User:Elisa27/Vietnamese-German University

The Vietnamese-German University (VGU) is a Vietnamese state university, located in Ho-Chi-Minh City, Vietnam. In its administrative and academic structure, VGU follows the German model and standards. VGU was founded officially in March 2008. In September 2008, VGU had its first intake of students. VGU offers Bachelor and Master´s programs, covering engineering areas and natural sciences, which are run by German partner universities.

History
The Vietnamese-German University is based on cooperation between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the German Federal State of Hessen. The initial idea of founding a Vietnamese-German University came up in 2006. First agreements were arranged between the Vietnamese Minister for Education and Training (MOET), Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thien Nhan, and the Hessen State Minister for Higher Education, Research and the Arts (HMWK), Udo Corts. In May 2007 they signed a Memorandum of Understanding in presence of the then German Federal President Horst Köhler and the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Nguyen Minh Triet, concerning the foundation of a Vietnamese-German University. The foundation of VGU took place in March 2008. Nominated its first president was Prof. Dr. Wolf Rieck, then President of the University of Applied Sciences, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Six months later, September 10th 2008, VGU was opened officially by the then Hessian State Premier, Roland Koch, the Vietnamese Minister of Education and Training and Deputy Prime Minister, Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thien Nhan, and Prof. Dr. Wolf Rieck, President of VGU. Starting in September 2008, 35 students enrolled for VGU´s first study program, “Electrical Engineering and Information Technology”, run by the University of Applied Sciences, Frankfurt am Main. Since 2009, VGU offers four Master´s programs, covering engineering areas as well as natural sciences. The following academic year 2011, two additional Bachelor programs will be launched as well as one Master´s program which will take place in close collaboration with VGU´s newly founded “Vietnamese-German Transport Research Centre” (VGTRC). VGU will widen its academic profile by implementing Finance and Economics in its study programs. VGU receives significant support by the VGU-Consortium, a non-profit organization which is to be considered the academic backbone of VGU. More than 30 universities from Germany joined the VGU-Consortium, including also the TU9, an association of the leading German Universities of Technology. Officially founded in 2009, the VGU-Consortium supports VGU regarding academic and administrative issues. VGU´s development also progressed by the foundation of the university council in February 2010. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thien Nhan, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Education and Training (MOET), was nominated its chairman. Another important milestone for VGU´s development is a World Bank loan of 180 mio. USD which was confirmed in June 2010. The loan is mainly provided for the construction of a new campus in Binh Duong province, close to Ho-Chi-Minh City, which will be opened in 2016/17. Progressing also in its academic development, VGU opened its first research centre, the “Vietnamese-German Transport Research Centre”, in March 2010. It is part of a large, interdisciplinary research centre, the “Research Centre for High-Tech and Sustainability”, VGU is about to establish. Under its roof, VGU plans to establish five research centres: Traffic, Transport, Mobility and Logistics; Renewable Energy Technologies, Lightning Technologies; Sustainable Urban Development; “Green” Technologies and resource Management, Biodiversity/Climate Change, Biotechnology. VGU´s “Research Centre for High-Tech Engineering and Sustainability” is to be constructed on the new campus in Binh Duong Province, close to Ho-Chi-Minh City. In March 2010, the first research centre, the “Vietnamese-German Transport Research Centre” (VGTRC) was already founded. It is located in Thu Duc district, about four kilometers away from VGU´s campus.

The foundation of a Vietnamese-German University is part of Vietnamese reform programs concerning the education sector (Higher Education Reform Agenda, HERA). Considering the further modernization of Vietnam, there is a growing need for well-educated academics to push the country´s economic development. Therefore, the higher education sector is to progress in its development. The Vietnamese government has implemented a reform project, the “New Model University Project” (NMUP): four universities are to be established within the next few years. Each of them is supported by a partner country and follows the university model of these countries. Also VGU is part of this program. The universities are to have a lighthouse effect on Vietnamese universities and to meet Vietnam´s education needs.

Model, Strategies and Organization
The foundation of VGU is a novelty: VGU is the first Vietnamese state university which is built up with international partners and which has an autonomous status.

