Experts warn of a "matrix" of new academic fields.

Universities are massively opening new programs following a multidisciplinary model and chasing "hot" fields, leading many experts to warn of the risk of creating a "matrix" of academic disciplines, which in turn risks the quality of education and wastes social resources.

The race to open "hot" industries.

Dr. Le Viet Khuyen, former Deputy Director of the Department of Higher Education (Ministry of Education and Training), believes that developing multidisciplinary universities is a global trend, linked to multi-sector economies . In the transition from a centrally planned economy to a market economy, the single-discipline university model gradually revealed its limitations and was replaced by a multidisciplinary model. This shift reflects a training orientation that meets the needs of the modern labor market and the digital transformation process. However, this trend is only meaningful when higher education institutions fully meet the conditions for opening new programs, including three core elements: faculty, facilities, and curriculum. While curricula can be referenced from other universities, facilities cannot be simply "borrowed."

In reality, the healthcare and high-tech industries require significant investment and a well-trained faculty. Despite this, many non-specialized schools still open medical and pharmaceutical programs without meeting the necessary conditions, posing a risk of producing low-quality graduates. According to Dr. Khuyen, managing this issue is the responsibility of the Ministry of Education and Training, with two key aspects: Criteria for opening programs must be specific and rigorous, avoiding the practice of "borrowing" faculty; and facilities, especially for specialized fields, must be strictly controlled. "Training doctors must be linked to practical hospital settings – something that non-medical schools or private schools find difficult to match. Furthermore, the trend of opening high-tech programs, particularly training chip design engineers, is happening on a massive scale. However, according to professional literature, training chip engineers requires specialized facilities and rigorous processes, and cannot be quickly transferred from information technology."

Students proactively research information about their chosen field of study before the university entrance exam - Illustration: OU

Dr. Khuyen expressed concern about "the quality management of training when many institutions chase trends and exploit social sentiment." For example, the target of training 50,000-100,000 chip engineers has been set, but Vietnam currently has almost no institutions that meet international standards. However, the opening of new programs is rampant, leading to wasted resources and difficulties for graduates in finding jobs. According to him, expanding training must be accompanied by supervision and accountability. Schools need to publicly disclose their staffing, facilities, and training capacity for social oversight, especially for "hot" fields, while also strengthening monitoring of graduates to avoid the situation where graduates are only "crying for help" after completion due to student unemployment.

Faced with a "maze" of new academic fields, parents and students need to carefully consider their choices, avoiding blindly following trends or simply aiming for a university degree. They should also consider the actual needs of the labor market, identifying which professions and fields the country is currently lacking manpower in.

For high-demand sectors such as information technology, emerging technologies, and fields related to digital transformation and socio-economic development, due attention is needed. Conversely, for sectors with a surplus of manpower, where graduates struggle to find jobs, parents and prospective students should exercise caution before pursuing such studies. Spending 4-5 years in university without a job is not only a waste for families but also a significant waste for society.

Representative Pham Van Hoa

Representative Pham Van Hoa, from the National Assembly delegation of Dong Thap province, argued that for highly specialized and in-depth training fields such as medicine and pharmacy, multidisciplinary universities should not be allowed to offer these programs indiscriminately. These fields should be concentrated in specialized medical and pharmaceutical universities to ensure quality and depth of expertise. "Given that these fields directly relate to human health and life, controlling quality would be very difficult if many multidisciplinary universities offered similar training programs," Representative Hoa stated.

A major current problem is the disparity in the quality of student intake. While medical and pharmaceutical universities recruit students with very high scores, some majors requiring 28-30 points, many other universities have much lower admission scores but still offer the same programs. Low entry requirements make it difficult to guarantee the quality of graduates, leading to significant negative consequences for society. If a new program is truly necessary, it must be approved and evaluated by the Ministry of Health . Current criteria for opening new programs are too general and lack specificity, creating loopholes for some training institutions to circumvent the law. The Ministry of Education and Training needs to issue clear and strict criteria for specialized fields, and at the same time coordinate with relevant ministries and agencies to develop conditions for in-depth training. The medical and pharmaceutical fields need separate regulations; they cannot be applied generally like other fields. "If training is too broad and heavily theoretical, graduates will only have degrees but will not meet practical requirements, causing great waste for society," Representative Hoa said.

Be cautious amidst the "maze" of academic fields.

Pham Trung Hieu, a 12th-grade student at Nguyen Binh Khiem High School for the Gifted (Da Nang), said: "I plan to apply to the Medical program at Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine using the high school graduation exam and will not register for medical programs at newly established universities." He added that the medical field demands high-quality training, while newly established universities lack the confidence in the quality and value of their degrees compared to long-established medical institutions. Currently, the medical field primarily recruits students through the high school graduation exam, with fewer admission methods compared to other fields. Therefore, if students focus well on that one exam, they can still achieve a worthy result.

Admissions and career guidance counseling helps candidates avoid getting lost in the "maze" of academic majors - Illustration: HCMUE

Similarly, Phung Manh Trung, a 12th-grade student from Luong Tai No. 2 High School (Bac Ninh), noted that the 2026 admissions season will see many changes with diverse admission methods such as academic transcripts combined with foreign language certificates, separate entrance exams for universities, the high school graduation exam, or combined methods. In particular, "candidates need a clear plan to avoid getting lost in the maze of admissions information. Students must proactively seek information regularly alongside their exam preparation," Manh Trung said.

Regarding college admissions, Dr. Le Viet Khuyen offered three recommendations for students and parents: Firstly, consider the student's genuine interest and aptitude for the chosen field; secondly, understand the societal demand for the profession, and this information should be transparently published by the press and state management agencies; thirdly, assess the actual capacity of the training institution, determining whether the school is qualified to open the program or is simply doing so as a trend. "In many countries with developed education systems, career counseling is systematically organized from an early stage, while in Vietnam this work is still weak. Many current 'career guidance' activities are essentially recruitment efforts, aimed at attracting students, rather than helping students understand themselves and the labor market," Dr. Khuyen stated.

Source: https://phunuvietnam.vn/chuyen-gia-canh-bao-ma-tran-nganh-hoc-moi-238260203154016926.htm