Does Changing Disciplines Mean Studying Again from the Start? Detailed Answer

The conditions to meet when changing disciplines

Changing disciplines is an important decision that directly affects the study path, graduation time and long-term career orientation of students. Therefore, universities usually set quite strict conditions to ensure the discipline change happens suitably, avoiding studying emotionally or overloading the training system.

First, the student is not in the first or final year

First-year students don’t have enough experience to evaluate the suitability of the discipline, while fourth-year students have almost completed the programme so changing disciplines will waste time and cost. The most reasonable time is the second or third year, when students have understood the old discipline but still have enough time to study the new discipline.

Second, the student must meet the admission condition of the discipline they want to switch to

Students must meet the entry criteria equivalent to officially admitted candidates such as the admission score or minimum GPA. With some specific disciplines such as Medicine-Pharmacy, Information Technology, Language, Law or high-quality disciplines, the school may also require additional conditions on study capacity, foreign-language proficiency or assessment interview results.

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Third, the training institution must ensure enough quality and legal conditions

The discipline that students apply to switch to must be a discipline that has been officially licensed for training by the Ministry of Education and Training. At the same time, the university needs to prove it has enough teaching staff, training programme, facilities and student-reception quota for that discipline. This regulation aims to ensure students’ study rights, avoiding studying an “incomplete” discipline, lacking lecturers or not ensuring the output standard.

Fourth, the discipline change must have the consent of the authorised person.

Usually, students need the approval of the Rector or the Board of Rectors of the school they are studying at. In case of changing disciplines while transferring to another university, students must also have the consent of the Rector of the receiving school. This process helps the school control the number of students, ensure training-management work and avoid negative issues arising during the discipline-change process.

Does changing disciplines mean studying again from the start?

Does changing university disciplines mean studying again from the start? The answer depends on the two main situations below:

The case of changing disciplines within the same discipline group

If changing disciplines within the same group (for example from Economics to Business Administration), students don’t have to study again from the start.

The recognised subjects:

• General subjects: Philosophy, English, Physical Education, Informatics
• Discipline-foundation subjects: Economics, Management, Basic Marketing
• In total, you can save 40-60 credits

The subjects that must be newly studied:

• Specialised subjects that don’t overlap with the old discipline
• If there is a subject with the same name but different content, you must retake it

Specific example: A student changing from Business Administration to Marketing will have subjects such as Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Management recognised, but must study additional Advanced Marketing, Consumer Behavior, Digital Marketing.

>>>> SEE MORE: Can first-year students change disciplines? Why?

The case when switching to a new discipline

When switching to a completely different-group discipline (from Engineering to Economics), students have to study again from the start because the two disciplines have no similar subjects.

The reason for having to study again:

• The foundational knowledge is completely different
• No common subject is recognised
• Must start from year 1 with the new programme

Advice: If you have studied up to year 2-3 and switch to a different-group discipline, consider carefully because you will lose 1-2 years of time and considerable cost.

The discipline-change, school-transfer procedures students need to know

Before deciding to change disciplines or transfer schools, students need to clearly grasp the process, file and important time milestones prescribed by the school. Fully preparing from the start will help the consideration process go smoothly and limit arising academic risks.

Prepare the file

You need to prepare a discipline/school-change file including:

• The discipline/school-change application (with parental confirmation)
• The accumulated transcript (stamped)
• The high-school graduation certificate
• ID photocopy
• 4 photos 3×4
• The student confirmation paper
• The admission recognition decision

The discipline-change procedure

The discipline-change process is usually implemented in clear steps to ensure the rights and study path for students. The processing time of the discipline-change file usually lasts about 7–15 working days. Below are the basic steps students need to carry out when doing discipline-change procedures.

• Step 1: Students prepare and submit the discipline-change application according to the template at the Training Office.
• Step 2: Request the study transcript, complete the file and submit it to the admissions section about 2 weeks before the new semester.
• Step 3: The Training Office receives, appraises the conditions and submits to the Board of Rectors for approval if the requirements are met.
• Step 4: Students receive the official decision, contact the new faculty and class to register for course units for the next semester.