Model and strategies
The Vietnamese-German University follows the German university model. VGU's strategy is to import excellent German study programs and customize it to the needs of Vietnamese higher education. VGU aims to contribute to Vietnam´s economic development.

Model
VGU follows the German model and standards in its academic and administrative structures. According to the German university model, research and teaching are combined. Also the university´s autonomous status is part of Germany´s higher education system: regarding VGU, the institutional and academic freedom is granted in its foundation documents. Furthermore, VGU has a close cooperation to industry: companies in Vietnam as well as in Germany are VGU´s cooperation partners. Hereby, technology transfer and innovation are supported.

Strategies
It is VGU´s concern to contribute to Vietnam´s economic modernization and development. Therefore, VGU offers a modern education of international standards: working in close collaboration with German partner universities, VGU offers programs of study which are accredited in Germany and run by German partner universities. The programs of study are continuously customized to the needs of Vietnamese higher education. Students receive a German university degree after their study at VGU. The Vietnamese-German University wants to provide an excellent education which grants students the best opportunities on the job-market. The students, educated at VGU, are to push Vietnam´s development. Furthermore, VGU aims to enlarge and strengthen the research competencies of young Vietnamese academics: they are, according to the strategy of “Capacity Building” to be integrated into VGU´s research activities within the next few years. Another strategy is to further educate VGU´s academic and administrative employees. It is VGU´s goal to ensure and to grant a “Gradual Handover”: most of the administrative and academic job-positions are to be handed over to Vietnamese employees, whereas the German staff will be reduced.

Organization
In its academic and administrative structure VGU follows the German university model. Its autonomous status is highly important.

Executive Board of the university
The university council is the most important body in VGU´s organizational structure. It consists of twenty members. Its members are nominated by the Vietnamese Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) as well as by the State Ministry for Higher Education, Research and the Arts (HMWK): each institution nominates ten members of the university council. Its chairman is Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thien Nhan, Vietnamese Minister for Education and Training (MOET). VGU´s Presidential Board consists of one president and four vice-presidents which are to be nominated in the next few months. Since March 2008, Prof. Dr. Wolf Rieck acts as president of VGU. Vietnamese and German institutions are in charge of the nomination of the vice-presidents to equal parts. The academic senate and an advisory board, consisting of twelve members, complete VGU´s organizational structure.

Academic structures
VGU´s academic structures are to develop and to progress within the next few years according to VGU´s general development. Interdisciplinary research centres and graduate schools are planned to be established.

Stakeholders
The Vietnamese-German University is based on cooperation between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Federal Republic of Germany, especially the State of Hessen. Both countries aim to build an acknowledged research university in Vietnam. VGU is substantially supported by German as well as Vietnamese institutions. Being a Vietnamese State University, Vietnam is in charge of covering the running costs. Also German institutions support VGU: the State Hessen, the German Federal government and the State Baden-Württemberg support VGU financially. The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and the World University Service (WUS) contribute to VGU´s further development by their long-term experience concerning higher education. Furthermore, German and international companies support VGU. Of major importance for VGU´s progress is a non-profit organization, the VGU-Consortium. It consists of more than 30 universities which include the TU9, an association Germany´s leading Universities of Technology. The VGU-Consortium coordinates the cooperation with German partner universities and is in charge of academic as well as administrative issues. The VGU-Consortium also seeks to contribute to the internationalization of the German higher education sector. An important milestone in VGU´s development is a loan of 180 mio. USD, provided by the World Bank. Approved in June 2010, the loan is mainly used for the construction of a new campus in Binh Duong Province, close to Ho-Chi-Minh City.

Studies
The Vietnamese-German University follows the model of German Universities of Technology. In its teaching and research it focuses on engineering and natural sciences. In 2011, there will be programs of study for Business, Finance and Economics as well.

