A directive for improving the certification process of teachers in higher education designed to improve the skills of teachers by imposing stiffer degree requirements, and by instituting comprehensive examinations for hiring purposes. Procedures for implementation are given. (CB)

Activities of the Higher Certification Commission of the USSR include organizing special councils to judge doctoral dissertations in scientific research, and conferring doctoral degrees. Problems encountered by the councils include organization of activities, selection of members with a wide range of expertise, and setting equal standards for all…

Presents regulations dealing with academic degrees and rank in the USSR. The rules, set by the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Specialized Education in 1976, govern dissertation requirements and defense, candidacy for advanced degrees, examinations, and petitions for conferral of academic rank. (Author/DB)

Examines recent regulations regarding doctoral dissertations in scientific research in the Soviet Union. The regulations state that a candidate's dissertation must provide a new solution to a significant scientific problem. Dissertations will be evaluated by specialized councils. (Author/DB)

The design and content of a required, fourth-year course in Soviet culture are proposed. The course has three distinguishing characteristics: basis in a broader, social sciences definition of culture; the Soviet Union as a frame of reference; and instruction in Russian. Its objectives are both cultural knowledge and language proficiency. (MSE)

The papers and discussion generated by exchange visits of American and Soviet educators are reprinted or summarized. The purpose of the visits was to exchange information and to study each country's system of higher education. Seminars held in the United States concentrated on two topics: selection and guidance of students in higher education, and…