In 1973, Stepanyan was admitted into a doctorate program at the All Union Research Institute of the Ministry of Justice of the USSR in Moscow where he earned the degree of a Candidate of Judicial Science.

While working at the National Academy, Mr. Stepanyan enrolled into a post-doctorate program at the All Union Research Institute in Moscow, where he earned the degree of Doctor of Judicial Science.

[2] Stepanyan accepted the position on the condition that he will be able to leave the public office as soon as the country adopted a new Constitution which would become the basis of the legal system of the independent Republic.

After leaving office, Stepanyan briefly served as the deputy president of the Constitutional Court of Armenia, then opened his private legal practice.

At different times between 1997 and 2008, Stepanyan combined his work in private practice with several positions mainly at educational institutions, such as the president of the Permanent Arbitration Court of Armenian Bank Association, head of the department of legal studies at the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, head of the interstate and international law department at Hrachia Acharian University, deputy rector at the Public Administration Academy of Armenia, head of chair of private law at the Russian Armenian Slavonic University, and the president of No.