitted that postgraduate education in Vietnam did “not meet the demands of society or even the educators themselves”, and said it was time for “comprehensive reform”. Read more...