Abstract:
In the 19 th century, drawing upon the German tradition of grounding the study process to scientific research, training based on research degree education became very important in the university system. During the Soviet period (1945 - 1990), degree education, for the most part, was moved from the universities to research institutions and was organised on two levels - Candidate level (equal to PhD now) and Doctoral level. After Estonian independence in the 1990s, a new system was introduced - Master studies and Doctoral studies (four year program). That organisational change took degree education back into the universities. The paper reviews statistical data of doctoral studies in Estonia during different periods and provides an analysis of the reasons why doctoral studies had varying success outcomes during these different times. It is possible to state that big changes in society are overloading people and therefore students' success in degree education (number of graduates) is low. This changeable society often necessitates the need for multiple defence dissertations by authors already in the scientific sphere, as well as those who need a degree by the new system, (often second defence of updated dissertation). Therefore, the real base of successful degree education (large number of graduates) is in a stable society.