Doctoral programs

Innovative doctoral programs is actually one of the most interesting initiatives offered by the Academy.

Traditional scientific degrees are only granted by universities or the authorized state authorities, and only after successful completion of the standard doctoral programs and universities by the corresponding scientists. Indeed, the standard academic scientific degrees can be acquired in the process of doctoral studies or the post graduate studies in a university within the third academic level of the educational process. This means after the bachelor’s and the Master’s programs. Such kind of organization of the formal science has been historically developing for several centuries. In the 20th century it has become what we see today. But the 21st century forces this system to change and to adapt to the objective requirements of time. In modern times the organizational system of science cannot be limited by walls of the universities and scientific facilities. In many aspects it is now based on creative individuality of progressive thinkers, irrespective of the ways and forms of expression of their ideas.

In the framework of the Bologna process the doctoral studies is an element of the postgraduate education, and the doctoral degree is first of all the highest educational qualification. Its role as a mechanism of recognition of any scientific achievements is only secondary. This means that in the Bologna ideology of the scientific degrees knowledge is much more important than acquisition of any prestigious statuses.

In the countries with less developed educational traditions the doctoral studies and the doctoral degree are still considered to be a way to achieve professional success, social recognition, and respect, and to satisfy own ambitions. This quite differs from the developed states where these are only the mechanism of development of the researcher (researcher (scholar))’s talent. In such conditions science is most often secondary. It is mostly used to achieve some certain status.

The established procedure of acquisition of the doctoral degree is a formal and seemingly secondary element of the scientific process. However very often this process is affected by formal elements, for example, establishment of different rules to limit the access of persons concerned to participation in scientific work, certification standards, and other regulations in the scientific environment.

Obviously the science cannot develop in conditions of limitations, unreasonable formalities and prohibitions. We are talking about the science as the global social phenomenon, which is manifested in complex, reliable, constantly expanding and improving knowledge of the humanity about the surrounding reality. Knowledge is information, which cannot be limited controlled and guided without abuse. One can only possess knowledge, accumulate it, improve it, apply it into practice and distribute it. Knowledge is potentially free and generally accessible for everyone, and everyone can take part in the development of knowledge without any boundaries. No formal rules of post graduate studies or doctoral studies can violate or limit the natural right of a person to possess knowledge and to participate in its extension.

The science is developing on the basis of objective laws of evolution of social intelligence; it ignores any destructive obstacles. Science cannot be understood as a local procedure of acquisition of scientific degrees. The scientific process is much wider than any mechanism of doctoral studies. It is not directly related to the fact of receiving a doctoral diploma by any person in the world. But in this conditional and secondary element of the scientific process we may find the main abuses and negative factors, which characterize the so-called formal science: bureaucracy, formalism, corruption, discrimination, subjectivism and selectivity in the certification process, implementation of scientific programs without any progressive innovations.

Of course the potential participant of the scientific process must possess the corresponding personal traits and skills in order to successfully conduct the scientific studies. Achievements in this field must be available for professional certification. But many people are able to think in a progressive and original way. And this means that many of them have a huge scientific potential, which cannot be revealed only because of absence of certain conditions and prerequisites.

Very often possible participation of the interested persons in the doctoral programs of universities may also be limited by financial or organizational factors: absence of funds, location of the educational institution, insufficient time to take part in the numerous formal procedures etc.

So this means that the potentially talented researcher will not have a chance to take part in the scientific process, conduct the research and get his or her scientific achievements recognized, right? Of course this must not be true! Science can and must exist not only in scientific facilities and departments of the leading universities. Progressive science can exist and develop outside the walls of scientific and educational institutions. The main resource of scientific development is a human being, personal creativity, thoughts and aspirations.

That is why we appeal to everyone with a curious mind, creative inclinations and the ability to state own ideas in an understandable way: conduct the scientific studies, write original papers, publish them, and discuss them with colleagues from around the world. Be brave and reach for the stars in the scientific environment. 

The PLATONICK project initiated by the international Academy of science and higher education offers a set of effective instruments and mechanisms of stimulation, support, organization, appraisal and formalization of original scientific creativity. We call this tool a LEEUWENHOEK’S LABORATORY. So please, participate and become one of the researchers in our laboratory!

The following fact should be noted as the conclusion: every scientist must conduct the research and publish the corresponding papers on a regular basis. In the framework of the PLATONICK project any purposeful scholar has the opportunity to publish original papers in the British collections of scientific papers and journals. Without any additional costs and efforts every participant can actively engage in the international scientific process, undergo the professional certification and acquire the doctoral and academic degrees.

