Without graduate school. Obtaining the title of Candidate of Sciences Higher education Candidate of Sciences where to go

Preface

Friends, this manual is intended to help graduate students on the difficult path to their cherished goal - obtaining a candidate and doctorate degree. Here you will find not only practical recommendations on how to properly structure your work and where to find material for a dissertation, but also advice on such issues as “communicating with a supervisor,” “searching for material for a dissertation,” and others. We will also tell you some life hacks on how to write a dissertation most effectively and quickly.

This book is unique! It is not a dry extract of a teaching text. This book is about life, about a dream that anyone can realize. We have accumulated a lot of experience and know that everything is possible, that preparing and defending a dissertation can be easy and simple! We've broken down the entire time-consuming process into simple 15 steps for you to follow. They are really simple, and we will show you this with examples.

Those who are just thinking about entering graduate school should also read this book. After all, you will immediately see the entire postgraduate path. And when you have an idea of ​​what lies ahead on this path, and even how to do it easier, then you believe more strongly in achieving the goal and dream of becoming a candidate of science.

It is also very important to read the book for those who are already writing a dissertation, but are stalling. This happens to almost every graduate student. After all, it often happens that there is no motivation, as well as the strength and desire to write. And the main reason for this is that it is not clear what is ahead, what to take on, where to start. In the book, we have laid out the stages of completing work, preparing articles, preparing to defend a dissertation, and you can look at it at any time and find a guideline according to which you need to move on.

This work is very important for us from the standpoint of our professionalism, since we, as a team of already accomplished candidates of science, have helped many people with our recommendations and advice on the most effective organization of their work in the process of writing a dissertation. This work is collective, and therefore valuable, because in this manual you can find not only general recommendations, but also specific advice in accordance with your dissertation and its topic.

What we recommend within one specialty can also be used in the case of other topics and areas of research. We have tried to present very difficult issues in the most accessible and practical way, so that you can more clearly understand what we want to tell you about in this manual. Our goal is to reveal the features of preparing a dissertation and make the work of graduate students and applicants easier.

We really want to help you and hope that this manual will be useful, and our country will receive new candidates of science!

With love for you and wishes for a successful defense,

Introduction

So, dear friends, we begin to tell you about the most optimal path to choose when writing and defending a dissertation research and all the additional requirements accompanying this process from the university and the dissertation council. First of all, it is worth noting that the relevance of the topic of this manual is confirmed by our work experience and indicates that modern graduate students and applicants have practically no complete information about what they have to go through on the way to the coveted PhD degree.

The lack of an initial understanding of all the difficulties, and at the same time the ease of this process, ultimately leads to sad consequences when, on the one hand, ignorance of the full picture puts impenetrable barriers in the face of a graduate student and fear appears before the process of preparing and defending a dissertation. But in fact, there is nothing complicated if you figure it out and put everything in order.

On the other hand, it is important to understand that the lack of information on the procedures for preparing and defending a candidate’s dissertation significantly complicates the process itself, when at each next stage a “pig in a poke” awaits the graduate student in the form of new requirements and a large number of papers required to defend the dissertation. In addition, the financial issue also stops me, because publishing articles, endless printing and reworking of the text itself, as well as materials for preparing for defense, requires considerable financial investments. All this greatly complicates the process of preparing to defend a dissertation for graduate students.

Therefore, within the framework of the manual, we will consider the key and extremely important issues of starting the path towards defending a dissertation: choosing a topic and establishing relationships with a supervisor, and we will also touch on the important issue of searching and structuring material for writing a dissertation, competently drawing up a research plan and strictly following it in the process of writing.

We will also not ignore key questions regarding motivation for writing a dissertation, since this aspect, in the survey we conducted, had the largest share among the reasons for being the main problem area in preparing a dissertation research.

Well, in conclusion, to increase the degree of motivation, we will consider the question of why and who in the present conditions may need to defend a dissertation. A clear understanding of these issues will allow you to avoid unnecessary doubts and uncertainty in the process of preparing and defending your dissertation research.

Of course, the very first and main question for us will be the following: what specialty of graduate school and university is better to choose? Here everything can depend on different parameters. Namely, on your specialty according to your existing higher education, your place of work, as well as your desired “ideal” workplace. These parameters will allow you to choose the most optimal path and direction of graduate school.

We hope that after reading our recommendations, you will already have a general understanding of the various areas of graduate school, and you will be able to make the right decision regarding the university and the direction of training. And for those who are already graduate students, we suggest you follow the path that we have laid out for you on the pages of this manual.

