Academic degrees

Academic degrees awarded in different countries vary significantly in titles, qualification requirements, award and/or approval procedures.

To obtain a candidate or doctorate degree, it is necessary to prepare a dissertation and defend it at a meeting of the dissertation council created at a university, research institute or other scientific institution. To defend a dissertation for a doctorate degree, it is currently necessary to have a candidate of science degree; defense of a dissertation for a doctorate degree is not provided for by persons who do not have a candidate degree, in accordance with the current “Regulations on the procedure for awarding academic degrees”. It should be noted that in this case the correspondence or relatedness of branches of science and specialties previously obtained (sequentially) higher education, the degree of Candidate of Sciences and the degree of Doctor of Sciences is in fact not regulated in any way, except in cases of seeking academic degrees in medical and veterinary sciences, which are possible only if the applicant has a higher medical (veterinary) education. In fact, in practice, cases of obtaining a higher degree in a branch of science and a specialty unrelated to the existing one are recognized as quite acceptable and are not in any way limited by the Higher Attestation Commission: for example, a candidate of economic sciences by engineers (mathematicians, chemists), a doctorate of economic sciences by candidates, for example, of technical and physical sciences. mathematical sciences, etc.

In parallel, there are similar degrees of Doctor of Law, Theology, etc., awarded by an accredited institution of higher education. Doctor of Laws (DL), Doctor of Medicine (DM), Business Administration (DBA), etc. degrees are in many countries considered to constitute a professional rather than an academic/research doctorate, i.e. the degree holder is expected to be engaged in a general occupation , practical activities, not science. Obtaining such degrees also does not require independent scientific research, so a professional doctorate is not usually considered an advanced degree. Whether a degree is classified as a professional or research doctorate varies by country and even by university; Thus, in the USA and Canada the degree of Doctor of Medicine is professional, and in Great Britain, Ireland and many countries of the British Commonwealth it is research. A number of UK universities (including Oxford and Cambridge) even include the Doctor of Medicine degree as a higher doctorate (roughly equivalent to the Doctor of Science in Russia), which requires a significant contribution to medical science.

Academic titles

In Russia, academic titles are currently divided into the titles of associate professor (or professor) by specialty And by department. Since 2011, academic titles both in the department and in the specialty are awarded by orders of the Minister of Education and Science on the recommendation of the Higher Attestation Commission. The qualification requirements for applicants for academic titles in the department and in the specialty are somewhat different, for example, to apply for the academic title of professor in the department, you must be the author (co-author) of textbooks or teaching aids, which is not required for the title of professor in a specialty. But a professor in a specialty needs a larger number of people who have defended candidate dissertations under his supervision: for a professor in a department - as a rule, at least two, for a professor in a specialty - as a rule, at least five.

In addition, the requirements differ within each category (professor in the department, associate professor in the department, professor in the specialty, associate professor in the specialty). Thus, it is allowed to assign the academic title of professor in the department to persons who have an academic degree of Candidate of Sciences, and associate professor to persons who do not have an academic degree, but the requirements for them are much stricter than for applicants who have the academic degree of Doctor and Candidate of Sciences, respectively. Special requirements are imposed on applicants for an academic title who are workers in culture and art and have the appropriate honorary titles(People's Artist, Honored Artist, etc.), as well as employees physical culture and sports, having the title of Honored Trainer. In addition, it is allowed to assign the academic title of professor in the department to major specialists who have received international or Russian recognition in the relevant field of knowledge.

According to the current system in Russia and Belarus, to obtain the academic title of professor it is not necessary to have the academic title of associate professor.

Previous academic degrees and titles

The academic title of senior researcher is currently not awarded in the Russian Federation; it is equivalent to the title of associate professor in the specialty. Previously (and also currently in Ukraine and some other post-Soviet states), the title of senior researcher was awarded to employees of research institutes, and qualification requirements Applicants for this title did not include teaching work in universities, unlike the title of associate professor.

Until the 1950s in the USSR there was the academic title of “senior laboratory assistant”.

Before the revolution, in the scientific and educational system of Russia there were academic degrees of full student, candidate (more precisely, candidate of the university), master's and doctor, academic titles of adjunct, privat-docent, associate professor, associate professor, extraordinary professor, ordinary professor, emeritus professor. This entire hierarchy was abolished in its entirety in 1918 (although some of the listed degrees and titles were abolished back in the 19th century). Academic degrees in Russian Empire gave the right to receive ranks of a certain class (see Table of Ranks).

Status of bachelor's and master's degrees in Russia

Before the implementation of the Bologna recommendations, bachelor's and master's degrees in Russia do not refer to academic degrees, but to qualifications (degrees) of graduates educational institutions higher professional education.

Nomenclature of academic degrees

Depending on the specialty in which the dissertation is defended, the applicant is awarded one of the academic degrees.

Honorary degree

An honorary degree of Doctor of Science (Honor Doctor or Honor degree or Doctor honoris causa) is issued by universities, academies or the Ministry of Education without completing a course of study and without taking into account mandatory requirements (for publications, defense, etc.), but who have achieved great success in business and who have gained fame in any field of knowledge (artists, jurisprudence, religious figures, businessmen, writers and poets, artists, etc.). Such people are involved in teaching activities and give lectures in best universities many countries of the world. An honorary Doctor of Science degree is not awarded in medicine.

