Dr. Vu Thanh Van, Director of the International Department of the Academy of Journalism and Communication.

Reporter: Launched in 2016, the BA Advertising, PR and Media program is a collaboration between Vietnam’s Academy of Journalism and Communication and the UK’s Middlesex University.  Please tell us how this partnership works.

Dr. Van: The partnership that we have with Middlesex university is quite different from the partnership that the university has. This program is franchise mode which means we import the program from the Middlesex university and then the program is given in Vietnam, exactly as the way it is given in Middlesex in London, in Dubai or in any other campus of Middlesex in the world. 

In this franchise mode, the Middlesex will provide us the program, control the quality assurance, and issue the degree of students. AJC is responsible for recruiting students and teaching at AJC.

Reporter : What skills can Vietnamese students gain from the program?

Dr. Van: In 3 years of program, the students will learn both the knowledge and skills but mostly skills because this program is highly practical so that after graduation, they can do the job immediately in the market. For example, they will learn production skills, they learn how to create blogs, media campaigns. They also learn how to interact with people on social media platform. They also learn some practical skills like MC or translating and other skills that are very essential to their career in the future. And of course there is focus on soft skills such as making plans, decision making, presenting.

Reporter: The program’s curriculum are imported from Middlesex University and applied to Vietnamese students. Does AJC make any adjustments to adapt the program for the Vietnamese context?

Dr. Van : When we cooperate with Middlesex university, we want to offer the students with the best UK standards of education, but we also understand that if Vietnamese students do not understand the context of Vietnamese politics, economics and culture, they may not be able to work very well in Vietnamese environment. That’s why AJC has conducted what we call localization policy in which we are allowed to make some adjustments to the Middlesex program. For example, we can give the case study, we can give examples in Vietnamese context, so that Vietnamese students understand how Vietnamese people think and how Vietnamese people interact with each other. I think this is an advantage to make students more comfortable and more confident when they work in Vietnamese context after graduation.  

Reporter: What are the criteria for admission to the program?

Dr. Van: This program is taught in English, so students need IELTS requirement. They have to achieve IELTS 6.0 in order to qualify for the specialization program. When they study, they will enhance  their English capacity even to the next level. That’s the most important thing and of course they have to graduate from high schools or they have to be student of other university and they want to be trained in our program.

Reporter: Will the students have better employment opportunities after graduating from the program?

Dr. Van: This program is very practical. It gives students skills and knowledge they need to have in order to work in media market. That’s why employment ability has always   been focus in our program. In order to enhance the ability of the students, we invite guest speakers who are professionals and experts in the field of media and advertising so that they can give experience to students. Students also have to visit media organizations and advertising companies so that they can do internship there. They can learn the work at actual environment. And also in 3 years, they have to do independent projects which link to the industry specifically. All of this will give the students the hand-on experience so that they can be ready for the requirements of the market.