So, the book is divided into fifteen steps in stages. Each step corresponds to a specific stage, which is best completed before moving on to the next one. But still, you will have to go through some steps at the same time. For those who are just thinking about graduate school or just starting to study, it is better to just read the book for general familiarization, and then, as you write your dissertation, follow the steps suggested in the book.

Have a pleasant and useful reading,

our dear future and current graduate students!

First step

Choosing an educational institution and specialty of graduate school

Always choose the hardest path -

you will not meet any competitors on it.

Charles de Gaulle

The very first and most important question is which graduate school specialty and university is best to choose. Here everything can depend on different parameters. Namely, on your specialty in first higher education, current and desired place of work.

As for choosing a university, in most cases it is believed that it is better to enroll in your own university, where you received your higher education, and have a well-known teacher become your supervisor. This approach is really justified, since you will initially feel more confident in your own home.

However, there is also the exact opposite effect: when at your home university and in your home department you are still perceived as a student, interest in you as a graduate student will be much lower. In our experience, the second option occurs very often, because in this case, or if there was a situation where the relationship with the teachers of the department was not very good, you should not be afraid and enroll in another university, maybe even in another city.

In addition, having entered another university on your own, you will value the very fact of your studies more highly, and your motivation to write and defend your dissertation will be much higher.

So, it is better to choose a specialty related to your existing education. However, today there are no restrictions on what specialty you choose, even if you want to radically change your profile. But writing, of course, is much easier based on the fact that you already have some knowledge on the topic. If your current professional activity differs from your degree specialty, and you want to work in this area, then you should not be afraid to go to another specialty in graduate school.

In which we will talk about the details of the algorithm for obtaining a PhD degree.

At the very beginning, you need to decide on the form, or, more precisely, the regulations, according to which you will prepare yours, as well as pass candidate exams.

There are the following ways to obtain a PhD:

Full-time postgraduate studies;
- study for correspondence postgraduate studies;
- competition;
- independent preparation.

The first two methods are graduate school– should be chosen when the applicant requires constant help and support on the path to obtaining a candidate’s degree. As a rule, postgraduate studies are chosen by newly graduated specialists who, immediately after graduation, decide to continue their education and at the same time begin to engage in serious science.

Postgraduate studies require full support from the educational or scientific institution where it is located. The graduate student attends special classes (usually in philosophy and a foreign language - exams in these disciplines are required for the degree applicant to pass as the so-called candidate minimums), as well as seminars in special disciplines. The graduate student is assisted throughout his studies by a scientific supervisor, who is assigned from among existing doctors of science or experienced candidates of science (with the rank of associate professor). The graduate student also receives a scholarship (in case of full-time study) and has a deferment from the army.

But there are also a number of restrictions, primarily temporary s X. For example, it is necessary to report annually on the work done, as well as “put the dissertation on the table” by a certain point: in the case of full-time graduate school, it should be ready three years after entering graduate school, in part-time - after four.

Application for a job as a way to obtain an academic degree does not imply permanent presence in an educational or scientific institution (note: further, for simplicity, we will assume that the preparation of the dissertation is carried out on the basis of a higher educational institution).

The academic council of the university approves the applicant's topic and the scientific supervisor who will supervise the applicant. Preparation for candidate exams and, in fact, the applicant himself prepares independently. The application does not imply any scholarships or strict deadlines (although there is still a certain time limit - the dissertation must be prepared within 10 years).

Fully self-training We will not consider dissertations as a way to obtain a degree for now, since such cases are rare and are a very large exception to the rule (we will consider what kind of cases there may be later).

Here we note that in the case when basic higher education was received in other scientific field compared to the one in which it is planned to be executed

Candidate of Sciences is the first degree in the Russian nomenclature of academic titles, which was established more than eighty years ago by a resolution of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR and precedes the title of Doctor of Sciences.

Requirements for applicants to obtain a degree

For university graduates planning to continue their professional activities in the scientific field, an academic degree is a kind of indicator of achievements in this field, and also determines the status of a specialist. A young professional considering how to become a PhD candidate needs to know that the following educational background is needed:

• university specialist diploma;
• positive result when passing the candidate minimum exams;
• the presence of a number of research works in the area of ​​the dissertation, published in publications supervised by the Higher Attestation Commission (HAC);
• proof of the priority and value of your scientific ideas;
• successful defense of a dissertation in accordance with established legislation.

Candidate examinations determine whether the applicant’s level of knowledge corresponds to the chosen scientific topic. Before starting research on the topic of work, an applicant for the academic degree of Candidate of Sciences must decide in what way it is more convenient for him to receive the title. At the moment there are options:

• postgraduate study - (full-time - 3 years, part-time - 5 years) - the applicant first passes exams, then undergoes training in philosophy and a foreign language, and also attends classes in the chosen specialty.
• competition is a freer form, in which permanent presence within the walls of the university is not necessary; independent preparation under the supervision of a supervisor is sufficient.