The school-transfer procedure

The school-transfer process usually requires students to fully complete the file at the old school and be approved by the new school before official enrolment. Below are the basic steps to grasp when doing school-transfer procedures:

• Step 1: Prepare the file including the school-transfer application and the study transcript.
• Step 2: Contact the transfer-to school to request a document confirming consent to receive.
• Step 3: Submit the file at the old school’s Training Office for consideration and submit to the Board of Rectors to make a decision.
• Step 4: Receive the school-transfer decision, withdraw the file and do the enrolment procedure at the new school.

>>>> CLICK TO SEE MORE: Can you change disciplines while owing subjects? Conditions and process

The latest discipline-change application template for students

HUFLIT students who need to change disciplines can refer to and download the official discipline-change application template issued by the school to carry out the procedure according to the regulation:

SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM

Independence – Freedom – Happiness

APPLICATION FOR DISCIPLINE CHANGE

To:

• The Board of Rectors of Ho Chi Minh City University of Foreign Languages – Information Technology;
• The University Training Office;
• The Faculty

My name: ………………………………….. Date of birth:…………………………………..

Student ID:………………………………….. Class:…………………………………..

Faculty: ………………………………….. Discipline:…………………………………..

Email: ………………………………….. Phone:…………………………………..

Permanent address: …………………………………..…………………………………..…………………………………..

Now I make this application, respectfully requesting the Board of Rectors, the Dean, the Head of the University Training Office to allow me to transfer to the Discipline:………………………………….. and continue studying together with cohort …………………discipline…………………………………………………….

Reason:…………………………………..…………………………………..…………………………………..…………………….

…………………………………..…………………………………..…………………………………..…………………….…………………………………..…………………………………..…………………………………..…………………….…………………………………..…………………………………..…………………………………..…………………….…………………………I pledge to try to study well and complete the training programme on schedule.

I respectfully hope for the approval of the Board of Rectors, the Faculty and the University Training Office.

….…..……….., day ….. month ….. year 20……

OPINION OF THE PARENT THE APPLICANT

(sign and clearly write full name) (sign and clearly write full name)

Common questions about whether changing university disciplines means studying again from the start

Whether changing disciplines means studying again from the start is a common question of many students when considering changing their study path. Below are the frequently asked questions that help you better understand this issue.

Can first-year students change disciplines?

First-year students are usually not allowed to change disciplines because they haven’t studied enough time to evaluate the level of suitability with the chosen discipline. At this stage, students haven’t experienced the specialised subjects, easily make emotional decisions and cannot clearly demonstrate study capacity. The suitable solution is to finish the first year, then consider changing disciplines at the beginning of the second year if needed.

Does changing disciplines require retaking the university exam?

Whether changing disciplines requires retaking the university exam depends on the regulations of each school and each training discipline. Currently a number of schools only consider academic ability and the file, not requiring retaking the university exam.

The cases requiring re-sitting:

• The new discipline requires a benchmark higher than the initial admission score
• Switching to another school with its own regulation
• The discipline has its own selection exam (Medicine, Pharmacy, etc.)

The cases not requiring re-sitting:

• The admission score meets the condition for the new discipline
• Changing disciplines within the same school
• The GPA meets the requirement of the new discipline

How does changing disciplines affect the graduation time?

Changing disciplines can make the graduation time longer because students have to study supplementary subjects not compatible between the two programmes. However, if many credits are recognised, the study progress can still be considerably shortened.

Case 1 – Changing within the same discipline group:

• Graduate exactly in 4 years or extend by 0.5-1 year
• Depends on the number of specialised subjects to be additionally studied

Case 2 – Switching to a different-group discipline:

• Must study again from the start, losing 2-3 years
• The total time can be up to 5-6 years

Whether changing disciplines means studying again from the start depends on the level of similarity between the two disciplines. If you change within the same group, you only need to study additional new specialised subjects and save 1-2 years. If you switch to a completely different discipline, you have to start again from the beginning.

Whether changing disciplines means studying again from the start is a common concern of many students, especially at HUFLIT when they want to adjust to a more suitable study path. To have an accurate answer for each case, you should contact the HUFLIT Training Office for specific advice on the conditions, procedures and credit-recognition ability.

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