Comparative research to ameliorate conditions of the tertiary education (Ph.D.) in Azerbaijan

This research was conducted as a conference paper for the ADA University 4th International Education Conference in 2019.The aim of this study is to analyze the position of Ph.D. degrees in Azerbaijan, their shortcomings, and the ways in which they can be improved and how national researchers can take their place in the global arena.The data collection methods were document analysis, a survey, interviews, and quantitative analysis of their content.The results show that Azerbaijani researchers are willing to integrate into the world science; however, there are a lot of difficulties and pitfalls, and the general procedures do not correspond to the standards of world science.The study revealed that researchers get support much more from their advisors than their universities.Ph.D. candidates are pushed to conduct research without instructions, knowledge of appropriate methodologies, and resources from the universities.Considering the low scholarships and high education fees, almost all researchers have jobs, which makes the process more complicated and protracted.Although the government has already implemented various programs and reforms, there are still many aspects to work on.The current research recommends learning from different European universities' experiences and strategies in this field.