Sociology of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities: Journey to make a mark on the world science map

The stages of cultivating academic standing
The QS WUR by subject 2025 rankings are based on 5 criteria with weights customized to suit each field, including: (1) Academic Reputation; (2) Employer Reputation; (3) Citations per paper; (4) H-index measuring the productivity and impact of scientific publications of the teaching staff; (5) International Research Network.
With the above criteria, the Sociology field of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities is ranked based on a number of outstanding criteria that the Sociology field (belongs to)Faculty of Sociology and Social Work) achieved in recent years. The Sociology Department has been accredited according to the AUN-QA standards in 2018 and 2023 respectively. The Faculty of Sociology and Social Work periodically surveys alumni and employers and has received many positive reviews about the applicability of the department in practical work and the high adaptability of students and trainees in work. The number of international publications of lecturers in the Faculty of Sociology and Social Work in the past 3 years has always exceeded the KPI of the School. The Faculty has a team of prestigious and high-quality research lecturers, especially 02 strong research groups at the level of Hanoi National University (Gender, Population and Environment Research Group and Social Security and Social Work Research Group). Every year, the 02 strong research groups successfully organize many seminars, publish monographs, and publish many domestic and international scientific works in prestigious journals. Every year, members of the strong research groups participate in many high-quality international scientific exchanges. Currently, the Faculty is still attracting part-time lecturers who are leading professors in Sociology to participate in developing and adjusting the annual program. According to Dr. Dang Kim Khanh Ly - Head of the Faculty of Sociology and Social Work, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, the predecessor of the Faculty of Sociology was the Department of Sociology, established in 1976 (in the Faculty of Philosophy, Hanoi National University). This was an important initial step, opening up opportunities for research and teaching on sociological issues in Vietnam. In 1991, the Faculty of Sociology and Psychology was officially established under Decision No. 2494/TCCB of the Minister of Education and Training. Immediately after that time, the Faculty was assigned the task of training bachelors, masters and doctors in Sociology, contributing to the training and development of high-quality human resources for the Sociology sector in Vietnam.
After more than 30 years of training, research and development, the Faculty of Sociology and Social Work has become a leading trusted address in training high-quality human resources for both Sociology and Social Work in Vietnam. Therefore, from 2025, the Faculty of Sociology officially changed its name to the Faculty of Sociology and Social Work. The addition of the major of Social Work to the Faculty's name affirms the strategic direction of the Faculty, especially in the context of the strong development of the Social Work industry in Vietnam, while affirming the strength of the Faculty in training both Sociology and Social Work.
Sociology is a field of study that provides an important foundation for many different professions in society. Sociology is best at explaining and predicting social issues, social events, social relationships... very objectively, based on data and scientific research evidence, so Sociology students often have a social analytical mindset that explains all aspects of society convincingly and has the ability to apply in many jobs and many professions today.
Affirming Vietnam's leading position in research and training in Sociology
Since 1992, the Faculty of Sociology and Social Work, University of Social Sciences and Humanities has trained 2,693 full-time bachelors of Sociology, 1,114 part-time bachelors of Sociology, 529 masters of Sociology and 111 doctoral students.
After converting from year-based training to credit-based training, the Sociology training program at all 3 levels has been adjusted and updated in accordance with the development orientation of the School and the Faculty at each stage, as well as meeting the needs of the labor market and international integration. In particular, the Sociology undergraduate training program has undergone 3 quality assessments and met the quality assessment standards according to the AUN-QA standards for cycles 1 and 2 (2018, 2023). Postgraduate Sociology training programs have also been standardized to prepare for the quality assessment of the training program. The current undergraduate, master's and doctoral training programs in Sociology of the Faculty have been updated and adjusted in 2023 according to a learner-centered approach, determining the output standards of each training level in accordance with the industry and the philosophy, mission and vision of the School and Faculty, and are increasingly attractive to society.
With a team of high-quality staff (including 21 permanent staff and lecturers, including 04 Associate Professors, 12 PhDs, 02 PhDs, 02 Masters, 01 Bachelor), the Faculty of Sociology and Social Work focuses on many important areas such as social policy, sociology of education, gender, health, family, sustainable development and social work... The Faculty's scientific research activities have achieved many achievements with 46 ISI/Scopus articles and 56 other international publications; 236 domestic articles. The total number of monographs and textbooks published is 42 books. Many lecturers are heads or participate in topics at all levels with 37 topics as heads and 43 topics participating.
Dr. Dang Kim Khanh Ly emphasized that the Faculty of Sociology and Social Work has set strategic goals to continue affirming the position of the Sociology field of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. These include improving the quality of scientific research, increasing international publications, promoting research cooperation with leading universities in the world; updating the curriculum according to international trends, enhancing the application of technology and big data in social research. The Faculty of Sociology and Social Work and the school strengthen and expand partnerships with academic organizations, research institutes, international and domestic enterprises, promoting the application of Sociology in practice such as supporting the development and completion of public policies, participating in solving social issues such as inequality, social security and sustainable development, etc.
In the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025 (QS WUR by Subject 2025), VNU has 2 subject groups and 12 subjects ranked (of which 10/12 subjects are in the top 500). Of the 12 subjects of VNU ranked in 2025, 5/12 subjects are ranked for the first time, 5/12 subjects increased their ranking position compared to the previous period.
In this assessment, VNU has 4 fields/field groups in the 400 group, 7 fields/field groups ranked in the 500 group.
Press reported:
VNU Website: Sociology of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Journey to make a mark on the world science map
People's Representative Newspaper: The field of Sociology of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities makes its mark on the world science map.
Related news:
QS by subject 2025: VNU has many fields ranked in the 400 to 500 group in the world
Opening of the 358th AUN-QA Program Assessment: VNU-USSH accredits the quality of 03 training programs according to international standards