Offering bilingual PhD program in Biology

The staff of the Institute of Biotechnology of Hue University conducting scientific researches

The "strict" requirements

Assoc. Prof. Truong Thi Hong Hai, Director of the Institute of Biotechnology, Hue University said that this program would be carried out in both Vietnamese and English, allowing even international students to enroll. With advanced training programs, in addition to the compulsory entry requirements, domestic candidates must have a university degree or a master's degree issued by a foreign training institution using English (or another foreign language)  in the course of study or a diploma of foreign languages ​​taught by a Vietnamese institution; TOEFL iBT 45 or above or IELTS 5.0 (Academic Test) certificates issued by an assessment institution, recognized internationally and in Vietnam, within 2 years prior to enrollment.

To ensure the quality of the training program, candidates must also meet the requirement which stated that they should be the author of an article or a report related to the field of study, intended to be published in scientific journals or specialized conference proceedings available for review within 3 years (up to the registration date).

The training program is both in continuous and discontinuous forms. In particular, the form of continuous focus requires that the candidates with master's degree must study for 3.5 years, the ones with engineer or bachelor degree must study for 5 years.

For the discontinuous program, the study time lasts longer, from 4 years (for those who hold a master's degree) to 6 years (for those who have bachelor degrees). In this case, the PhD student must have an application and work plan at the Institute of Biotechnology, approved by their supervisors, the Director of the Biotechnology Institute, and the consent of the Director of Hue University prior to the issue of their PhD candidate accreditation.

Representatives of the Institute of Biotechnology, Hue University said that implementing a bilingual doctoral program is not simple. In addition to the program of the Institute, Hue University has carried out only one PhD program in Animal husbandry at the University of Agriculture and Forestry in English.

"The Institute has spent more than a year to research, develop the program and undergo many evaluation steps in accordance with the regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training, especially the regulations on facilities and professional staff. "said the head of the Institute.

Promotion to attract learners

Immediately after Hue University announced the admission of PhD candidates in 2018, on November 01, 2018, the Institute of Biotechnology has conducted the promotion of enrollment in many units and localities in the country and prepare to promote enrollment in Laos and other countries in the region. Staff at the Institute of Biotechnology share, in the country, there are now a lot of training units of higher education and university level in many majors, such as Biology, Experimental Biology, Biotechnology, Zoology, Botany, Ecology, Genetics ...

In Hue and in Central Highlands, there are many units that can coordinate with one another to promote enrollment. The Institute of Biotechnology has sent enrollment announcements, and taken advantage of online broadcasting channels to introduce the program to learners.

The Institute of Biotechnology is developing a plan, preparing for a launching its promotion program in December 2018 in other countries in the region, beginning at universities in Laos, and then expanding its coverage to Myanmar and Cambodia. – countries in which students are also in need of learning these fields in English.

To attract learners, the policy instituted by the Institute of Biotechnology is to support 100% of research costs for research students who do researches whose topics coincide with those implemented at the Institute. In addition, the Institute will support 1 million VND per month for each PhD candidate; supervisors will support 50% of tuition fees if the candidates are doing full-time research in their projects.

For international students, they will be provided with rooms in the dormitory. At the end of the program, the Institute of Biotechnology will create employment opportunities if they are qualified. "The Institute of Biotechnology is being invested and developed under the scheme of development of the institute to become a national biotechnology center in the central region, approved by the Prime Minister. It is expected that the scale up to 2025 will have 150 - 200 professional staff, so there would be a lot of job opportunities for students," Mrs. Hai said.

According to the representatives of Hue University, the Institute of Biotechnology is currently carrying out many topics at all levels, which are able to help PhD candidates to participate in the researches. This is convenient for students to attend the program and is also a good information that this unit can promote to students.

Story and photo: Huu Phuc