DOCTORAL PROGRAM IN SOCIOLOGY

PART I: GENERAL INTRODUCTION TO THE TRAINING PROGRAM

1. Some information about the training program

- Program name:

+ Vietnamese name: Sociology

+ English name: Sociology

- Name of the training program:

+ Vietnamese name: Sociology

+ English name: Sociology

- Training program code: 9310301

- Language of instruction: Vietnamese

- Standard training duration: 3 years for those with a master's degree, 4 years for those with a bachelor's degree.

- Name of the degree awarded after graduation:

+ Vietnamese name: Doctor of Sociology

+ English title: Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology

2. Objectives of the training program:

2.1. General Objectives

The doctoral program in Sociology aims to develop independent research capabilities by systematizing interdisciplinary and specialized theoretical knowledge, and employing in-depth research methods in the field of sociology. This fosters the creation of new knowledge and contributes to solving complex social problems at the organizational, local, national, and international levels. Graduates become highly qualified scientific professionals capable of participating in academic activities, solving practical problems, and contributing to the shaping of social policies and strategies.

2.2. Specific Objectives

- Specific Objective 1 (O1): The training program helps learners systematize their interdisciplinary knowledge base, combining theoretical knowledge and in-depth research methods of sociology to apply to theoretical and practical research activities.

- Specific Objective 2 (O2): The training program helps learners develop design capabilities, master research methods and modern data analysis techniques to carry out independent scientific research projects that meet international research standards, in order to discover and create new knowledge, contributing to solving theoretical and practical problems.

- Specific Objective 3 (O3): The training program helps learners develop the qualities of a professional such as academic autonomy, professional ethics and a high sense of social responsibility, collaborative research skills, the ability to lead and guide academic research, and the ability to develop new research to participate in solving practical problems.

3. Admission Information

3.1. Admission method: selection based on evaluation of professional profiles according to the regulations of Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU).

3.2. Eligibility Criteria

3.2.1. Educational requirements

Applicants must have graduated with a Master's degree or a Bachelor's degree with a GPA of Excellent or higher in a relevant field, or have completed a qualification equivalent to level 7 of the Vietnamese National Qualifications Framework in certain specialized fields relevant to Sociology. If applicants require supplementary studies, these must be completed before the decision to recognize them as doctoral candidates is made, and they must have one year of work experience.

- Diplomas issued by foreign educational institutions must undergo recognition procedures in accordance with current regulations.

3.2.2. Research Competency Requirements

- Candidates must demonstrate research experience through a master's thesis from a research-oriented training program. Specifically, candidates with an applied-oriented master's degree, those with a master's degree requiring supplementary studies, or those applying from a bachelor's degree program must be the author or co-author of at least one scientific publication. Scientific publications can be articles in specialized scientific journals or scientific reports published in the proceedings of national or international peer-reviewed scientific conferences or seminars, with an ISBN related to the field or research topic, and included in the list of scientific journals that are scored by the professorship and associate professorship title council.

- The research proposal should clearly state the proposed topic, research field; reasons for choosing the research field and topic; a brief overview of the research situation in that field domestically and internationally; research objectives; some key research contents; research methods and expected results; reasons for choosing the training institution; implementation plan during the training period; the candidate's experience, knowledge, understanding, and preparation for undertaking the doctoral dissertation. The proposal may also suggest a research staff member to be the supervisor.

- A letter of recommendation from at least one scientist holding the title of professor, associate professor, or a doctorate in science or a PhD, who has collaborated professionally with the applicant and is knowledgeable in the field the applicant intends to research. The letter of recommendation must include comments and assessments of the applicant regarding:

+ Moral character, abilities and scientific research attitude, and professional qualifications of the applicant;

+ For scientists who meet the criteria for supervising doctoral students and agree to act as thesis supervisors, additional comments on the urgency and feasibility of the research topic and content should be included; and the ability to mobilize doctoral students for research topics and projects, as well as the available funding for the doctoral students' research activities (if any), should be clearly stated.

+ Other comments and levels of support and recommendations for the candidate to pursue doctoral studies.

3.2.3. Foreign language requirements

- Applicants who are Vietnamese citizens must meet the foreign language proficiency requirements (in one of the following languages: English, French, Chinese, Japanese, German, Korean, or Russian) that align with the foreign language output standards of the training program, as evidenced by one of the following diplomas or certificates:

+ A university degree or higher awarded by a foreign educational institution, a branch of a foreign educational institution in Vietnam, or a Vietnamese educational institution to a full-time student in a foreign language;

+ A university degree in a foreign language or foreign language pedagogy awarded by a Vietnamese educational institution;

+ Possess a foreign language certificate equivalent to level 4 according to the 6-level Foreign Language Proficiency Framework for Vietnam, valid for 2 years from the date of the exam to the date of application, issued by institutions accepted by the Ministry of Education and Training and Vietnam National University, Hanoi.