German programs of study
For being in a transitional phase, VGU imports German programs of study to Vietnam which are run by German partner universities. Bachelor and Master´s programs are offered. Within the next few years, VGU will also offer PhD programs. In this transitional phase, students receive a German university degree provided by the German partner university which is in charge of the program. The university degrees follow the criteria, defined by the Bologna Process. After having established the necessary academic structures, VGU will offer programs of study which are independent from German partner universities. They will be offered by VGU itself. Also the university degrees will be provided by VGU as an acknowledged, autonomous and independent university. To grant the quality of VGU´s programs of study, different measures of quality assurance have been installed: the programs of study must be accredited in Germany. Furthermore, the teaching staff as well as the programs is evaluated and further education training for the teaching staff is provided. VGU´s programs of study are focused on real-world experiences and industry to improve the student´s opportunities on the job-market. VGU´s profile is furthermore determined by the close cooperation with industry in Germany and Vietnam: research and teaching are to be strengthened by this close cooperation, well-educated future employees are to be trained and technology transfer is to be ensured. The close link to Germany is enforced by exchange semesters to German universities which are offered in some of the programs of study. VGU, considering itself as a gateway to Germany, also offers the possibility of undertaking an internship in German companies.

Teaching
German professors, lecturing at VGU´s German partner universities, are in charge of the academic teaching at VGU. Staying in Ho-Chi-Minh City for a couple of weeks, they offer single modules in block seminars, supported by Vietnamese lecturers. German program coordinators, teaching at VGU´s German partner universities and staying in Vietnam for a longer period of time, organize and run the programs of study, customizing them to needs of Vietnamese higher education. The teaching language at VGU is English. Students are provided with English language courses, run by English Native Speakers. Bachelor students are to participate in a mandatory “Foundation Year”, before the chosen program of study starts: mainly English language skills as well as specific basic knowledge such as methodology, needed for the programs of study, are taught. Furthermore, VGU offers German language courses, teaching German and providing students with information about German politics, economy and culture.

Bachelor programs
Since September 2008, VGU offers the Bachelor program “Electrical Engineering and Information Technology”. In 2011, “Finance Management” and “Business Information” are offered, too. The programs of study are run in close cooperation with German partner universities: the University of Applied Sciences Frankfurt am Main, Germany, is responsible for the Bachelor program “Electrical Engineering and Information Technology”. VGU´s Bachelor students are to participate in a mandatory Foundation Year: it is designed to prepare students for the actual program of study. It focuses mainly on improving the student`s English language skills since the teaching language at VGU is English. Furthermore, specific basic knowledge such as methodology, needed for the programs study at VGU, is taught.

Master`s programs
VGU offers four Master´s programs: “Business Information System” in cooperation with the Heilbronn University and Furtwangen University, “Computational Engineering” in cooperation with Ruhr-University Bochum. The program “Mechatronics and Sensor Systems” is run by the University of Applied Sciences, Karlsruhe, “Urban Development Planning” by the University of Technology Darmstadt and the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus. In 2011, the Master´s program “Traffic and Transport” will be launched which is strongly linked to VGU`s first research centre, the “Vietnamese-German Transport Research Centre” (VGTRC), founded in March 2010.

Tuition Fees and Scholarships
VGU`s tuition fees cover an amount of 750 USD for each semester. Due to the financial and in-kind support by Vietnamese and German institutions, the tuition fees at VGU are quite moderate. Furthermore VGU offers various scholarships to 60% of the students. The scholarships range from 25% to 100% of VGU´s tuition fees.

Research
It is VGU´s goal to become the leading research university in Vietnam and the region within the next few years. Therefore, interdisciplinary research schools and centers, following the German model, are to be established. VGU plans to build up a “Research Centre for High-Tech Engineering and Sustainability”. It is to be structured as a roof for single research centers. Five main areas of research have been identified: “Energy and Lightning Technology”, “Traffic, Transport and Logistics”, “Water Technologies and Water Resource Management”, “Sustainable Urban Development” and “Green Technologies and Resource Management”. In March 2010, VGU´s first research centre, the “Vietnamese-German Transport Research Centre” (VGTRC), was founded.

Campus
VGU is located at the campus of the National University of Ho-Chi-Minh City in Thu-Duc district, 15 kilometers outside of the city center. A new campus is to be built which will be opened in 2016/17. The confirmed World Bank loan, VGU received in June 2010, is mainly provided for the construction of a new campus. The campus will be located in Binh Duong Province, 45 kilometers away from HCMC. Next to its teaching buildings, it is planned to include also VGU´s research centers as well as dormitories. The construction of the new campus is to follow the newest technologies: renewable energies as well as ecological construction methods are to be used. new article content ...