Specialist degree
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The specialist degree is an academic degree conferred by a college or university. The degree is formatted differently worldwide and may be either a five-year program or a doctoral level graduate program that occurs after a master's degree but before a doctoral degree.
Specialist degree in the Commonwealth of Independent States
The Diploma of Specialist (
In the early 1990s the bakalavr (бакалавр), bachelor's degree) and magistr (магистр, master's degree) were introduced in all countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States except Turkmenistan and Tajikistan. However, Diploma of Specialist (five years) is still conferred in Belarus, Russia and Tajikistan. 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.[2]
Below are some examples of Diploma of Specialist programs in the former USSR and Russia:[1]
- Diploma of Economist (Russian: диплом экономиста, romanized: diplom ekonomista) – first degree in economy or management (including engineering management).
- Diploma of Engineer (Russian: диплом инженера, romanized: diplom inzhenera) – the engineer's degree in the CIS.
- Diploma of Teacher (Russian: диплом учителя, romanized: diplom uchitelya) – the first degree for teachers.
- Diploma of Physician (Russian: диплом врача, romanized: diplom vracha) – this degree type includes the respective degrees of physicians, dentists and veterinarians in the CIS; the equivalent degree in the U.S. is typically titled M.D.
- Diploma of Jurisprudent (Russian: диплом юриста, romanized: diplom yurista) – the first degree in jurisprudence (study of law).
- Diploma of Pharmacist (Russian: диплом фармацевта, romanized: diplom farmatsevta) – the first degree in pharmacy.
Specialist degree in the United States
In the United States, the Specialist's degree is hierarchically above the master's degree and below the Doctorate. It was invented by colleges and schools of education as an alternative to obtaining a doctorate, and focuses on subjects pertinent to K-12 education - such as leadership and counseling, and educational psychology.
Degrees commonly available include:
- Ed.S or Sp.Ed. – Specialist of Education
- Psy.S. – Specialist in Psychology
- S.S.P. – Specialist in School Psychology
- Sp.A. – Specialist in Arts (in Special Education; offered by Eastern Michigan University)
- S.C.C.T. – Specialist in Community College Teaching (offered by Arkansas State University)
- S.L.I.S. – Specialist in Library and Information Science (offered by the School of Informatics and Computing at Indiana University Bloomington).
The American Specialist degree typically requires 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours beyond the master's degree (60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours beyond the Baccalaureate) and can be completed in one to three academic years of continuous full-time or part-time enrolment. Depending on the particular program, practica and / or internship and / or practical field work may be required. Students admitted directly from the baccalaureate may earn a Master's degree in progression toward the Specialist's degree; or the institution may accept applications only from students who already hold a master's degree.
The coursework for an Ed.S. or Sp.A. in Education program is approximately the same workload as a second Master's in terms of credits. But whereas coursework for the initial master's degree is from the introductory and lower intermediate levels of graduate study (e.g. Levels 500 and 600 at institutions that use 100 - 900 level course numbering systems), work for the Specialist's degree will be in the intermediate and upper levels (e.g. 600, 700 and 800 level courses). According to the U.S. Department of Education's International Affairs Office's leaflet, entitled, "Structure of the U.S. Education System: Intermediate Graduate Qualifications," (Feb 2008), the Ed.S., as a degree, is equivalent to the D.Min. or Psy.D. / D.Psy. This reflects the degree's origin as an alternate to professional doctorates.
Ed.S. 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. / D.Ed. or Ph.D. programs.
In many fields outside of education, the postgraduate certificate fills the same need as a Specialist degree - but differs in being an academic certificate rather than an academic degree. Postgraduate or graduate certificates typically require one-third to one-half the coursework of a master's degree and an offered in a specific topical area, such as a Certificate in Historic Preservation.
Certain graduate programs are de facto specialist degrees. In the field of Engineering, the Engineer's degree is a post-Master's degree, offered at a modest number of US universities (but including some prestigious ones such as Stanford and Caltech), which is relatively analogous to the Specialist degree.
Specialist degree in France
In French higher education, the
References
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7785-6987-9.)
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: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - ^ a b Федеральный закон Российской Федерации № 125-ФЗО "О высшем и послевузовском профессиональном образовании" [Federal Law of the Russian Federation No. 125-FZO – "On Higher and Postgraduate Professional Education"]. Минобрнауки.рф (in Russian). March 1, 2012. Archived from the original on December 7, 2017. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
- ^ "Закон Республики Казахстан от 27 июля 2007 года № 319-III "Об образовании" (с изменениями и дополнениями по состоянию на 03.12.2015 г.)" [Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 319-III "On Education" (July 27, 2007) (Revised December 3, 2015)]. Zakon.kz (in Russian). 2016. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
- Ukrayinska Pravda(11 July 2016)