Studies of the third cycle are carried out during doctoral studies in science and art. The purpose of doctoral studies is to train scientists who are able to conduct research and experimental (social, cultural) development work and solve scientific problems independently. Granting the right to provide doctoral programmes to universities and universities together with research institutes in which high level research in line with the field of science, or the universities together with foreign research and higher education institutions falls within the competence of the Ministry of Education and Science. The right is granted on the basis of assessment of a respective level of research carried out in the field of science of the institutions claiming to provide doctoral studies in science. Upon defending the doctoral thesis, a doctoral student is awarded a Doctorate degree.
The purpose of doctoral studies in art is to train artists–researchers who are able to create, interpret and carry out research based on art practice. Granting universities the right to provide doctoral programmes falls within the competence of the Ministry of Education and Science. The right is granted on the basis of the assessment of the artistic and scientific activity of the institution claiming to provide doctoral studies in art. Upon defending the art project, a doctoral student is awarded a Doctorate degree.
A Doctorate degree can be awarded to an individual who has successfully completed full-time continual doctoral studies (up to four years) or extended doctoral studies (up to six years), prepared a thesis and defended it, or to an individual who has defended the prepared thesis externally. The total scope of the doctoral studies in science is not less than 30 ECTS credits.
Granting the right to provide doctoral programmes in science to a university or a university together with other Lithuanian and (or) foreign universities and (or) research institutes in which high level scientific research is carried out falls within the competence of the Ministry of Education and Science following the Description of the Procedure for Granting the Right to Provide Doctoral Programmes in Science approved by the Ministry.
At least every three years, the Science Council of Lithuania organises, in accordance with the procedure established by the Science Council of Lithuania, an assessment of the quality and efficiency of doctoral studies carried out by the institution (institutions) and puts forward proposals to the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Lithuania. The compliance of the doctoral studies being carried out with the rules and procedures of doctoral studies in science and the Regulations on Doctoral Studies, the ratio between doctoral students and scientists awarded a Doctorate degree, the career of the latter and other indicators are assessed.
The institution (institutions) that has (have) the right to provide doctoral studies awards (award) a degree to the individual who has defended the thesis and issues (issue) a diploma to him.
A Doctorate degree in art can be awarded to an individual who has successfully completed doctoral studies (usually over four years), prepared and defended an art project, or to an individual who has passed the necessary exams and defended the prepared art project. The scope of doctoral studies in art is 240 ECTS study credits, including at least 40 study credits devoted to the study of the doctoral programme subjects.
The Ministry of Education and Science grants the right to provide doctoral programmes in art to a university (universities) in compliance with the Description of the Procedure for Granting the Right to Provide Doctoral Programmes in Art approved by the Ministry. The right is granted on the basis of the assessment of the level of the artistic and scientific activity of the universities that apply for provision of doctoral studies, documents of doctoral programmes, study infrastructure submitted by them and projected cooperation agreements on doctoral studies concluded with Lithuanian and (or) foreign research and higher education institutions.
At least every four years (in the case of doctoral studies established for the first time – after six years), the Ministry of Education and Science commissions the Science Council to organise an assessment of the quality and efficiency of doctoral studies in art following the Description of the Procedure for Assessing the Quality and Efficiency of Doctoral Studies in Art approved by the Ministry and puts forward proposals to the Ministry of Education and Science.
Organisation of doctoral studies
Studies at institutions of higher education are carried out in six study areas: bio-medical, physical, technological, social sciences, the humanities and arts. Study areas make groups of fields, and these fields are divided into study branches. Branches of science form different fields.
The Government approves the list of study areas and fields according to which studies at higher education institutions are conducted. the Minister for Education and Science approves the list of branches that constitute study fields.
Admission requirements
When admitting individuals to the third cycle studies, the results of the lower or the same study cycle, as well as other criteria established by a higher education institution, must be taken into account.
Status of doctoral students/candidates
Doctoral studies candidates have the status of student. They are issued a student’s certificate and receive all guarantees and support provided by the state.
Teaching methods
Students carry out fundamental and applied research, engage in applied scientific activity, and take part in the research programmes of their own country and foreign countries. Apart from scientific activity, the artistic activity of teachers and students oriented towards the artistic education of the public and the unity of art practice and studies is developed at higher education institutions.
All doctoral students can make use of the possibilities provided by the Lithuanian Academic Libraries Network (LABT). This network connects libraries of universities, colleges, state research institutions and the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences.
Students buy textbooks and other educational books or use the ones available in the stocks of libraries of higher education institutions.
Employability
The majority of higher education institutions of Lithuania have established their own career centres, which provide students with different consultations of a general nature and individual consultations, provide training on employment issues, help students find places to do practical work, and later to find a job, and help employers find employees.
Youth labour centres in cities and districts provide similar services. They provide young people with services of open information, counselling, vocational and professional information and guidance, organise meetings with labour market and social partners, carry out project activities encouraging youth employment initiatives, organise different activities (labour clubs, training sessions) and prepare information-methodological material.
At present, in implementing different projects financed from the EU structural funds, higher education institutions devote much attention to developing students’ entrepreneurship competence and organising their practical work at business companies.
In 2010, the Seimas approved the package of proposals for reducing unemployment, thereby providing more possibilities for people starting work and small business, and also creating conditions for extending financing of public works, etc. The Amendment to the Law on the Support of the Unemployed includes the youth up to the age of 29 years in the list of supported individuals. In this way, those previously unemployed people under 29 years of age who qualify for subsidies, once employed, will receive a wage reimbursement for up to 6 months, and individuals who start work for the first time according to the acquired qualification and who participate in the measure of gaining work skills will receive a wage reimbursement for up to 12 months. Earlier, according to the Law on the Support of Employment of Lithuania, young people under the age of 29 years were not attributed to the group of individuals additionally supported in the labour market, and, therefore, had no right to qualify for subsidies when employed if they did not belong to other groups of individuals supported in the labour market.
By order of the Minister for Social Security and Labour for 2013, the EU Council Recommendation for the Youth Guarantee initiative is being implemented. The purpose of the Youth Guarantee initiative is to activate and motivate young people within the shortest time, maintaining links with the labour market and providing the opportunity for further education. The aim is to reduce youth unemployment and improve the situation of young people, who have no work or no education by helping them to find a job after they complete their education.
As of 1 August 2012, a tool dedicated to promoting youth employment ‘Support for first job’ is running. Employers, who employ workers with no previous work experience, receive partial compensation for the wage of an employee if it is their first job. Support form – partial wage compensation. At the employer's request, the employer will receive fixed compensation for part (23.3% of the calculated employee salary) of an employee’s monthly salary if it is the first job for the employee who is between 19 and 26 years of age. By the end of September 2014, 22,545 claims for partial wage compensation were received under the ‘Support for first job’ tool. Of these 16,296 requests were positively received. To date 2,249 companies have received EUR 5.06 million for employing 15,508 first time workers. This tool is being implemented by the guarantee institution INVEGA.
Assessment
The assessment of students is carried out under the procedure established by the Regulations on Doctoral Studies of each higher education institution.
Every higher education institution defines the circumstances under which students progress from one stage of studies to the next in its Statute (Regulations) of Studies. Low-achieving students may be excluded from the higher education institution in the manner established by each higher education institution.
Certification
Upon completion of doctoral studies and having defended the doctoral thesis, a diploma certifying a degree in science (art) is issued.