What are the penalties for evaluating a doctoral dissertation when the learner has not completed the curriculum according to the law in Vietnam?

What are the penalties for evaluating a doctoral dissertation when the learner has not completed the curriculum according to the law in Vietnam?

Based on point a, clause 5, Article 11 of Decree 04/2021/ND-CP:

Violation of regulations on time, content, and educational program

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4. A fine ranging from 5,000,000 VND to 10,000,000 VND shall be imposed for failing to organize the defense of dissertations, theses, projects, or graduation essays as stipulated in the educational program.

5. A fine ranging from 10,000,000 VND to 15,000,000 VND shall be imposed for any of the following acts:

a) Organizing the evaluation of a master's thesis or doctoral dissertation when the student has not completed the study program as prescribed;

b) Establishing a council to evaluate master’s theses or doctoral dissertations with incorrect composition as prescribed.

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Additionally, point b, clause 3, Article 11 of Decree 04/2021/ND-CP stipulates:

Forms and levels of penalties in the field of education

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3. The levels of fines in the field of education:

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b) The fines prescribed in Chapter II of this Decree shall be applied to administrative violations committed by organizations, except for the provisions in clause 5 of Article 9, clause 2 of Article 11, clause 1 and points a, b, c, d, e of clause 3 of Article 14, point b of clause 3 of Article 21, clause 1 of Article 23, clause 1 of Article 29 of this Decree which prescribe fines for administrative violations committed by individuals. For the same administrative violation, the fine for individuals is half the fine for organizations.

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Thus, educational institutions that evaluate a doctoral dissertation when the student has not completed their studies will be fined from 10,000,000 VND to 15,000,000 VND.

What are the penalties for evaluating a doctoral dissertation when the learner has not completed the curriculum according to the law in Vietnam? (Image from Internet)

What are the requirements for dissertation evaluation at the specialized unit in Vietnam?

Based on Article 14 of the Recruitment and Training Regulations for Doctoral Degrees issued with Circular 18/2021/TT-BGDDT, the evaluation of the dissertation at the specialized unit is organized when the doctoral candidate meets the following requirements and additional requirements of the training institution for each training program (if any):

- Completed the courses in the doctoral training program

;- Has a draft doctoral dissertation approved by the supervisor or co-supervisor for evaluation at the specialized unit;

- Is the main author of scientific conference reports, scientific articles published in journals listed in WoS/Scopus, or a book chapter published by reputable international publishers, or an article in domestic scientific journals with a score framework of 0.75 points or higher according to the training field as prescribed by the State Professor Title Council, or a monograph published by reputable domestic and international publishers. The total points must be 2.0 points or higher as per the maximum points specified by the State Professor Title Council for each type of work (no splitting points for co-authors), relevant and significantly contributing to the research results presented in the dissertation; (*)

- Requirement (*) can be replaced by evidence of being the author or co-author of: 01 national or international patent; or 01 official award in national or international competitions recognized by the competent state authority in the field of art and physical education and sports; relevant and significantly contributing to the research results presented in the dissertation.

* The training institution specifies detailed regulations for dissertation evaluation at the specialized unit to ensure it is considered as an academic activity, supporting the doctoral candidate in completing the dissertation before the independent review process and dissertation defense at the Training Institution's Dissertation Evaluation Council.

What are the requirements for a doctoral dissertation to be defended at the Training Institution's Dissertation Evaluation Council in Vietnam?

Based on clause 1, Article 16 of the Recruitment and Training Regulations for Doctoral Degrees issued with Circular 18/2021/TT-BGDDT, the requirements for a doctoral dissertation to be defended at the Training Institution's Dissertation Evaluation Council are as follows:

- The dissertation must be a comprehensive scientific report of the study results and research of the doctoral candidate, demonstrating their ability to conduct independent research and create new knowledge that enhances the scientific knowledge in the research field or proposes new ideas and solutions to current issues in specific practical contexts;

- Passed the independent review process;

- Complies with the training institution’s regulations on presentation format, plagiarism control, and standards for academic integrity; transparently citing references and the candidate’s joint research results and those of other authors (if any), and adhering to other legal provisions on intellectual property.