An honorary degree may be awarded or withdrawn.

Non-governmental organizations

Religious organizations can award candidate (doctor) degrees in theological sciences (or theology), award the titles of professor and associate professor, etc. Other non-governmental organizations can also award various academic degrees and titles, up to academician (see Non-state academies). However, all these degrees and titles are not legally recognized as such in Russia and do not give their holders the rights provided for by law Russian Federation.

Contemporary discussions

Currently, there is a discussion regarding the possibility of transferring the scientific and qualification powers of the Higher Attestation Commission to the scientific councils of universities and research institutes (including non-state ones), as has been done in many Western countries. Opponents of such a transfer express the opinion of the inevitable devaluation of the system of academic degrees and titles as a result of the loss of state control over the certification of scientific and scientific-pedagogical personnel.

Notes

Related links

• Website of the Higher Attestation Commission of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation
• Baleevskikh L.S., Muranov A.I. Domestic history of normative regulation of nomenclatures of specialties of scientific workers in relation to jurisprudence // Jurisprudence. - 2008. - No. 5. - P. 243-259.

Regarding academic titles, questions often arise: what is it and how to get it? In this article we will tell you what an assistant professor is. This word can simultaneously denote several concepts that are essentially similar. Firstly, associate professor is the academic title of a teacher. Secondly, the degree of employees of scientific institutions. Thirdly, positions in universities. With the concept of “professor” everything is much simpler - this is a person who is a highly qualified specialist in a certain field of science, an expert.

Who is awarded the title of associate professor?

Being in the position of associate professor at a university does not mean possessing it, which is assigned by the academic council of a scientific institution (or higher educational institution) and approved by the Federal Service for Supervision in Education and Science. This degree is awarded for life.

Criteria for awarding the position and title “Assistant Professor”:

• the position is assigned to university teachers, who, as a rule, have the title after competitive election by the academic council;
• Research workers are awarded the degree of associate professor in their specialty (previously - “Senior Researcher”);
• Lecturers and teachers of higher educational institutions who have worked for 5 or more years, have worked for at least one year as an assistant professor and have scientific works can also receive this title.

What does an assistant professor do?

Thus, an associate professor is a position at a university or an academic title that can be obtained by lecturers, researchers and persons with an academic degree “Candidate”.

What are his responsibilities?

1. Associate Professor of Sciences conducts methodological and educational work.
2. Provides leadership over own activities and scientific research students.
3. Gives lectures, conducts classes and implements their results in National economy.
4. Prepares scientific and teaching personnel.

Who is a "professor"?

Translated from Latin, “professor” means “teacher.” He is engaged in teaching at universities, conducting scientific research, introducing their results into the national economy, training teaching and scientific personnel, directing students' scientific research and his own studies. Professor is both a title and a position in a higher educational institution. To get the first one you need:

• Have a Doctor of Science degree, own inventions or scientific works. Be selected by competition for the position of “Head of the Department” or successfully work for a year in this position.
• Work as a professor for at least a year, have extensive research and teaching experience, and have your own works.
• Be without any scientific title, with extensive industrial experience. The position may be assigned by the Academic Council on a competitive basis.

From this article we learned that the word “professor,” like “associate professor,” is both a title and a position. Only in the first case is it assigned for life, and in the second - for the period of work. The titles of associate professor and professor are similar in meaning. It is quite difficult to earn them; you need to really understand your field and be a specialist.

The Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of October 24, 1994 approved the Regulations on the procedure for awarding academic degrees to scientific and scientific-pedagogical workers and assigning academic titles to scientific workers.

In Russia the system is this moment mixed: partially applicable new system with the graduation of bachelors (4 years) and masters (6 years), partly old with the graduation of certified specialists (5 years). The German-style system inherited from the Soviet Union is used, in which there are two degrees:

PhD,

Ph.D.

Currently, the academic degree of both candidate and doctor of sciences is awarded by the dissertation council. However, if to obtain a Candidate of Sciences diploma a positive decision of the council is sufficient, then to obtain a Doctor of Sciences diploma it is also necessary to have a positive conclusion of an expert council in the relevant field by the Higher Attestation Commission of the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia. Persons who academic degrees awarded in violation of the established procedure may be deprived of these degrees by the Higher Attestation Commission, as a rule, on the basis of petitions from dissertation councils, at the meeting of which the dissertation defense took place.

To obtain a candidate or doctorate degree, it is necessary to prepare a dissertation and defend it at a meeting of the dissertation council created at a university, research institute or other scientific institution. To defend a dissertation for a doctorate degree, it is currently necessary to have a candidate of science degree; defense of a dissertation for a doctorate degree is not provided for by persons who do not have a candidate degree, in accordance with the current “Regulations on the procedure for awarding academic degrees”. It should be noted that the correspondence or relatedness of branches of science and specialties previously received (sequentially) of higher education, the degree of Candidate of Sciences and the degree of Doctor of Science being sought is in fact not regulated in any way, except in cases of seeking academic degrees in medical, veterinary and legal sciences, which are possible only if the applicant has a higher medical, veterinary or legal education, respectively. In fact, in practice, cases of obtaining a higher degree in a branch of science and a specialty unrelated to the existing one are recognized as quite acceptable and are not in any way limited by the Higher Attestation Commission: for example, a candidate of economic sciences by engineers (mathematicians, chemists), a doctorate of economic sciences by candidates, for example, of technical and physical sciences. mathematical sciences, etc.

