Double degrees: opportunities and challenges

The dual degree program in Tourism Studies has been implemented at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities since the 2009-2010 academic year, and to date, three cohorts have been enrolled and trained. To meet the information needs of students regarding this new program, on September 22nd, the Faculty of Tourism Studies organized a seminar entitled “Tourism and Travel Service Management: Dual Degree Program and Career Opportunities” to help students gain a more thorough understanding of the career realities related to Tourism and Travel Service Management and the feasibility of pursuing a dual degree program.Although not a large number of students participated, the questions posed to the guest speakers were very specific and relevant to the learning and working realities of students pursuing a double degree in Tourism Management & Hospitality. This showed the genuine consideration and interest of the students themselves in this new learning opportunity. Furthermore, the guest speakers were all senior managers at large hotels and travel companies, as well as successful alumni working in the tourism industry, so their answers and experience sharing attracted a great deal of attention from the students.

Double degrees: many benefits

Ms. Nguyen Thu Thuy, Deputy Head of the Faculty of Tourism, stated that second and third-year foreign language students can pursue a double degree in Tourism Management and Travel & Tourism within two years, thus graduating with two university degrees. Currently, foreign language students already possess excellent foreign language skills, but their career orientation is not yet clear. A double degree will help broaden future career opportunities. The Faculty currently offers two specializations: Hotel Management and Travel & Tour Guiding. Responding to a question from Ms. Nguyen Thi Diu, a K55 student majoring in Chinese at the University of Foreign Languages, regarding the possibility of combining Chinese language expertise with tourism management, Ms. Dinh Nguyet Anh, General Director of Viettraltour, said that while tourism companies currently prioritize English, Chinese is also an advantage in services catering to Chinese tourists. In particular, Chinese tourists currently account for the largest number of tourists on tours to Vietnam. For foreign language students majoring in Japanese, pursuing a dual degree in Tourism Management & Hospitality Management offers many advantages, affirmed Ms. Nguyen Thu Thuy. The Faculty of Tourism Studies has a cooperative relationship with Rikkyo University, and students proficient in Japanese will be given priority in participating in courses and internships in collaboration with this university. In addition, the Faculty also teaches specialized English to ensure students have sufficient English proficiency for their work. In the future, the Event Management major will have a course taught entirely in English. Huu Chau, a German student currently pursuing a dual degree in the third cohort, inquired about the difficulties of deferring his studies and retaking the course with the next cohort. Responding to this concern, Mr. Pham Van Hue (dual degree specialist in the Training Department) provided the following information: students can absolutely take the remaining courses with the next cohort or be arranged to take courses with regular students in the Faculty of Tourism, ensuring they maintain their program progress. Regarding internships during their studies, Ms. Le Thi Hanh (Head of Human Resources at the 5-star Crowne Hotel) said: students from the Faculty are welcome to register to become temporary staff at the 5-star Crowne Hotel, and will participate in a training session on basic work etiquette before officially starting work. Ms. Hanh also stated that 33 students from the Faculty have interned at Crowne over the past two years, with a minimum duration of one and a half months. Similarly, the General Director of Viettraltour also confirmed that the company regularly accepts students for internships or part-time work in various positions. However, to become a part-time worker, students must have certain foreign language skills and communication skills, enjoy the work, and pass a test set by the company.

Knowledge or experience?

One of the issues that many students were concerned about at the seminar was whether, instead of pursuing a double degree, graduates from any major could simply obtain a tour guide certification to be recognized as competent and job-ready. So, when recruiting, do tourism service companies prioritize knowledge, qualifications, or work experience? This concern received sincere feedback from the guest speakers, who all agreed that the choice depends on each student's passion for the profession and their intention to commit to it long-term. Ms. Dinh Nguyet Anh stated: “We care about both. Experience is great, but experience alone is not enough to accumulate the necessary knowledge for long-term career advancement. Focus on learning to acquire a certain level of knowledge in a specialized field you are interested in.” Mr. Doan Van Tuan, a former student of the K54 Tourism Studies program and currently the Deputy Director of a tourism company, shared that the practice of employing people with both Bachelor's degrees in Tourism Studies and those with only tour guide certificates still exists. However, hiring people with vocational certificates is usually only done during peak tourist seasons. Tourism companies always value young people equipped with fundamental professional knowledge; having a solid foundation is more likely to lead to long-term commitment to the company and their chosen profession. Mr. Tuan also advised: "If you intend to work in tourism long-term, you absolutely must have a solid foundation of knowledge so that you can develop in any direction in your career later." Agreeing with the viewpoints of the two guests, Ms. Nguyen Thu Thuy gave an example: students from the Tourism Studies Faculty in previous years, upon graduation, were often criticized by tourism companies for having slightly weak foreign language skills. But after just a few years in the profession, you have shown remarkable growth and progress, advancing rapidly to many positions. This is because you are equipped with a very good foundation of knowledge, which serves as a support system, allowing you to easily adapt to practical work, fostering creativity, flexibility, and a clear career path. Leaders of tourism companies always prefer candidates with a strong foundation of basic knowledge, as this is the inner strength that will help them go further in their careers. In fact, for those who are passionate about the profession and make efforts to learn and train, the rewards are well-deserved: good benefits, further training abroad, and the opportunity to challenge themselves in various positions to enrich their professional experience. The guest speakers also revealed quite attractive salaries for management positions in the industry. Accordingly, in the hotel management industry, department heads earn between $1,500 and $3,000 per month. In the tourism industry, management positions offer salaries ranging from $1,000 to $1,500, while leadership positions can reach $2,000 to $2,500. Particularly, salaries can reach up to $7,000 for management positions in high-end hotels and resorts. Tour guides, especially international guides, earn very attractive incomes, reaching several thousand dollars depending on individual capabilities. New opportunities for students of Social Sciences and Humanities: At the seminar, new information regarding this year's dual degree program in Tourism and Hospitality Management was also shared. This includes expanding the target group; previously only students from the University of Foreign Languages, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, were admitted. Now, students from other majors within the University of Social Sciences and Humanities also have the opportunity to enroll in a dual degree program to enhance their career prospects. In addition to the two existing majors, a dual degree program in Event Management is planned for next year. Studying for a double degree in two majors offers many advantages for students at the University, as a significant number of credits are waived for the second degree. Currently, the credit-based training method and the shared M1 and M2 knowledge blocks in the curriculum of all majors help students save time and effort, while also making the selection of courses for the second degree simpler and more convenient. However, the lecturers also advised that those wishing to pursue a double degree must be highly determined, as it comes with a busy schedule, requires significantly more time and effort than regular students, not to mention the relatively high tuition fees for both majors… To conclude the seminar, Ms. Nguyen Thu Thuy shared her experience after teaching students in this program for a while: “There seems to be a difference in learning mindset between double degree students and regular students. Double degree students, perhaps because they have set their learning goals in advance, coupled with the significant financial investment in their double degree, study with a much more positive, diligent, and proactive attitude. They have clear expectations of lecturers in class, and are very interested in proactively learning about professional practices even while still in school. And the grades of the first cohort of double degree students, which is about to end, prove this, with very good overall academic results and a fairly high percentage of students graduating with honors.”