Candidate of Sciences

A Candidate of Sciences is a PhD-equivalent academic research degree established by the Soviet Union. Since the 1990s, it has been replaced by a Doctor of Philosophy degree in many post-soviet Central and Eastern European countries, but is still offered in others, particularly Russia. It is officially classified by UNESCO as ISCED level 8: doctoral or equivalent. In countries that confer a Candidate of Sciences degree, a more advanced degree, Doctor of Sciences, is usually conferred as a higher doctorate.