In projects of the Academy status or, in other words, title factors of organization and conduct of scientific events are secondary. Of course, elements of recognition of achievements, the status of the leader and professional advantages of researchers among their colleagues are always important and always appreciated in the social environment, especially in the creative sphere. In particular that is why the researchers consider the scientific degrees and different honorary titles to be so important, and that is why the society respects them so much.

In countries with not very high level of social development importance of scientific titles and increased demand for them often create conditions for different kinds of abuse.

In any case, the key peculiarities and the ultimate goals of the scientific degrees are the stimulation of creative activity of scientists and recognition of their real achievements.

When we were developing doctoral scientific and analytical programs of the Academy as independent projects we were guided by these two basic principles.

The doctoral programs of the Academy are systemically interconnected scientific and qualification assessment events, which are based on the stimulation of self-organization, self-development, creative initiative and activity of scientists, promotion of scientific papers and their wide consideration, organization of professional communications and deep and comprehensive expert and open public appraisal of the results of scientific studies conducted by scientists from around the world.

The doctoral programs of the Academy are not the direct analogue of the academic doctoral programs offered by the universities. They are not expected to substitute them or copy them in any form.

The doctoral program is a form of organization and development of effective scientific activity, which is implemented in the course of its tracking, professional analysis and assessment by the representatives of international scientific community — specialists from around the world.

The doctoral qualifications, granted to applicants after successful completion of the doctoral programs are first of all the scientific degrees or titles, which reflect the high-level of scientific activity, creative self-expression and progressiveness of ideas, which are manifested through the significant list of original scientific papers prepared by the specific scientists and published during a certain period of time. The number of such scientific papers is fixed in the rules.

The mechanism of implementation of doctoral programs is based on objectively the most effective and generally accepted way to ensure the legitimacy of social processes. It includes:

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•  the democratic process of involvement of representatives of the international scientific community in making the legally significant decisions;
•  the procedure of professional assessment of studies by the highly qualified professionals from around the world;
•  professional and collective nature of all decisions related to the implementation of the doctoral program;
•  international nature of the scientific process, connected with implementation of the doctoral programs, which is manifested in participation of specialists from different countries and scientific schools in this process;
•  Mass publication, transparency, general accessibility and objectivity of information about the doctoral programs and mechanisms of their implementation.

These programs have both the scientific and educational content because all kinds of scientific processes actually assume the accumulation and analysis of theoretical and practical information in order to build the new knowledge.

The scale and intensity of participation of applicants in championships in scientific analytics predefine the actual educational and scientific load of a doctoral program. Achievements in championships in scientific analytics characterize the degree of completion of the educational elements of the program by the applicant, the corresponding level of the scientist’s competence, certain level of innovation reached by the scientist in his or her studies, high collective appraisal of the studies by the professional scientific community.

But the main task and the key element of the programs is formation and development of innovations. The most important question is the following: can the person formulate reasonable original conclusions and ideas in his or her original scientific papers. This will actually predefine the results of participation of such scientists in championships in scientific analytics, and therefore in the doctoral programs.

In addition to the dynamic scientific and analytical doctoral programs, which are the basic type of the doctoral programs, the Academy is also offering the scientific and analytical thesis-based and bibliographic programs. Both have their original features.

The system of doctoral degrees of the Academy has six levels and allows the interested persons to gradually improve their doctoral qualification. There is also a possibility to convert the doctoral qualifications of a lower-level into the qualification of a higher level. For example, if a person takes part in championships in scientific analytics every year, such person can obtain two doctoral degrees of the same level within his or her branch of science. These two similar degrees can be converted by the scientist into one degree or the higher level.

Doctoral qualifications of the Academy are formalized by the ordinary and the wall-mounted diplomas. All qualifications related to the certification programs are formalized by the Europass Diploma Supplement and the Europass Mobility.

You can receive more information about the scientific and analytical doctoral programs from managers of the Academy and the PLATONICK project.

The doctoral programs are a combination of academic (or educational) and creative (or scientific and innovative) procedures aimed at formation of a set of necessary knowledge, skills and creative abilities of a scientist, intended and sufficient for effective and mostly innovative solution of pressing and unique problems of the modern science.

These programs are educational or academic because they act as an element of the educational process and directly fulfill the function of providing the interested persons with special knowledge and skills, required to manage highly complex professional tasks.

The programs are scientific or creative because they develop personal abilities required to professionally solve the innovative tasks of the scientific progress.

The doctoral programs first of all solve the problem of availability of professional scientists able to creatively generate innovative ideas aimed at overcoming or the settlement of the modern problems.