Until the end of 2013, in the Russian Federation, the academic titles of associate professor in the department and professor in the department in higher educational institutions, associate professor in the specialty and professor in the specialty in research institutions were awarded. The academic titles of associate professor and professor in a specialty were also awarded to persons holding positions as research assistants in higher educational institutions (that is, those engaged mainly in scientific, rather than scientific and pedagogical activities). The academic title of associate professor is awarded, as a rule, to candidates of science, and the academic title of professor - as a rule, to doctors of science.

Since December 2013, the academic titles of professor and associate professor have been introduced without indicating “by department” or “by specialty”; previously existing titles are equated to them. At the same time, the procedure for obtaining academic titles is becoming more complicated. Yes, one of mandatory conditions To be awarded the academic title of professor, one must now have held the academic title of associate professor for at least three years. Previously, the academic title of professor could be assigned to persons who previously did not have an academic title at all.

Academic titles both in the department and in the specialty were awarded by the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia, based on the conclusion of the Higher Attestation Commission. The academic title of senior researcher is currently not awarded in the Russian Federation; it is equivalent to the title of associate professor in the specialty. Until 2006, in the Russian Federation (and also currently in Ukraine and some other post-Soviet states), the title of senior researcher was awarded to employees of research institutes, and the qualification requirements for applicants for this title did not include teaching work in universities, unlike title of associate professor.

The academic titles of associate professor and professor (as well as senior researcher and others listed below) should not be confused with positions in universities and research institutes that have similar names. As a rule, an academic title is awarded after a certain time of work in the corresponding position (if a number of other necessary conditions are met), however, the title is assigned for life and is retained by its holder even when changing position, place of work, or after retirement. For example, a teacher who has the academic title of associate professor can hold the position of professor, a professor by title can work as a dean or senior research fellow and so on.

The presence of an academic title (as well as an academic degree) gives the right to a statutory increase in official salaries (rates) for employees of a number of federal law enforcement agencies and for contract military personnel (10% for the title of associate professor, 25% for the title of professor), for employees of the prosecutor's office ( 5% and 10%, respectively).

The word “scientist”, like many others, is in our aging vocabulary, which does not have time to transform and follow life changes in society, has long lost its original meaning. Logically, “scientist” means “trained,” “saturated with knowledge.” According to " Explanatory dictionary living Great Russian language” by Vladimir Dahl, a scientist is someone “who has been taught, learned,” and scholarship is “the state, quality of a learned person, a thorough knowledge of the sciences, a complete study of them.”

Nowadays, when we say “scientist,” we mean by this a person who creates science, creates, discovers new knowledge and scientific truths, has an academic degree, and has defended a dissertation. By and large, the meaning of the word “scientist” becomes more intelligible when it is supplemented with the epithets “established”, “famous”, “outstanding”, “world famous”.

Such epithets involuntarily instill fear and surround the term “scientist” with an aura of inaccessibility for the average mortal who has studied “something and somehow.” One should not despair and take, say, the meaning of the phrase “famous scientist” literally, as known to the whole country, or even the world. After all, you can be famous on a much smaller scale, for example within an institute, university, or even a faculty. Or you can generally be guided by a common behavioral recipe: “The main thing is not to be, but to appear!” It seems much easier to be called a scientist than to actually be one. This is universally used by people for whom wearing the mantle of a scientist in the form of a degree and title is much more important than being a true scientist.

From the standpoint of statistics, any citizen who works creatively in science has the right to be called a scientist. But don’t forget one more important truth: “Without a piece of paper you are a bug, but with a piece of paper you are a person.” Especially in a society that ranks high in the world in terms of formalism and bureaucracy. So, if you want to be considered a scientist, present a certificate stating that you are a scientist. Such certificates are diplomas and certificates indicating the presence of an academic degree or title. So first you have to understand these very degrees and titles, the presence of which is documented by authorized scientific authorities.

Let's talk about the system of academic degrees and titles. According to the approved unified register Academic degrees and titles in Russia, two academic degrees have been introduced: the primary one is Candidate of Sciences and the higher one is Doctor of Sciences. Each candidate of sciences can be considered, following the apt expression of V. Vysotsky, a “candidate for doctor.” But unlike candidates for membership of the CPSU, who after a year completely became members, not every candidate of science goes on to become a doctor. Only about every tenth. The rest remain candidates for life. And the period of candidate experience is not a year, but usually from 5 to 25 years. Candidates, like wine, must be aged for a certain period of time, therefore those of them who strive to obtain the academic degree of Doctor of Science, without having previously been a candidate of science for several years, are looked askance by elderly doctors of science, who have been candidates for many years, who decide their scientific fate .

In principle, an academic degree is awarded on the basis of a public defense of a thesis to applicants for the corresponding degree. What a dissertation is and what its defense is is discussed in the following presentation.

Formally, according to established rules, the scientific degree of Candidate of Sciences is awarded dissertation council, i.e., a specialized council that is given the right to accept dissertations for defense for the corresponding academic degree. But the scientific degree of Doctor of Science is awarded only Higher Attestation Commission (HAC) on the basis of a petition from the dissertation council, accepted after the successful defense of a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Science at the dissertation council authorized to accept doctoral dissertations for defense (doctoral council). Doctoral councils have the right to accept both doctoral and candidate dissertations for defense. But even in the process of obtaining a PhD degree, the Higher Attestation Commission cannot be bypassed. The coveted candidate's diploma can be obtained only after a control check at the Higher Attestation Commission of the certification case submitted there for consideration by the dissertation council after defense.