Academic degrees in world practice

Degrees and titles awarded around the world vary in name, requirements and award procedure. In a number of European countries - representatives of the Bologna list, three hierarchical levels are established in each branch of knowledge: bachelor - master - Ph.D. In Russia, the German system of order is used, in which the academic degree of Candidate of Sciences is identical to the title of Doctor of Philosophy used in Western countries.

The title of the Candidate of Science degree is supplemented depending on the activity in which the applicant specializes. In the Russian Federation there are 23 industries for which this title is awarded.

Opportunities for applicants for the first scientific degree

When considering what a PhD degree provides, the following key points typically stand out:

• opportunity to participate in competition for positions
  • associate professor,
  • senior researcher,
  • head of the laboratory,
  • head of the department, etc.;
• availability of the opportunity to prepare scientific work for the title of Doctor of Science;
• salary increase in the amount of 10-15% of the salary.

The defense process is controlled by the Higher Attestation Commission. Those who successfully defended themselves and received the title are issued a certificate of Candidate of Sciences - diploma.

How to get a PhD is just the first question on the path to the future career of a young specialist. After defending their scientific work, newly minted candidates choose their path. Some people are quite satisfied with working as an associate professor at a higher educational institution and teaching. Others are attracted to research work and scientific discoveries in their field of expertise. Still others simply use the title, using it as a “calling card.” For the most ambitious, this is a short intermediate period on the way to the next academic degree - Doctor of Science.

Candidate of Sciences - who is it? A scientist or just an ordinary university teacher? Today this category is attracting attention. Firstly, it is prestigious to be one. Secondly, becoming one is quite difficult. Thirdly, very interesting. What and how to do to become one.

About the etymology of the word

Candidate literally translated from Latin means a person who applies for any position or responsible post. As a matter of fact, a candidate of sciences is also in some way a contender. He declares himself by writing a scientific work and publicly defending it in the appropriate institution.

The scientific degree of Candidate of Sciences characterizes its owner from the standpoint of his qualifications. It is a confirmation of status and certain achievements in any branch of science.

A little about the history of the origin of the academic degree

Its source is the German system, which was used both in the territory of pre-revolutionary Russia and in the Soviet Union.

Russian universities began to award academic degrees in 1819 on the basis of a unified system of approved rules. Until 1917, there were two degrees: master (licentiate) and doctor of science. In those days it was called “dignity.”

Since 1934 and to this day, academic degrees have been awarded in Russia and in a number of post-socialist countries.

Formal aspects

Here it should be said that obtaining such an academic degree as a Candidate of Sciences is a rather complex process both in terms of completing a dissertation, its defense, and in terms of the correct design of the research, defense and confirmation procedures.

According to the law governing this area, a candidate of sciences is a so-called first academic degree. What does it mean? Considering that today there are two degrees: candidate and doctor, this is the first step that allows you to obtain scientific qualifications and continue to work in this field.

According to the norms of Russian legislation, the degree is awarded by a collegial body - the dissertation council. However, this is not enough. It is necessary that it be approved by the relevant government body - the Higher Attestation Commission (Higher Attestation Commission).

After this, the former graduate student receives confirmation, and a little later a diploma of a candidate of sciences.

What does an academic degree provide?

The opportunities that a PhD degree opens up after defending and receiving the appropriate document are related primarily to the field of science and education:

• he can teach at a university. To be precise, the degree gives the right to lecture to students;
• After working for some time, you can receive the corresponding academic title - associate professor, which can only be awarded to candidates;
• if you want to continue your scientific activities, you can enroll in doctoral studies and conduct further research.

You also need to know the rights of a candidate of sciences.

1. Opportunity to take part in the competition as an applicant for the position of associate professor or head of a laboratory. If it is carried out at a research institute, then - a senior researcher.
2. A document confirming a candidate’s degree is a sufficiently compelling basis that allows its owner not only to work on a doctoral dissertation, but also to submit it for defense. Here you should remember the correspondence of specialties. A doctoral dissertation can be defended on the basis of a candidate's dissertation if it is in the same field of science.
3. A PhD diploma entitles its holder to receive the corresponding Doctor of Philosophy degree, which is used in a number of European countries and the USA.

Obtaining an academic title

In addition to the academic degree, Russia uses another criterion for differentiating workers in the scientific and educational spheres. This is the title of Candidate of Sciences - Associate Professor, which, unfortunately, is not awarded automatically. The regulations governing the conferment of academic titles establish a number of requirements.

