The Diploma of Specialist (Russian: дипло́м специали́ста, romanized: diplóm spetsialísta) is a five-year higher-education diploma that was the only first higher-education diploma in the former Soviet Union (the Candidate of Sciences was the first academic level degree while the Doctor of Sciences was the highest academic credential) and continues to be offered throughout the USSR successor states in parallel with the new bachelor's degree.
According to the Ministry of Education and Science of Russia, the specialist degree called qualification (degree) of "specialist" (Russian: квалификация (степень) "специалист", romanized: kvalifakatsiya (stepen') "spetsialist").
The Diploma of Specialist was discontinued in the following countries: Kazakhstan (2004),[3] Ukraine (2017),[4] Georgia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, and Moldova.
Under the Federal Law on Education of Russia, the Diploma of Specialist requires a minimum of five years of study.
Depending on the particular program, practica and / or internship and / or practical field work may be required.
programs lead to professional degrees in the application of advanced educational theory but do not typically place an emphasis on conducting original research such as in Ed.D.
School Psychology and Curriculum and Instruction are two of the most common areas where a specialist degree is found.
As such, this French degree also forms a close analogy to its US counterpart, although the Mastère Spécialisé is offered in a variety of fields such as business, informatics, and aeronautics.