So, an academic degree and a dissertation are closely connected. To obtain an academic degree of candidate or doctor of science, you must first prepare and defend a dissertation, and this is, after all, a voluminous scientific work containing from 100 to 350 pages of text. Is it possible not to write a multi-page dissertation and still legally obtain an academic degree? It turns out it is possible, although not entirely simple. According to the regulations on the award of academic degrees, a doctoral dissertation can be completed in the form scientific report, representing a brief summary of the results of the research and development conducted by the applicant. The provision on this possibility states as follows: “A dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Science in the form of a scientific report is a brief generalized summary of the results of research and development, known to a wide range of specialists.” The report must be supported by a set of scientific works previously published by the applicant in the relevant field of knowledge, having great importance for science and practice. Rarely do any applicants follow such a non-trivial path. You need to have many publications, be famous even before awarding an academic degree, and follow an untrodden, and therefore more risky, path.

Having received some primary information about academic degrees, let's move on to academic titles. In Russia, according to the unified register of academic degrees and titles, approved in 2002, the following titles are provided:

a) associate professor in a specialty according to the nomenclature of specialties of scientific workers or in the department of an educational institution;

b) professor by specialty or department.

The system of academic titles is more confusing than the system of academic degrees. And not only because they distinguish between titles by specialty and department, but also because the degrees are, as it were, only scientific, but the titles are both scientific and pedagogical, teaching. Academic degrees are essentially awarded only by the Higher Attestation Commission, and all kinds of scientific titles are awarded by the Higher Attestation Commission, the Ministry of Education, and the Russian Academy of Sciences. Without aiming to systematize information about academic titles that is prone to change, we touch upon them only in an effort to distinguish between the concepts of “academic degree” and “academic title” and to prevent the often observed confusion in this regard.

Speaking about academic titles, one should distinguish title or simply a position held from an academic title, which one can have without holding a similar position. Thus, you can hold the position of professor or associate professor without having the appropriate title, confirmed by a certificate. But you can hold the title of professor or associate professor, have the appropriate official certificate and work as a house manager, or even not work at all. I have to write about this not only out of a feeling of pity for professors with the title who, alas, work not as professors, but in a slightly lower position. The point is also that those who work as professors, but do not have such an academic title, tend to call themselves professors, although in reality they only hold a professorial position. It is curious that the military is more modest in this regard - a colonel holding a general's position does not call himself a general until he receives the rank of general.

You need to know that, along with the titles “associate professor” and “professor” supported by certificates, there are purely official titles that are not directly related to the conferment of an academic title. At the same time, in order to hold the position of a researcher (junior, simply scientific, senior, leading, chief) in a research or educational institution, it is desirable, and sometimes mandatory, to have academic degrees and titles. Academic titles are established for scientific and scientific-pedagogical personnel according to the criteria of the state certification system.

Academic title of associate professor assigned to employees scientific organizations for research activities and to employees of higher educational institutions for scientific and pedagogical activities.

Academic title of professor awarded to employees of higher educational institutions and scientific organizations for scientific and pedagogical activities and training of graduate students.

Persons who have been awarded academic titles are issued corresponding certificates, which, by analogy with candidate's or doctor's degree provide official “certificates” of involvement in the world of scientists.

A legitimate question arises: “Why and who needs these cunning double signs, a double dimension of scholarship: by degrees and titles?” The most natural answer, in our opinion, is: “Everything that exists in the world is reasonable. So that's how it should be. As for tricks, in science you cannot do without tricks. Sometimes you can do it without knowledge, but you can’t do it without tricks.”

So it’s better not to waste your mental energy, but to finally understand how academic degrees differ from academic titles. For in general, as is clear from the previous presentation, the system of academic degrees and titles is so confusing that if you try to understand all the details, you become even more confused.

1. Academic degrees are awarded as a result of the defense of dissertations, and academic titles are awarded based on the results of scientific and pedagogical activities. The procedure and procedure for “awarding” and “assigning” are different. An applicant who wants to receive an academic degree proves that he has grounds for this in a “court” in the form of a dissertation council, which makes the initial decision to award the required degree based on the defense of the dissertation. An academic title is assigned by authorized bodies on the basis of a petition indicating that the applicant for an academic title has fulfilled the necessary conditions for this.

It is extremely desirable, I would say, even obligatory, not to confuse the word “awarded,” which refers only to academic degrees, with the word "assigned", attributable only to academic titles. This is a common mistake, inherent, alas, even to those who have already become scientists. Such an error indicates either linguistic sloppiness or low scientific culture. In everyday life, the words “present” and “provide” are confused in the same way, having different meanings. By the way, if a petition has been filed against a researcher to award him an academic title, then it is customary to say that he has been nominated for an academic title. But they do not provide an academic degree; it, as is clear from the previous statement, is awarded by authorized dissertation councils or special commissions based on the results of dissertation defenses.

2. The presence of an academic degree is evidenced by a diploma of a candidate or doctor of science, and the presence of an academic title is evidenced by a certificate of an associate professor or professor. So the certificates are called differently.