1. Possession of a Candidate of Science degree and a period of work as an assistant professor for at least 2 years. In this case, the load must be no less than a quarter (0.25) of the rate.
2. There must be publications: educational or methodological manuals, other scientific works. Here, the professional level is also taken into account, which is assessed by the commission that attended the open lesson.
3. Research or teaching experience must be at least five years. It is necessary to carry out teaching activities on the relevant topics of the specialty for three years.
4. The total number of publications must be at least 20, including patents. Over the past three years, an applicant for the position of associate professor must publish at least two textbooks and three works in the specialty specified in the dissertation.

In addition to meeting the stated requirements, the future associate professor must submit a number of documents to the academic council of the university:

• statement;
• characteristics signed by the head of the department;
• a list of his scientific works, certified by signatures and seals;
• an extract from the minutes of the department meeting at which the recommendation was made;
• copies of diplomas of education, candidate of sciences;
• extracts from the work book, certificates of work experience, personal sheet with photo.

There may also be other documents that the secretary of the academic council may require.

How to become a candidate of sciences?

This process is quite complex and requires considerable effort and expense from the applicant.

1. First of all, you need to decide for yourself in which area you plan to work. In this case, research should be carried out in an area corresponding to basic education. Otherwise, if the work was done in a related or related field, an additional examination in the specialty may be required.
2. Search for a scientific supervisor. It should be noted that this is in some way a guarantee of successful protection. The manager must have an academic degree of candidate or doctor of science. Here it is advisable to find out whether he had graduate students and whether they defended their defense.
3. Admission to graduate school. This step may be omitted if the work is carried out on the basis of competition at any department or institute.
4. Writing a dissertation is a creative process. It can take a long time. Postgraduate study lasts 3-4 years, but, unfortunately, the period of study may not coincide with work on the dissertation. Therefore, sometimes writing it takes longer.
5. At the end of graduate school, candidate exams are taken. Some of them can be taken earlier, for example, the candidate minimum in philosophy and a foreign language. Latest exams in the specialty.
6. At the end of the creative search, the work, previously checked by the supervisor, is submitted for consideration by experts appointed by the dissertation council.
7. After correcting errors and responding to comments, you can begin to prepare for your defense. An abstract is written, opponents are selected, as well as specialists who can give feedback on the dissertation.
8. The defense takes place at the dissertation council. He, having heard the report of the graduate student, answers to questions and comments of opponents, renders his verdict on awarding the academic degree of a candidate of any sciences in the relevant specialty (there are 23 of them).
9. A notification is received from the Higher Attestation Commission that the work has been reviewed and a decision has been made to approve it.

By decree of Emperor Alexander in 1803, the first doctors of science appeared in Russia, and the corresponding academic degree was enshrined in law. Only a few universities in the Russian Empire had the right to award the title of Doctor of Science. They were considered the most prestigious and all future doctors strived to get into them.

Quite a lot of people today strive to become a Doctor of Science. Why do people get such crusts? As a rule, a person with the status of Doctor of Science has much greater authority in his field. A doctoral degree is a desirable goal for virtually everyone who aspires to public career and influence. It is interesting that among people who are not related to science in their work there are significantly more doctors than, say, among teachers of higher educational institutions. Medical dissertation is a kind of exception, since doctors of medical sciences most often become people who practice medicine. In general, most doctoral dissertations are written and defended today in the disciplines of legal and economics.

The path to a doctorate most often looks like this: a person receives a bachelor’s or master’s degree from a particular university. Then he enters graduate school and continues his studies there for several years, eventually defending his thesis, which opens the way to obtaining a doctorate. People most often become candidates of sciences in the same or related specialties as their basic education. During the course of study, the student is required to publish a certain number of articles in scientific journals, since it is impossible to defend a dissertation without this. In addition, admission to defense is issued only after abstracts have been sent out a certain time before it. Having patents or inventions will be a big plus. In general, it takes quite a lot of time and effort to obtain a doctoral degree.

There are also shorter ways. It is also possible to defend a candidate’s thesis as a doctorate in academic circles if the problem is chosen to be truly relevant and the work is carried out with exceptional quality. A recommendation must be received from two out of three opponents. In addition, a petition for re-defense of the written dissertation as a doctoral dissertation must be submitted to the Higher Attestation Commission.

Every year, defending a dissertation becomes more and more difficult. It seems that the process should be simplified by the spread of the Internet and virtually unlimited access to a large amount of information, including dissertations that have already been defended. However, a doctoral diploma can only be obtained on a topic that has not yet been considered, and choosing one is becoming increasingly difficult, and methods for checking for plagiarism are becoming more and more advanced and effective, so, alas, it will not be possible to pass off someone else’s thoughts as your own.