New procedure for dissertation defenses in Uzbekistan: what will change from 2027?

New Procedure for Dissertation Defenses in Uzbekistan: What Will Change from 2027?

Starting January 1, 2027, a new procedure for awarding academic degrees will be introduced in Uzbekistan. In this regard, the Higher Attestation Commission (HAC) has set final deadlines for conducting dissertation defenses under the current procedure. This news has raised questions among many researchers conducting scientific work: will dissertation defenses be suspended now, what should those who have not managed to complete their research do, and what requirements will apply under the new procedure?

As explained by the HAC, dissertation defenses will not be suspended. Only the procedure for organizing them and awarding academic degrees will change from the beginning of 2027. That is, the current process is considered a preparatory stage for transitioning from the old system to the new one.

These changes are stipulated in the Decree of the President No. UP-98 dated May 26, 2026. According to it, the system of awarding academic degrees will be improved, and the new procedure will enter into force on January 1, 2027.

According to the HAC, preparing a dissertation for defense consists of several stages. First, the scientific work is discussed at a scientific seminar, identified shortcomings are corrected, and after that, the dissertation is accepted for defense. An announcement of the defense is published, and an open defense is conducted. All these processes take several months.

Due to the approaching transition to the new system, the following deadlines have been set to complete all stages under the current procedure:

November 13 — the last day to submit dissertation defense announcement details to the HAC;

November 30 — the last day to publish the defense announcement on the HAC website;

December 31 — the last day to hold dissertation defenses under the current procedure.

These deadlines were established by Resolution No. 391/2 of the HAC Presidium dated October 29, 2026.

Researchers who do not make these deadlines will not stop their scientific activities. Those currently writing dissertations can continue their research, work with their scientific advisors, and publish their articles. Researchers whose dissertations are ready but who will not manage to defend in December will be able to submit their scientific work for defense after the new procedure comes into effect.

One of the biggest changes in the new system is the increased independence of scientific councils that award academic degrees.

Under the current procedure, after the dissertation defense, there are also separate approval stages by the HAC in the process of awarding an academic degree. In the new system, however, scientific councils will independently make decisions on evaluating the dissertation, organizing the defense, and awarding the academic degree.

In this process, existing scientific councils will not be completely dissolved. It is planned to form new councils based on the composition of existing ones. Their powers will be expanded, and their independence in decision-making will be increased.

The HAC will also change its activities. Instead of separately approving each defended dissertation, the commission will now selectively check a portion of the works approved by scientific councils. In other words, the main decision on awarding an academic degree will be made by the scientific council, while the HAC will exercise overall quality control over the system.

In addition, the HAC will maintain the state register of academic degrees, coordinate the activities of scientific councils, and selectively inspect their decisions in accordance with the established procedure.

The goal of these changes is to reduce excessive paperwork and administrative stages in dissertation defenses and to speed up decision-making. However, this does not mean that the requirements for scientific works will be lowered. Requirements for the scientific level and quality of dissertations will remain intact.

Another issue of interest to researchers is the requirement to publish articles in international scientific journals.

As explained by the HAC, Decree of the President No. UP-98 dated May 26, 2026, does not make it mandatory for all researchers to publish articles in Q1–Q2 level journals indexed in the Scopus or Web of Science databases.

Requirements for scientific articles are regulated by other relevant regulatory documents. If changes are made to these requirements, separate information regarding the new procedure and when it comes into effect will be provided.

Another important aspect: researchers writing dissertations based on current requirements are not required to rewrite their scientific works from scratch due to the implementation of the new system. How new requirements will be applied to research started earlier will be determined based on special transitional rules.

How dissertations that have already passed scientific seminars, reviews received, and decisions made by scientific councils will be taken into account in the new system has not yet been fully specified. The HAC stated that it would provide additional clarification on this matter.

Updates regarding the formation of new scientific councils, submission of dissertations for defense, and the procedure for awarding academic degrees will be announced on the official information channels of the HAC.

Researchers can follow the information through the official website, Telegram channel, and Facebook page of the HAC.