3. Usually, the assignment of the academic title of senior associate professor is preceded by the award of the academic degree of Candidate of Sciences, and the award of the title of professor is preceded by the award of the academic degree of Doctor of Sciences, i.e., you must first obtain degrees, and then titles adequate to them, and therefore most often it is more difficult to acquire a degree than a title, which, if you have a degree, is relatively easy to obtain in a few years.

Hence it is clear that to obtain a title it is desirable to have a degree. Preferred, but not required. It is possible to obtain a title without a degree; to do this, you must be, as the regulations on academic titles say, a highly qualified specialist and hold a corresponding scientific position for some time. In the modern scientific informal lexicon, a researcher or teacher who has been awarded the title of professor in the absence of a doctorate degree is usually called a “cold” professor. Such a professor is not deprived of the opportunity to defend his dissertation and turn into a “hot one.”

Let us emphasize once again that when talking about academic titles, they should be distinguished from positions. You can hold the position of associate professor or professor without having the appropriate academic title. The difference between a title holder and a position holder is about the same as between a full-time car owner and a non-owner driver. The title is given forever, for life, and the position is given for a certain period. True, there are often cases when you have, but the position is occupied by a person without a title, even though you are an associate professor by rank, but you are forced to work as an assistant. Science is a tricky thing, a lot is possible in it. Title is one of these opportunities.

The range of scientific positions is wider than the range of academic titles. Thus, for two academic titles there is a whole set of positions. In higher education institutions this is an assistant, lecturer, senior lecturer, associate professor, professor. In scientific organizations - junior (to me), simply scientific, senior (to me), leading, chief researcher (the latter are jokingly called gnats). In addition, there are also high positions of heads of departments, departments, laboratories, sectors, and even higher ones - rectors, vice-rectors, directors. In general, we have enough scientific positions. Anyone holding such a position has the right to be considered a scientist.

Mention should be made of scientists, or rather, scientific titles beginning with the words “honorable”, “honorable”, but they are not intended for beginning scientists, but for those finishing their scientific career. Honored scientists and honorary doctors usually don’t need dissertations; they either have them or don’t really need them.

You can't ignore the titles corresponding member And full member (academician) of the Academy of Sciences. At first glance, it seems that this is also not for the young, although Andrei Dmitrievich Sakharov became a corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences at the age of 28, and an academician at the age of 32. And in general, a soldier who does not dream of becoming a general is a bad soldier, just like a graduate student who does not dream of becoming an academician. The chances are approximately equal, but in the future they are higher for graduate students, because the number of academic vacancies in last years began to increase sharply due to the growth in the number of academies themselves.

Again, further clarification is needed to understand this issue. Nowadays, scientific academies in Russia form a whole pyramid, at the top of which is the Russian Academy of Sciences, created by Peter the Great in 1724, which includes about a thousand corresponding members and full members (academics). This is the holy of holies of science. Even the great transformer N.S. Khrushchev failed to replace the Academy of Sciences with a collection of branch academies. They say that the then president of the Academy of Sciences A.N. Nesmeyanov told Khrushchev: “Nikita Sergeevich, the Academy was created by Peter the Great himself and it is not for you to close it.” A L.I. Brezhnev and others like him were unable to achieve the expulsion of the freethinker A.D. from the Academy of Sciences. Sakharov.

Greatness Russian Academy Sciences (RAS) is determined by the fact that its members include the most outstanding scientists, generals and even marshals from science. But the fact of receiving a life annuity in the form of “scholarships” also plays some role. Before market reforms, academicians were paid 500 rubles in addition to their labor income. per month, and corresponding members - 300 rubles, which was approximately twice the average level wages in Soviet Union. In the conditions of the quasi-market Russian economy, academic “scholarships” initially sharply “lost weight,” but, starting in 2002, they increased significantly again and reached two to three times the average monthly salary of an ordinary Russian worker. This is not a great level, taking into account inflation, but the flow of those striving to become corresponding members and full members of the RAS does not dry out. After all, there are some other incentives besides monetary support.

At the second level of the academic pyramid there are state branch academies, such as the Academy of Medical Sciences, the Academy of Pedagogical Sciences, the Academy of Architecture and Construction, the Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the Academy of Arts and, to some extent, the Academy of Natural Sciences (RAEN). They also include full members (academicians) and corresponding members, but their state “scholarships” are one and a half, or even two times lower, and only the Academy itself has the right to pay money to the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences.

Well, at the third level, during the so-called transition period from an administrative-managerial to a market economy in Russia, so many non-state, public academies, academicians and corresponding members arose in Russia that they are countless. He himself became an academician of two academies at once. But in these academies they do not pay state money and, on the contrary, in order to become a member one must pay an entrance fee as a kind of payment for the right to bear the title of corresponding member of the Academy or full member.

So if you want to understand the real greatness of the title of academician, then you must first find out which Academy he belongs to. The newly-minted academicians of numerous man-made academies are reluctant to talk about this, calling themselves with pathos academicians, corresponding members, without indicating which academy they mean.

Getting into the very upper layer elite demands special art and luck. Although formally academicians are also elected as corresponding members, in order to become one, one must be elected in a different sense of the word. Members and academicians have their own Masonic lodge, their own laws of promotion, which, perhaps, are the only ones known to them. Neither dissertations nor scientific works play a role here decisive role, although an advanced degree is required. It is much more important to get into the flow and get support from lodge members. The higher the level of the Academy, the more difficult it is, naturally, to get into it.

