Kandidat nauk
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Kandidat nauk or Candidate of Science (Russian: Кандидат наук) is a first post-graduate scientific degree in the former USSR and in some Post-Soviet and East European countries, awarded for a dissertation (the Doktor nauk (see also Doctor of Science) is one level higher than the Kandidat). The degree was established on January 13, 1934 by a decision of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR. It corresponded to the Doctor of Philosophy degree (Ph.D.), existing in the USA, the United Kingdom and other countries[1][2]. In 1971, 249,200 scientists had the degree [1]. In post-Soviet time it is roughly translated into the Ph.D.
The work on a dissertation is commonly carried out during a postgraduate study period, called aspirantura (Russian: аспирантура). It is performed either within an educational institution (such as a university) or a scientific research institution (such as an institute of the Academy of Sciences network). It may be also carried out without direct relation to Academia. In exceptional cases, the Kandidat degree may be awarded on the strength of the sum of published scientific works.
A necessary prerequisite is passing an examination called candidate minimum (Russian: кандидатский минимум). In the Soviet Union, the candidate minimum included exams in the speciality field of the dissertant, in a foreign language of his/her choice and in Scientific Communism. In post-Soviet Russia, the latter examination was replaced by the one in Philosophy, and recently in History of science.
The dissertation is presented in accredited educational or scientific institutions before a Higher Attestation Commission or VAK (Russian: высшая аттестационная комиссия, ВАК). The USSR-wide organization was called the "Higher Attestation Commission under the USSR Council of Ministers"; every Soviet republic had its own VAK. The seeker of the degree must have an official "research supervisor" (Russian: научный руководитель). The presentation is literally called "defense of dissertation" in Russian. The dissertation must be delivered together with official references of several reviewers, called "opponents" (Russian: оппоненты). In a procedure called the "defense of the dissertation" the dissertation is summarized before the Commission, followed by speeches by the opponents or the reading of their references.
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- ^ a b Great Soviet Encyclopedia., 3rd ed. (in Russian), Moscow: Sovetskaya Enciklopediya, vol. 11.
- ^ Rosy Nimroody (1988). Star Wars: The Economic Fallout.. Cambridge: Ballinger Pub. Co., 168. ISBN 0887301622.
