Universities reorganize, rename numerous majors

Numerous majors, including foreign language pedagogy, computer science, and business administration, will be consolidated under a single code, according to the Ministry of Education and Training's new catalog.

A circular on the university training major catalog, issued by the Ministry of Education and Training and effective from 12/10, introduces key changes compared to the current system.

The Ministry continues to categorize 24 training fields, ranging from educational science and teacher training, arts, humanities, business and management, to computer and information technology, engineering, health, security, and defense. However, it introduces new majors, renames existing ones, and reorganizes others.

For example, within the teacher training major group, the Ministry introduces a new major: pedagogy of Vietnamese ethnic minority languages. This major will encompass several former majors such as Bana language pedagogy, Ede language pedagogy, Jrai language pedagogy, Khmer language pedagogy, Hmong language pedagogy, Cham language pedagogy, Mnong language pedagogy, and Xedang language pedagogy. This consolidation means all these specialties will be grouped under mot major code.

Similarly, English, French, Russian, Chinese, German, Japanese, and Korean language pedagogy majors, which were previously distinct with different codes, are now merged by the Ministry into a new major named foreign language pedagogy.

In the business and management field, brand management, enterprise and technology management, and industrial management and enterprise development majors are reorganized into a new major code: business administration.

For the computer and information technology group, there were previously ba major codes related to computer science and engineering, and computer science and information. These are now consolidated into mot code: computer science.

Some majors are renamed, such as textile engineering, which is now textile and garment engineering. Nature, environment, and sustainable development conservation is now nature conservation and biodiversity.

The Ministry states that the development of this new catalog aims to standardize the classification system and develop majors. It will facilitate admissions, training, quality accreditation, and degree issuance and management.

In the future, the classification and arrangement of programs and majors will be based on their developmental origins, comparing the scope and content of knowledge and professional skills.

The new major catalog and rearranged majors.

The renaming of majors will be based on scientific grounds, practical development, human resource requirements, or common international classification tables. To rename or remove a major, the Ministry stipulates that at least 75% of universities in Vietnam currently offering that major must propose the change.

According to some experts, the Ministry's reorganization of the new major catalog is reasonable, preventing the current situation of overly fragmented major codes. Universities must inform candidates about this to prevent misunderstandings that a major has been discontinued when it has only been renamed or its code changed.