There is no doubt that the fierce competition (ten or more doctors of science are vying for one position as a corresponding member of the RAS), the desire to get a scientific apartment on the highest floor, closer to the sun, is due to some super-powerful incentive. Long tongues are spoken about the life annuity received from the public pocket by having an academic title in addition to other income. And also about the possibility of getting a new position later. Those striving for the top claim that they do this out of pure love for science, so that their undoubted scientific merits will receive public recognition, and they themselves will receive economic independence and freedom of scientific creativity.

And one more interesting detail. In Russia, many non-state educational academies, universities, and institutes have appeared, which sometimes have dissertation councils. The most “brave” of them sometimes dare to completely separate from the state in the person of the Higher Attestation Commission, awarding academic degrees of not just a candidate, but even a doctor of sciences without the participation of the Higher Attestation Commission, as is customary abroad in completely different conditions. After their defense, such quickly “baked” scientists are immediately issued sealed diplomas, called “crusts,” the forms of which are not particularly difficult to produce or buy. All that remains is to say to candidates and doctors of sciences certified in this way: “Walk, Vasya, along the scientific path, and, of course, receive a reward for your services.”

This is one of the consequences of the hasty liberalization of Russian science and education. I would still like to remind the “craftsmen” that, according to Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of January 30, 2002 No. 74, only diplomas issued by the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation or other authorized state authorities are valid as documents for the award of academic degrees provided for by the state certification system organs.

Having become familiar with Russian system academic degrees and titles, a curious reader has the right to ask what it’s like for them, “over the hill,” that is, abroad, in this regard. You understand that they cannot have such a strict and harmonious system as ours. There, whoever wants what, does it. And the government does not interfere in this matter, and there is no Higher State Attestation Commission, and the regulations and instructions are less than ours. True, self-discipline is usually higher there and self-responsibility is also higher. Universities, having the ability to independently award “their own” academic degrees, do not scatter them left and right, do not turn them into a subject of purchase and sale, or nepotism. At least they do this rarely, as an exception.

As a result, with degrees and titles it is too simple there, not like here. Complete primitivism, even boring. No candidates, no associate professors. True, there are doctors and professors. But their doctor is something like a domestic candidate. Therefore, our candidates, having gone abroad or entered into contacts with foreign scientists native land, immediately call themselves doctors. Although they call aspiring scientists bachelors and masters, the latter even have to prepare a dissertation.

Our attempts to reproduce the training of bachelors and masters in Russia have not yet been crowned with resounding success.

Again, they do not have a full set of our scientific titles. But professors come in different ranks: junior, simply professor, and senior or full (not by size, of course, but by completeness of knowledge and recognition of merit).

Why do people need academic degrees and titles?

The problem of the purpose of life, human aspirations and needs, their distribution in terms of significance and importance has occupied and will forever occupy the minds of people. It is equally obvious that, despite all the efforts of philosophers and sociologists, no one will ever be able to completely solve this problem. Accordingly, there is no need to look for an exhaustive answer to the question: “Why and why do people strive to acquire academic degrees and titles, spending a lot of time, effort and money on it?” In the end, if a person is looking for something, it means he needs it. A need is something that people need, and one should think more not about the nature of such a need, but about how to satisfy it more fully at lower, limited costs. But still, it is necessary and possible, even necessary, to understand the meaning of the desires of those suffering to acquire an academic degree, because the degree of zeal with which the applicant achieves his goal depends on the desires.

According to ideas American sociologist and psychologist Abraham Maslow, hierarchically structured human needs form a kind of “pyramid” consisting of five steps and levels. The needs arranged by rank form the following structure.

1. The need for self-realization, self-affirmation.
2. The need for respect from others and for self-esteem.
3. The need for communication, friendship, love.
4. Need for safety and assistance.
5. Physiological needs.

Let us consider how the satisfaction of the listed needs is related to the presence of a person’s academic degree and academic title. A scientist can satisfy his physiological needs more fully if, after successfully defending a dissertation, awarding an academic degree, or conferring an academic title, his income and access to material goods increase.

The safety of a scientist is somewhat higher than that of an ordinary citizen; Due to the historical veneration of scientists in Rus', they are killed less by bandits and criminal groups. Young male graduate students are given a deferment from military conscription while they complete their studies. Candidates of science are generally not conscripted into the army by force. More or less eminent scientists are assigned to special clinics; the state takes a little more care of their health compared to non-eminent ones, although in quasi-market Russia this opportunity has faded.

Joining a scientist's club undoubtedly develops communication and friendship; Additional contacts arise between scientists, they form unique clans, meet at conferences, seminars, events held by scientists’ houses, all kinds of scientific societies and foundations. Scientists often travel abroad and communicate with foreign colleagues. With the satisfaction of needs for love, the problem is not solved so clearly, but, in any case, the love of graduate students for their supervisors is an ordinary event.

Respect for scientists from others, as already mentioned, stems from historical Russian traditions and although in Lately such respect has somewhat faded against the background of veneration for businessmen who know how to make money, but to a certain extent it is still observed. But the need for self-esteem after receiving academic degrees and titles is obviously satisfied to a high degree. You don’t even notice how you begin to truly respect yourself and treat yourself with dignity.

