Many universities in Vietnam offer bachelor's degree programs in 3 years instead of 4 years as before, giving students an advantage when applying for jobs.
From the 2023-2024 school year, Dai Nam University (Hanoi) will shorten the training time for Economics - Business from 4 to 3 years with 3 semesters per year. Some majors in the school's Social Sciences block will also be trained in 3 years, including Tourism and Travel Services Management, Multimedia Communications, and Public Relations. Except for Medicine, other majors will have their training time shortened from half a year to a year.
In Ho Chi Minh City, Nguyen Tat Thanh University has trained many majors in 3 years since 2018, such as Vocal Music, Piano, International Relations, Psychology, Vietnamese Studies, Press Relations, Business Administration, Marketing, International Business, Finance - Banking, Accounting.
Gia Dinh University has trained all 45 majors in the fields of Information Technology, Economics - Management, Social Sciences - Languages, Digital Media, in 3 years, from 2017 to present. Currently, the school has had two graduating generations.
Universities affirm that shortening the time compared to the usual schedule does not mean mechanically cutting down the duration but rather rearranging the training program and content to be suitable and beneficial for students.
Students of Hanoi University of Science and Technology during a lab class, 2022. Photo: USTH
According to the national education system framework approved by the Prime Minister in October 2016, university training programs will last 3-5 years of concentrated study, down from the 4-6 years prescribed since 1993.
The Ministry of Education and Training explained at that time that "this adjustment helps the university education system to approach more closely the common international standards in organizing university and postgraduate training".
In fact, in Vietnam at that time, some schools trained and awarded bachelor's degrees in three years such as British University Vietnam, RMIT Vietnam or University of Science and Technology Hanoi (USTH).
Dr. Mai Duc Toan, Director of the Admissions and Communications Center, Gia Dinh University, said that the training duration has been reduced from 4 years to 3 years but still ensures 8 semesters with 120 credits according to the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training.
The first year has two semesters, mainly studying general subjects. The following two years, each year students have three semesters, focusing on specialized subjects, while also spending time in businesses, learning from reality so that they can work immediately after graduation.
"Instead of a long summer break like a 4-year program, students studying for 3 years have a shorter break and then graduate early," said Mr. Toan.
At the Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Hai Dang explained that all 16 undergraduate majors are taught in 3 years because they follow the Bologna process. More than 40 European countries have signed this process, recognizing credits and degrees from each other.
Compared to the standard training program in Vietnam, the 3-year training according to the Bologna process has some differences, such as the number of credits. With a normal 4-year program, students study about 140 credits, but at USTH, students study 180 credits, which means a shorter time but a larger study load.
A school year is still divided into two semesters, but students often have to study both morning and afternoon, not just one session like in most universities today.
"This puts more pressure on students, but when they graduate, they get used to the pressure so they can adapt to the working environment better," Mr. Dang acknowledged.
According to Mr. Dang and Mr. Toan, the training program is only 3 years, helping students reduce living and studying costs, while saving study time, giving them an advantage when looking for a job.
At Gia Dinh University, the rate of students finding jobs right after graduation is 93.7%, the rest find other opportunities or continue studying. At Hanoi University of Science and Technology, this figure was over 98% last year.
Mr. Toan said that during admissions consultation sessions, parents and students are particularly interested in the 3-year training program. The short training time is considered an attractive point for students to enroll in the school.
However, experts say that not all training programs can be shortened. For example, for medical training programs such as Medicine or Dentistry, the training time at all universities is 6 years. For technical programs, with engineering degrees, the training time is still mostly 5 years.
However, with the current credit training system, university students are allowed to register for courses according to their abilities. Therefore, every year, thousands of students still graduate early, especially in the fields of Business - Economics and Social Sciences and Humanities.
For example, at Hanoi National University, the number of students graduating early from 3 months to a year has increased every year, from 135 in 2019 to 204 in 2021. At the National Economics University, the number of students graduating early in 2022 reached 4%, an increase of 2% compared to 2021.
Universities all agree that early graduates are often highly valued by businesses for their dynamism and good learning ability.
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