- Applicants who are foreign citizens and register for a PhD program in Sociology taught in Vietnamese must have a Vietnamese language certificate at least at level 4 or higher according to the Vietnamese Language Proficiency Framework for Foreigners, or have graduated from a university (or equivalent level or higher) where the program is taught in Vietnamese, and must meet the requirements for a second foreign language as stipulated by the program.

3.2.4. Other requirements

- A clean personal record, not currently serving a criminal sentence or subject to disciplinary action at the level of a warning or higher.

- I am healthy enough to study.

- I commit to fulfilling my financial obligations during the training period as stipulated by the University of Social Sciences and Humanities.

3.3. List of suitable industries

- This field is in the same group as Sociology.

- The field of study is defined in the training program standards issued by the Ministry of Education and Training.

- For cases where there are no established training program standards for the corresponding field or group of disciplines, the specialized unit must have a scientific and practical basis, determined by the Scientific and Training Council of the specialized unit and the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, to identify the discipline with the closest professional foundation to the training program and determine the corresponding supplementary courses (if needed); report to VNU before enrollment and be responsible for this professional evaluation.

3.4. Projected enrollment size

+ According to the quotas granted annually by Vietnam National University, Hanoi (expected 3-5 doctoral candidates/year).

+ The admission plan follows the regulations and guidelines for postgraduate admissions of VNU, and the unit's admission plan approved by VNU (if any).

PART II: LEARNING OUTCOMES OF THE TRAINING PROGRAM

1. Requirements regarding thesis quality

A doctoral dissertation in sociology demonstrates the discovery and resolution of new problems, making new contributions to science and practice in the field of sociology, and is valuable in developing and increasing scientific knowledge and comprehensively addressing the issues raised in the dissertation topic.

A doctoral dissertation in Sociology must meet the following requirements:

- Regarding structure: The structure of a doctoral dissertation in Sociology must include at least the following sections:

+ Introduction: Briefly introduce the research project, the reasons for choosing the topic, the purpose, the subjects, the scope of the research, and the scientific and practical significance of the topic;

Overview of the research problem;

+ Theoretical basis; scientific hypothesis; research methods; research results and analytical evaluation;

+ Conclusion and recommendations;

+ List of references cited and used in the thesis;

+ A list of published works/articles related to the doctoral dissertation topic, along with written consent from co-authors (if any);

+ Appendix (if any).

- Comply with intellectual property protection regulations as stipulated in the Intellectual Property Law: The research results in the dissertation must be the result of the doctoral candidate's own work, primarily obtained during their training period. If using the results or materials of others, the author's consent must be obtained and clearly cited. If the dissertation is a scientific work or part of a scientific work of a group in which the doctoral candidate made a major contribution, documents showing the agreement of the members of that group to allow the doctoral candidate to use the group's collective results in writing the dissertation must be presented.

- Dissertations must be checked for plagiarism and duplication before defense.

- The dissertation must be written in Vietnamese, using Unicode characters, Times New Roman font, size 13, and no more than 300 pages, excluding appendices. It must include the doctoral candidate's commitment to the dissertation's content, with at least 50% of the pages dedicated to the candidate's own research results and arguments.

2. Research competency requirements

Doctoral candidates who publish their dissertation research results in a specialized scientific journal as the main author (first name/corresponding author) must achieve a total score of 2.0 or higher, calculated according to the maximum score stipulated by the State Council of Professors for each type of work (as the main author; no points are divided when there are co-authors). International publications must be written in a foreign language; articles published in domestic specialized scientific journals must be on the list of journals for which the State Council of Professors has stipulated a minimum evaluation score of 0.75 points and must meet one of the following criteria:

- Have at least one article published in a scientific journal listed in the Web of Science or Scopus database (hereinafter referred to as WoS/Scopus database);

- Possess one granted patent/utility model and at least one international article/report in one of the following publications: (i) a reference book chapter published by a reputable international publisher, or (ii) a monograph published by a reputable international publisher, or (iii) a report in the proceedings of a peer-reviewed international conference with an ISBN, or (iv) an article published in a peer-reviewed, reputable foreign scientific journal with an ISSN;

- There must be at least two international articles/reports in one of the following publications: (i) a reference book chapter published by a reputable international publisher, or (ii) a monograph published by a reputable international publisher, or (iii) a report in the proceedings of a peer-reviewed international conference with an ISBN, or (iv) an article published in a reputable foreign scientific journal with a peer review and an ISBN.