And, of course, writing and defending a dissertation, acquiring and further using academic degrees and titles is one of the highest forms of self-realization and self-expression. In this respect, scientists are surpassed only by actors and politicians.

Scientists live relatively long, at least longer than people engaged in many other types of purposeful activities. According to expert estimates, a candidate's degree and the title of associate professor extend life by two to three years compared to non-degree ones, doctors and professors live longer by about five to seven years, corresponding members and academicians - by eight to ten. The lack of detailed and reliable statistics does not allow us to confirm the stated hypothesis with more reliable figures. And scientists find it easier to accommodate their children than to successfully prolong life in their children. This should be taken into account when striving for the first form of happiness - increasing life expectancy, prolonging it in one's offspring and ensuring a good life for one's offspring.

Regarding the happiness of enrichment, scientists are also not last people. Of course, in terms of income and material well-being, they cannot compare with successful entrepreneurs, oligarchs, and the highest nomenklatura. Even an academician is unlikely to win the competition. But a candidate of science can compete with a worker, office worker, engineer, doctor, teacher. And in terms of income, and in terms of cash savings, and in terms of property. An academic degree can provide a car and a garden plot, sometimes even a modest dacha. Not right away, of course.

In monetary terms, academic degrees and titles bring additional income both due to a slightly increased wage rate and as a result of receiving bonuses and extra income. Alas, the time when a candidate or associate professor received a guaranteed increase in salary in the amount of 50 to 200 rubles. per month, doctor of sciences - from 100 to 400 rubles. (and the ruble was close in value to the dollar) is a thing of the past. However, little by little, it seems to be coming back. Much depends on the ability to use degrees and titles as a tool for obtaining money and material goods, acting according to the formula: “academic degree - promotion to a position - gaining a position that allows you to receive income - receiving the income itself.”

There is no need to hide that the demand for scientific and intellectual products observed in former country Soviets, fell significantly; Often a scientific, spiritual product remains unclaimed by the system and society. At the same time, certain types of scientific, educational, and information products are highly valued in the modern Russian market of goods and services. It is possible to sell them abroad at an affordable price.

Let us not make hasty, hasty, one-sided conclusions about the failure of the idea of ​​material, monetary happiness on scientific grounds. After all, they still pay. Free time, which a scientist has much more than other workers, also costs money; it can be used for additional commercial activities. And in the end, if you decide to grow and sell flowers, sell imported cigarettes, and maybe even oil, gas or metals, then an academic degree and title will not hurt in any way, and will also help in some ways. Academic degrees and the scientific image they generate are an excellent, extremely useful addition to the art of commerce, if not reinforcement.

Even if science is not the best, not the most effective method material enrichment, but this is a reliable path to spiritual wealth. It should be recognized that science, like art, provides inexhaustible possibilities in this regard. Knowledge of the innermost secrets of the universe and the very introduction to the world of people who create science, erect a majestic, never completed Building of Knowledge, gives extraordinary, incomparable sensations, special feelings. Personal involvement in replenishing the treasury of Eternal Science exalts a person and serves as a powerful source of self-affirmation, achievement of fame, and approach to glory. It is not for nothing that one hundred members of the Paris Academy of Natural Sciences are considered immortal.

Among the people, scientists, by analogy with writers, artists, artists, are considered by many to be noble, intelligent, intellectually gifted, or even the most smart people. I remember the deep respect my mother had for scientists. In the remote Ukrainian village where I spent my childhood, of course, they had no idea or even heard of academic degrees and titles. The word "scientist" was associated with the concept of "educated". My mother, who by some miracle graduated from high school in Odessa, was considered almost the most learned person in the village. My father, who barely completed two grades at a parish school, liked to say in defiance of his mother: “If everyone becomes literate, who will herd the pigs?”

Let's now try to understand driving forces, encouraging Russians living in the conditions of a protracted transition period from the Soviet socialist to a market capitalist economy to write and defend dissertations. Life testifies that such incentives exist. After the obvious recession of the late 90s of the XX century. in Russia at the very beginning of the 11th century. There has been a rise in interest in defending dissertations and acquiring academic titles. What is it caused by and who does it affect?

The number of young pragmatists who do not consider science the best, profitable field of activity in the conditions of modern life, but understanding that the reserve scientific knowledge, supported by an academic degree, will not only not hurt, but may well come in handy. While engaging in entrepreneurship, participating in a more or less profitable business, or planning such participation, striving to establish themselves in the middle class, such young men and women understand at the same time that enrolling in correspondence graduate school, becoming an applicant, defending a dissertation is useful for strengthening their status and position in society, in life. They do not expect immediate benefits or advantages from an academic degree, but believe that all this will come over time. Well, this cohort of degree-seekers is certainly forward-thinking.

Another category of people seeking to acquire an academic degree is part of the “new Russians” who have acquired a decent financial wealth and position, have been honored to become worthy members of the Russian middle class and at the same time are looking for ways and means to strengthen their position in the name of a reliable future. These energetic people are looking for additional areas to apply their efforts and invest their available funds. One of these areas is science, or more precisely, obtaining an academic degree. A simple calculation or purely intuitive ideas convince such applicants for an academic degree that investments in scientific work, which do not represent such a significant part of their available resource potential, strength, energy, time, money, will certainly pay off. And even if they don’t pay off in monetary terms, the losses are not so significant and are quite tolerable. Even the very fact of long-term, or even lifelong, involvement in science through the acquisition of an academic degree serves as a worthy reward for such people and pays for the resources expended.

