The Sociology Department of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities: A journey to leave its mark on the world scientific map.

The journey of cultivating academic prestige
The QS WUR by subject 2025 ranking is based on five criteria with weights customized to suit the fields, including: (1) Academic Reputation; (2) Employer Reputation; (3) Citations per paper; (4) H-index measuring the productivity and impact of faculty publications; (5) International Research Network.
Based on the above criteria, the Sociology field of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities is ranked based on several outstanding criteria that the Sociology major ( thuộc toDepartment of Sociology and Social WorkAchievements over the years. The Sociology Department has been accredited according to the AUN-QA quality standards in 2018 and 2023, respectively. The Faculty of Sociology and Social Work regularly surveys alumni and employers, receiving many positive assessments regarding the practical application of the field and the high adaptability of students and trainees in their work. The number of international publications by faculty members in the Faculty of Sociology and Social Work has consistently exceeded the university's KPIs over the past three years. The Faculty boasts a reputable and high-quality research faculty, particularly two strong research groups at the Hanoi National University level (the Gender, Population and Environment Research Group and the Social Security and Social Work Research Group). Each year, these two strong research groups successfully organize numerous conferences, publish monographs, and publish many scientific works domestically and internationally in prestigious journals. Members of these strong research groups also participate in many high-quality international scientific exchanges annually. Currently, the Faculty continues to attract adjunct faculty members who are leading professors in Sociology to participate in the development and adjustment of the curriculum each year. According to Dr. Dang Kim Khanh Ly, Head of the Department of Sociology and Social Work at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, the predecessor of the Department of Sociology was the Sociology Division, established in 1976 (within the Faculty of Philosophy, Hanoi University). This was an important starting point, opening up opportunities for research and teaching on sociological issues in Vietnam. In 1991, the Department of Sociology and Psychology was officially established by Decision No. 2494/TCCB of the Minister of Education and Training. Immediately after that, the Department was tasked with training bachelor's, master's, and doctoral students in Sociology, contributing to the training and development of high-quality human resources for the field of Sociology in Vietnam.
After more than 30 years of official training, research, and development, the Faculty of Sociology and Social Work has become a leading and trusted institution for training high-quality human resources in both Sociology and Social Work in Vietnam. Therefore, from 2025, the Faculty of Sociology will officially change its name to the Faculty of Sociology and Social Work. The addition of Social Work as a specialization to the Faculty's name affirms the Faculty's strategic direction, especially in the context of the strong development of the Social Work field in Vietnam, and also confirms the Faculty's strengths in training in both Sociology and Social Work.
Sociology is a field of study that provides a crucial foundation for many different professions in society. Sociology is best at explaining and predicting social issues, events, and relationships objectively, based on data and scientific research evidence. Therefore, sociologists often develop analytical thinking skills, convincingly explaining all aspects of society and possessing the ability to apply their knowledge to many jobs and professions today.
Affirming Vietnam's leading position in research and training in Sociology.
From 1992 to the present, the Faculty of Sociology and Social Work, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, has trained 2,693 full-time Bachelor of Sociology graduates, 1,114 part-time Bachelor of Sociology graduates, 529 Master of Sociology graduates, and 111 doctoral candidates.
Following the transition from a semester-based to a credit-based system, the Sociology training programs at all three levels have been adjusted and updated to align with the University and Faculty's development direction at each stage, as well as to meet the needs of the labor market and international integration. Specifically, the Bachelor of Sociology program has undergone three quality accreditations and achieved accreditation standards according to the AUN-QA standards for cycles 1 and 2 (2018 and 2023). Postgraduate Sociology programs have also been standardized in preparation for accreditation. The Faculty's current undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programs in Sociology were updated and adjusted in 2023 with a learner-centered approach, defining the learning outcomes for each level of training in line with the field and the philosophy, mission, and vision of the University and the Faculty, and becoming increasingly attractive to society.
With a high-quality staff (including 21 full-time faculty members, among whom are 4 Associate Professors, 12 PhDs, 2 doctoral candidates, 2 Master's degree holders, and 1 Bachelor's degree holder), the Faculty of Sociology and Social Work focuses its research on many important areas such as social policy, educational sociology, gender, health, family, sustainable development, and social work. The Faculty's scientific research activities have achieved many successes with 46 ISI/Scopus articles and 56 other international publications; and 236 domestic articles. A total of 42 monographs and textbooks have been published. Many faculty members are project leaders or participants in research projects at various levels, with 37 projects as project leaders and 43 projects in which they participated.
Dr. Dang Kim Khanh Ly emphasized that the Faculty of Sociology and Social Work has set strategic goals to further affirm the position of the Sociology field at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. These goals include improving the quality of scientific research, increasing international publications, promoting research cooperation with leading universities worldwide; updating teaching programs according to international trends, and enhancing the application of technology and big data in social research. The Faculty of Sociology and Social Work and the university are strengthening and expanding partnerships with academic organizations, research institutes, and international and domestic businesses, promoting the application of Sociology in practice such as supporting the development and improvement of public policies, participating in solving social issues such as inequality, social welfare, and sustainable development…
In the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025 (QS WUR by Subject 2025), Vietnam National University, Hanoi (VNU) has two subject groups and 12 ranked subjects (of which 10/12 subjects are in the top 500). Of the 12 VNU subjects ranked in 2025, 5/12 are ranked for the first time, and 5/12 have improved their ranking compared to the previous period.
In this assessment, Vietnam National University, Hanoi had 4 fields/groups of fields ranked in the top 400, and 7 fields/groups of fields ranked in the top 500.
The press reported:
Vietnam National University, Hanoi website: The Sociology Department of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities - A journey to leave its mark on the world scientific map.
People's Representatives Newspaper: The field of Sociology at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities has made its mark on the world scientific map.
Related articles:
QS by subject 2025: Vietnam National University, Hanoi has many fields ranked in the top 400 to 500 worldwide.
Opening Ceremony of the 358th AUN-QA Program Evaluation: VNU-USSH Accredits 3 Training Programs According to International Standards