Admission to the doctoral level of higher education in Azerbaijan is conducted through a 3-stage examination. The examination of foreign language, philosophy, and specialization knowledge is carried out in the given sequence. The languages designated as foreign languages are English, German, and French. The examination is taken in only one of the aforementioned languages, and this depends on the candidate's choice.
There are dissatisfactions among master's degree holders applying for doctoral studies regarding the standard language catalog for the examination. Proposals are related to the inclusion of certain other foreign languages in the list.
The Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences made a statement to Modern.az regarding the inclusion of other international languages in the examination program. The institution stated that it is expedient to accept only English, German, and French as foreign languages in the doctoral admission process in the country:
“The purpose of this decision is to ensure the training of scientific personnel in accordance with international standards. These three languages are recognized by UNESCO and are considered the most developed languages with scientific potential in the world”.
A representative of the institution, clarifying the issue of not including Russian as a foreign language for admission, stated that currently, in the post-Soviet space, including Azerbaijan, there are a sufficient number of people who know Russian:
“If Russian were included as a foreign language in the admission process, there would be a mass influx of applications, leading to certain negative consequences after admission. This could pose a serious obstacle to the training of scientific personnel".
It should be noted that by the President's decree dated July 28, 2022, the function of implementing state policy in the field of scientific activity in the country was transferred from the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences to the Ministry of Science and Education. However, the charter approved on November 3, 2023, indicates that ANAS can participate indirectly, rather than directly, in the implementation of state policy in the field of scientific activity.
The Ministry of Science and Education, for its part, announced that it will take practical steps in the doctoral admission process and other related matters in the near future.