3. Knowledge Output Standards

3.1. Supplementary course knowledge (for doctoral candidates without a master's degree)

PLO 1: Systematize interdisciplinary knowledge in the field of social sciences and humanities, basic knowledge of science and technology, and in-depth and broad knowledge of the theories and research methods of sociology in order to apply them to professional activities as well as continue studying at a higher level.

PLO 2: Systematizing practical knowledge and in-depth, advanced sociological theories as a basis for application in researching contemporary social issues.

3.2. Knowledge of doctoral course modules, doctoral dissertations, and review essays

PLO 3: Synthesize in-depth sociological theories and modern sociological research methods, linked to the individual student's research orientation, to evaluate specific social issues, provide policy recommendations in the context of globalization and digital transformation, and meet the requirements of sustainable development.

4. Skill Output Standards

PLO 4: Skillfully combine appropriate theories, research methods, and research tools to conduct research on organizational, local, community, and societal issues.

PLO 5: Effective management of scientific research activities requires adaptability, self-direction, and the ability to guide others in a complex and changing context.

PLO 6: Disseminate research results on domestic and international forums, ensuring scientific standards and persuasiveness at both the theoretical and practical application levels.

5. Output standards regarding the level of autonomy and responsibility

PLO 7: Demonstrates the qualities of a sociologist with autonomy, responsibility, and academic integrity when presenting new ideas and knowledge in professional activities and the application of sociological knowledge.

PLO 8: Possesses a high sense of responsibility in self-study and professional knowledge development, continuously developing research capabilities, and creating new ideas to contribute to solving complex social problems in the context of globalization, digital transformation, and sustainable development goals.

6. Job positions that students can take on after graduation.

List job positions within specific types of organizations that employ workers. Note that you should provide the key competency requirements for each position so that learners can develop appropriate learning paths and strategies.

A PhD in sociology can take on the following job positions:

- Social consultant for non-governmental organizations, businesses, and social organizations;

- Expert in managing social development projects;

- Developer of social programs and services;

- Policy consultant;

- Lecturers and researchers in universities, research institutes/centers, and non-governmental organizations.

7. Opportunities for further learning and professional development after graduation.

After graduating with a PhD in sociology, students acquire a solid and in-depth foundation in the theories, methods, and skills of sociology and possess the capacity for lifelong learning, participating in postdoctoral training, and attending conferences and seminars to update their knowledge in the field of sociology. PhDs in sociology are capable of collaborating with experts both domestically and internationally to exchange knowledge and research experience, and can conduct independent research to further enhance their expertise.

PART III: TEACHING AND ASSESSMENT METHODS

1. Teaching methods

- Lectures: The lecturer gives a lecture on a given topic, and the students listen, take notes, and discuss as required by the lecturer.

- Group learning: The instructor divides the class into learning groups and assigns learning tasks. The groups complete the assigned tasks on time.

- Problem-based learning: instructors provide problems related to the learning content, and learners are assigned to solve these problems individually or in groups.

- Teaching through discussion: The instructor prepares discussion topics, learners present their personal views and discuss with group or class members, participating in analysis and contributing to other opinions. The instructor summarizes and concludes the issue.

- Students independently read materials, attend lectures, and search for and research relevant documents related to the course content.

- Students participate in classroom activities organized and guided by the instructor, engaging in group/individual activities.

- Students conduct doctoral research projects under the guidance of their supervisors, with the content of these projects serving as the basis for their doctoral dissertation in Sociology.

2. Evaluation methods

- Regular assessment: Attitude towards participating in theoretical classes + Discussion and group work.

- Midterm assessment: Individual or group assignments, Format: presentation or essay.

- Final exam/assessment: Essay (individual or group).

- For review essays and specialized papers: These will be evaluated by a subcommittee, in accordance with the requirements of the current doctoral training regulations.

- For the dissertation: It will be evaluated by a committee, based on the requirements regarding the form, content, and quality of the dissertation, in accordance with the current regulations for doctoral training.

PART IV: TRAINING PROGRAM CONTENT

1. Summary of training program requirements

1.1 For PhD candidates with a master's degree

Total number of credits to be accumulated: 105 credits, including:

1.2. For PhD candidates who do not yet have a master's degree.
Total number of credits to be accumulated: 139 credits, including:

2. Training program framework

2.1. For PhD candidates with a master's degree

2.2. For PhD candidates who do not yet have a master's degree.

Note: One credit is equivalent to 50 hours of student-standard learning, including time spent observing lectures, guided learning, self-study, research, experiences, and participating in tests and assessments; for classroom teaching activities, one credit requires a minimum of 15 hours of lectures or 30 hours of practical work, experiments, and discussions, with one classroom hour counted as 50 minutes.

(1) Theory

(2) Practice, Experiment, Discussion

(3) Internship, Research, Self-study with assessment