Legal status of the programs arises from the following:

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•  form of their implementation, based on methods of self-education and creative development of the person, public support of scientific activities by the international scientific community, in-depth expert analysis, extensive professional discussions and availability of opponents, comparison and collective appraisal of scientific papers;
•  status and competence of the Academy, which organizes and guarantees the objective, fair and high-quality professional implementation of programs;
•  international scale of implementation of the programs, in which professional scientists from around the world participate as applicants and experts;
•  openness (because rules of the programs, their participants, as well as the procedure of their implementation are open and available for everyone in open sources of information), public character (because the original scientific works submitted by applicants in the course of the project are published and archived in printed and electronic sources) and transparence (processing of results of the programs is based on standard rules and may be freely traced by persons concerned directly in the process of implementation of the programs);
•  objective compliance of professional development of applicants with the doctoral qualifications granted to them by the Academy, guaranteed by the Academy;
•  formal support of doctoral qualifications by the organizational assistance, documentary formalization and legalization by the Academy.

Doctoral programs are not the direct analogue of the traditional academic doctoral programs offered by the universities. University-based programs act as the stage of the educational process of these universities.

Doctoral programs are the fundamental innovation in the sphere of education, appraisal and status formalization of the level of professional qualification and achievements of scientists.

Lawfulness of the doctoral programs is based on their uniqueness, innovative nature, objectivity and professional mechanisms of implementation. There is simply no need to substitute or directly copy the academic doctoral programs of the universities.

International status of the doctoral programs is based on their global nature and the potential to be internationally distributed across all kinds of borders or local jurisdictions of separate states.

The doctoral programs first of all assume their unconditional recognition in the international scientific environment — free from any destructive formalism and bureaucracy.

The major elements of realization of doctoral programs are the creative initiative, scientific self-expression and the sense of purpose of the applicant, as well as the collective appraisal of original scientific papers by representatives of international scientific community, who are professional scientists and experts from around the globe. These elements define the significance, the scale and the quality of doctoral programs.

Doctoral programs can be reasonably recognized by the global international academic environment simply because of the following facts:

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•  doctoral programs are innovative projects with no analogues in the international scientific and educational environment;
•  doctoral programs are not analogues of the standard academic or educational doctoral programs of the universities;
•  doctoral programs are implemented in a different sphere of intellectual activity than the standard academic doctoral programs of universities, because our doctoral programs assume original scientific studies, generation of ideas and formation of new knowledge, and doctoral programs of the universities are about acquisition of knowledge and formation of skills.
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Recognition of doctoral programs in the international educational and academic environment is not connected with any personal opinions or views of certain persons. It is based on objectivity of scientific studies actually conducted by the applicant, successful scientific work and achievements of the applicant, openness and availability of information about the procedure of implementation of doctoral programs, publication of results of scientific studies conducted by the applicant, professional discussions and collective assessment of the applicant’s scientific papers by specialists and experts from around the world.

The doctoral programs obviously have a significant educational load. Their applicants indeed have to acquire and develop special knowledge and skills, which are significantly wider than the similar knowledge and skills traditionally acquired by the interested persons within the standard educational process of the similar level. With other things being equal this kind of a conclusion will be fair because of the following facts:

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•  doctoral programs encourage and develop the sense of purpose, confidence and activity of the researchers;
• doctoral programs stimulate the creative initiative of researchers;
• doctoral programs recognize the priority of such result of the research as an innovation — an author’s contribution into the scientific progress;
• doctoral programs create conditions for freeing the scientific process from the unnecessary formalism, destructive bureaucracy, biases and corruption in any forms.

Recognition of the doctoral programs in the educational environment is based not only on their educational, creative or scientific contents, but also on the following facts:

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•  a researcher (scholar) able to think independently, can transfer the active and innovative approach to perceiving the reality to his or her students;
•  a researcher (scholar), whose scientific views have been formed and developed in the context of interaction with the international scientific community and in the course of discussions with representatives of different scientific schools, will obviously have a huge amount of resources to offer to his or her students; these resources are comprehensive and objective educational materials;
•  a researcher (scholar), who has many times participated in serious discussions with opponents and has defended his or her positions and views in the course of such professional discussions, will not only possess the outstanding speaking skills, but will also be able to develop the active approach to formation of own opinion and its substantiation in his or her students;
•  a researcher (scholar), who is able to critically analyze own knowledge and skills, will constantly expand and improve them, and will also be able to present new additional approaches to understanding the educational materials to his or her students;
•  an educator with an independent style of thinking, active life position and the original approach to statement of educational materials, will also be interesting to students and will be able to set a good example for others to follow.