I.ORGANIZATION OF ADMISSION TO POSTGRADUATE STUDIES
- Admission to postgraduate studies is implemented through competition, in full-time and part-time programmes. Admission to the postgraduate studies for the places of full-time program on a free basis and with the right to have deferment from compulsory military service is carried out within the timeframe established by the decree of the Government of the Republic of Armenia on organizing the conscription of the given period of the year.
- The lists of potential applicants for participation in preparatory courses and exams in foreign languages and “Information and Communication Technologies” on a free basis are submitted to the organizations organizing the courses, with which contracts are signed.
- Admission to the postgraduate studies at the University is organized by the Admission Committee, chaired by the Rector of the University.
- Postgraduate specialty exams are taken by specialty exam commissions (hereinafter referred to as Specialty Commissions). The Specialty Commissions include three to five specialists holding a scientific degree or an academic rank in the given professional field.
- The Admission Committee and Specialty Commission are formed by the order of the University Rector.
- The schedule of the postgraduate specialty admission exams is approved by the Rector of the University, who informs the Authorized Public Administration Body for Education of the Republic of Armenia about the place and the time of the exams within seven working days before the beginning of the exams.
- An applicant is allowed to take the specialty exam by the University Admission Committee in case if he/she has a certificate (or) a reference about the corresponding grade obtained from the following subjects: Foreign Language and Information Communication Technologies, as well as in case of a positive written review from a professional chair or scientific subdivision about a scientific research paper or an approved list of scientific papers published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
- Below you can find the information posted in the places intended for announcements and published on the official website for specialty exam:
- a) Information on the day, place and time of the exam, within seven working days before the start of the exam;
- b) The questionnaire at least one month before the specialty exam;
- c) Procedural requirements.
- Upon completion of the preparatory work for the admission to postgraduate studies, the “Republic of Armenia” daily announces the admission to postgraduate studies, mentioning the way of learning in the field of science, the number of places, the list of documents to be submitted, and the schedule of exams.
- TERMS OF ADMISSION TO POSTGRADUATE STUDIES
- Admission to postgraduate studies is open for graduates of state and accredited non-state universities holding a Master’s or a Specialist Degree, who have taken differentiated tests on the subjects “Foreign Language” and “Information and Communication Technologies” and have obtained the necessary minimum grade in the subject “Information and Communication Technologies” and one of the following foreign languages:
- a) English (TOEFL iBT) – 46 points, (IELTS) – 5.5 points,
- b) French (TCF) – 200 points
- c) German (on DaF) – 60 points,
- d) Information and Communication Technologies – 25 points
- The prospective postgraduate student or his/her authorized person should submit the following documents to the Department of Postgraduate Professional Education of the University in order to participate in the admission to postgraduate studies:
- a) Application addressed to the Rector
- b) The copies of bachelor’s, master’s or specialist diplomas and their supplements (a document on education compliance for those who have obtained their higher education in universities abroad)
- c) Attestation certificate or the corresponding reference of “Foreign Language” and “Information and Communication Technologies” subjects (defined by the internal threshold with a score assessment);
- d) A copy of at least one research article published in the peer-reviewed scientific journals of the chosen specialty or a scientific research paper within at least 20 printed pages with a positive written review issued by the chair in the given specialty
- e) Personal record sheet, autobiography and four photos (3×4 size)
- f) Excerpt from the employment record book (if the prospective postgraduate student is working)
- g) Diplomas received at international or republican student subject competitions or Olympiads, or reports of participation in international conferences (if available),
- h) The copy of military ID card (if not available, copy of the conscription registration certificate)
The prospective postgraduate student or his/her authorized person should submit the passport and the original of the higher education diploma.
III. EXAM PROGRAMMES AND IMPLEMENTATION OF SPECIALTY EXAM
- Prospective postgraduate students take an entrance exam in a specialty subject.
- The questionnaire of the exam in a specialty subject, which includes the programme material of the previous degrees, is compiled by the professional chairs of the University, the scientific subdivision or the Specialty Commission. The questionnaire (provided to prospective postgraduate students) is approved by the Rector of the University or an official authorized by him/her, after which 2 (two) working days before the exam, exam cards are compiled by the Chairperson of the Commision from the published questionnaire, which are approved by the signature of the Chairperson of the Commision and the seal of the University. Exam cards are reviewed every year.
- Specialty exams are conducted in written or oral forms. The format of the exam is determined by the Admission Committee. The oral exam is recorded, and the results are stored for at least 24 hours after publication.
- The prospective postgraduate student participates in the exam with an identity document.
- The knowledge of the prospective postgraduate student in the specialty subject is assessed by the University Admission Committee through a developed system with the participation of at least 2/3 of the members included in the Committee.
- The implementation of the specialty exam is registered in the exam paper of the prospective postgraduate student, mentioning the questions included in the exam card and the grade obtained. The exam paper is signed by the Chairperson of the Commission and the attending members.
- The prospective postgraduate student’s knowledge grade is compiled by the arithmetic mean of the grades assigned by the Commission members.
- The prospective postgraduate student may appeal the grade of the specialty exam within an hour after the publication of the exam results. The complaint is presented to the Chairperson of the Commission in a written form. The complaint is discussed on the same day.
- An employee of the University administrative staff (the Dean or a representative of the teaching-methodical subdivision) who is not a member of the given Commission and the representative of the University Student Council or Young Scientists’ Council, whose candidacies are approved in advance by the Rector of the University, can be present during the appeal process.
- The Commission examines and discusses the written work and listens to the recording of the oral response in the presence of the prospective postgraduate student. As a result of the appeal, the Commission makes one of the following decisions by the open vote and by a simple majority of the votes of the members involved:
- a) To leave the assessment unchanged,
- b) To increase the grade.
- A protocol is made about the adopted decision which is signed by the Chairperson of the Commission, the Student Council or Young Scientists’ Council representatives of the University administrative staff and the prospective postgraduate student. In case any of the given members expresses disagreement with the decision made, a special written review is submitted, which is attached to the protocol.
- The grade of the specialty exam may be appealed in court in the manner prescribed by law.
- Retake of the specialty exam is prohibited.
- The result of the PhD specialty exam is valid throughout the admission session of the given academic year.
- COMPETITION PROCEDURE
- The competition is held in accordance with the grade received from the specialty exam. The specialty exam is assessed on a 20 (twenty)- point scale. The exam is considered passed if the applicant scored at least 13 (thirteen) points.
- A prospective postgraduate student who received the highest score in the specialty exam is admitted to postgraduate studies. In case of equal grades, the following indicators are taken into account in the order given below:
- a) The GPA (grade point average) of the graduate or the certified specialist,
- b) The total GPA of undergraduate and graduate degrees,
- c) The number of published scientific works,
- d) Diplomas received at international or republican student subject competitions or Olympiads, or participation in international conferences (reports).
- The Admission Committee makes a decision on each prospective postgraduate student based on the results of the competition.
- The prospective postgraduate students are informed about the decision of being admitted to postgraduate studies or not passing the competition threshold within seven working days after the specialty exam.
- The admission of the prospective postgraduate students is carried out by the order of the Rector of the University by concluding a corresponding contract with the prospective postgraduate student.
31. Students enrolled in the full-time PhD programme on a free basis are paid a state scholarship in the amount of a certain sum from the day of their enrollment.