Frequently Asked Questions

The minimal srequirement for an eligible applicant for PhD is to have higher education (hold a specialist diploma or a master’s degree) to be followed by satisfying exam results in the corresponding subject from the RA Academic Degree Issuing List.
The applicants for the degree of Doctor of Sciences are required to have made a research contribution to a particular field of science and hold a PhD degree.
An academic degree is awarded by the decision of the specialized academic council, made on the basis of the defense of the dissertation. The decision to issue a diploma is made by the Supreme Certifying Committee of the Republic of Armenia.
Subject to the compliance of the case under certification with the requirements of the “Statutes on the Procedure for the Award of Academic Degrees and Academic Titles” in force in the Republic of Armenia and having the written positive expertise, the Supreme Certifying Committee approves the decision of the specialized academic council within three months for PhD dissertations, and within five months for Doctoral dissertations from the date of its receipt and registration in the Committee and issues the diploma certifying the academic degree.
The Supreme Certifying Committee reviews the case under certification and rules on an academic title award within two months from the day of receiving the required documents.
Comparison and recognition/ validation of international diplomas certifying an academic degree are carried out on the basis of an application submitted by the applicant. The application pack must contain the required documents and a list of research publications. If the applicant is not personally in the Republic of Armenia, the comparison and recognition/ validation procedure is carried out by attorney who has the diploma certifying an academic degree in the original. For translation and notarization of the diploma subject to comparison and recognition/ validation in the Republic of Armenia, it must be authorized by the apostille of the corresponding authorized state body of the country awarding the academic degree.
1. Applicants for a PhD degree must have at least six published research articles, two of which are not co-authored, or else 3 articles, at least one of which is published in journals regularly indexed by Web of Science or Scopus and one authored by the researcher alone. (The requirements of this clause do not apply to persons whose topic of the PhD dissertation was approved by March 10, 2015 and provided that the PhD dissertation shall be defended no later than the deadline set by the law). 2. Applicants for a Doctor of Sciences degree must have at least twenty published research articles at least five of which must be published in journals regularly indexed by Web of Science or Scopus. In the case of doctoral dissertations in the field of Armenian Studies, the Doctor of Sciences Degree applicant must have at least twenty published research articles, at least one of which is published in journals regularly indexed by Web of Science or Scopus. The requirements of this clause do not apply to persons whose topic of the doctoral dissertation was approved by March 2015, and whose doctoral dissertation has passed preliminary expertise in the corresponding institution by March 10, 2018. In this case, the previous regulations apply, namely, “Applicants for a Doctor of Sciences degree must have, at least twenty published research articles, at least five of which must be published in peer-reviewed scientific journals issued in foreign countries (two scientific articles in the case of dissertations in the field of Armenian Studies).”
Persons liable for military service who have defended the dissertation but have not yet received the approval of the decision of the specialized academic council by the Supreme Certifying Committee of the Republic of Armenia, are called up for a mandatory military service two months after the dissertation defense date. Persons liable for military service whose dissertation defense is officially scheduled are called up for a mandatory military service in the conscription period in compliance with the decree of the Government of the Republic of Armenia dated 21.12.2002 n.2140-Ն.
Тhe speciality exam is scheduled two times a year – in April-June and October-December.
Doctors of sciences in the given speciality and branch of science or PhD holders who have received permission from the Supreme Certifying Committee can be appointed as PhD supervisors. To obtain permission the applicant must submit to the Supreme Certifying Committee the mediation of the head of the organization and a list of at least 30 research publications in the given speciality and field of science, at least five of which being published in the past five years.