The next group of Russians, eager to acquire the academic degree of candidate and doctor of sciences, and then, if possible, become a professor, are eminent and wealthy middle-aged citizens who emerged on the wave of market reforms and occupied a very decent, sometimes even very high, position in society. These are active, dynamic, intelligent people who understand their business, who, however, have a very indirect relationship with science, who are, as political economists like to say, in an indirect connection with it. Being sensible representatives of their class, they understand that under the moon nothing lasts forever, the sun has the custom of setting behind the clouds at any moment warm place may become hot and you will have to leave it. It is then that an academic degree, coupled with a title, can come in very handy, and a decent position in a university department or in a reputable research institute - not disgraceful, but even worthy for a career at the end of one’s years and strength.

The main difficulty for these respected people is to compose and defend a dissertation. They have very few scientific works, or even none at all, with the exception of articles in newspapers, which are not considered scientific works. There is no time to write a dissertation, and I don’t really want to, besides, even the most talkative of them are not very good writers. You have to resort to the services of consultants and specialists. In the conditions of the Russian semi-market economy, when even in newspapers it is easy to find advertisements for “Turnkey dissertation”, the problem can be easily solved - if only there was money, as they say. In addition, since customers are most often people who know the matter well, they easily become involved with a dissertation written by someone else, and defend it more or less freely after some preparation and intensive coaching. And beyond the Higher Attestation Commission it is difficult to catch them, although in recent years attempts have been made to put slingshots and barriers in the way of these courageous people rushing into science. Their certification files, abstracts, and even dissertations are monitored by the expert councils of the Higher Attestation Commission with special care. The “martyrs” themselves are often called “on the carpet” to the Higher Attestation Commission, where they must appear one-on-one with qualified experts and prove their personal participation, the novelty of their research, the validity and applicability of the results of their work.

And finally, about another category of applicants who deserve the deepest respect, having earned their dissertation through years of persistently waiting in the wings and painstaking work. It's about about those teachers of institutes and universities, employees of research and design organizations who, not possessing powerful talent and penetrating force, drop by drop put aside grains of their own developments or ideas found in scientific literature and for years, or even decades, build their modest dissertation house. Most of these applicants are satisfied with a candidate's degree, but there are also more restless ones who, by the age of 50, are thinking about a doctoral dissertation, and closer to 60 they even defend it, having created it almost entirely with their own hands.

We needed to resort to brief analysis and classification of different categories of applicants not only to convince you that the powder in the flasks of hunters for academic degrees and titles has not run out. The point is also that by defining his own classification group, the applicant will greatly facilitate the solution of the problem of choosing a rational (in the limit, even optimal) way to achieve the goal. And in our multipolar and multivariate world, the implementation of reasonable, the right choice a method of action is already half the battle, or even more. Even if your choice is related to the need to rely on others, there is nothing wrong with that. Even the great Newton wrote that he was able to achieve success in science only by relying on the achievements of his predecessors, meaning, for example, Galileo. And we, simple sinners, cannot do without assistance.

Universities have created a qualification system, according to which academic degrees are arranged in ascending order. But it’s not difficult to answer what types of academic degrees there are - these are candidates and doctors of science. In order to receive an academic degree, applicants must publicly defend their dissertation. It takes quite a lot of time and effort to prepare such voluminous scientific material. You can, of course, get by with a scientific report containing the final results of developments and research. But this path is only accessible enough famous people, who has numerous scientific publications.

In connection with the transition to the Bologna education system, several more degrees appeared:

• Bachelor is the lowest degree possible. It is received by a university graduate who has studied for 4 years and defended his diploma. This used to be called “incomplete higher education”;
• Specialist - awarded after five years of study at a university;
• Master - duration of study is 6 years. The graduate receives this degree after an additional two years of study and having defended a second thesis.

Often when asked what types of academic degrees there are, the answer is associate professor or professor. In this case, the concepts are replaced - these are not academic degrees, but academic titles. Moreover, an academic title supported by a documented official certificate. Non-certified employees can also hold the position of associate professor or professor. The title is given for life, but the position may be temporary.

Academic titles vary by department and specialty, they can be scientific and pedagogical, so it’s not surprising to get confused in all these ups and downs. Some people holding the position of professor proudly call themselves “professors,” although they have nothing to do with the academic title. In this matter, the military is more modest - having colonel's shoulder straps, no one will ever call himself a general in a general's position. Some non-state educational establishments independently, without involving the Higher certification commission, award academic degrees of candidate or doctor of sciences and issue so-called crusts. As a rule, the legal side of such documents still needs to be proven.

Understanding what academic degrees there are and how they differ from academic titles is not as easy as it seems, but the main points are as follows:

1. After defending the dissertation, the applicant is awarded an academic degree, and based on the results of scientific and pedagogical activities, an academic title is awarded.
2. A diploma of a candidate or doctor of science confirms an academic degree, and a certificate of an associate professor or professor confirms an academic title.
3. Obtaining an academic degree is more difficult than obtaining a title, so all efforts should be directed towards defending a dissertation.

People who have high titles or academic degrees are treated with more respect, so the desire for the highest form of self-realization and self-expression is still strong. But achieving a high position in society is not easy, but it is possible.