Candidate of Science

The Candidate of Sciences (Russian: кандидат наук, Kandidat nauk) is a first post-graduate scientific degree in some former Eastern Bloc countries, such as Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Czechoslovakia and Kazakhstan which is awarded for original research that constitutes a significant contribution to a scientific field.

The degree was first introduced in the USSR on January 13, 1934, by a decision of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR. According to the UNESCO International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED), for purposes of international educational statistics Candidate of Sciences is equivalent to PhD.

However, in order to become a Full Professor, a Doctor of Sciences degree is required, in the same way that the Habilitation is required in Germany, as well as the PhD dissertation and in some cases a second book in the United States and the United Kingdom. On the other hand, Immigration New Zealand places both Candidate of Sciences and Doctor of Sciences at "Level 10" (Doctors Level, which is the highest level there). Only holders of master's and specialist's degrees are eligible for Candidate of Sciences programs.

In the United States the Doctor of Sciences and Candidate of Sciences degrees in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and other sciences may be recognized by some universities as an equivalent to PhD, and holders of these degrees awarded in countries of the former Soviet Union and Russian Federation may work in many state and private universities and research establishments of the Federal government.

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