PaedDr

Professional Doctorate from Europe for Educators and Teachers

In cooperation with our Slovak partner university, we offer educators holding a Master's degree (Bologna Structure Cycle 2) the opportunity to obtain a traditional professional doctorate in Education through a rigorosum doctoral procedure and the completion of a dissertation:

•  PaeDr. (Doctor of Education), awarded by a Slovak university

Admission and Procedure

Eligible applicants are graduates of Master's or Magister programs at universities or universities of teacher education in the fields of Education or Teaching (e.g., MA, MEd, Mag.phil.), who wish to complete a professional doctorate in their field by writing a rigorosum thesis.

Graduates who have obtained a Master’s or Magister degree in a field of Education or Educational Sciences may take the rigorosum examination, which includes the defense of the rigorosum dissertation in the field in which the applicant received their university training or a closely related field. Upon successful completion, the candidate is awarded the academic degree Doctor of Education (PaeDr., in Slovak).

In the Slovak Republic, doctoral studies exist in two forms: as a professional doctoral degree in the same field as the Master’s studies (specifically: PaeDr.), and as a research doctorate (PhD).

Requirements for the PaeDr. DegApplicants must hold a Master’s degree (Mag., MA, or MEd) in Education or Teaching following the successful completion of a degree program (not a non-degree course). The requirements also include:

• Writing a rigorosum thesis with a text portion of 90 to 120 pages,
• Successful defense of the thesis,
• Passing an oral examination called rigorosum.

The candidate must pass the rigorosum examination to be awarded the PaeDr. The degree is conferred by the Slovak university based on its official degree requirements, including the subject-specific examination, the dissertation, and its presentation and defense during the rigorosum process.

The PaeDr. does not require any campus attendance or additional coursework. It is awarded through a one-time examination at the Slovak university, either in person or, upon approval, via an online examination. The subject-specific exam evaluates the candidate's knowledge in selected areas of pedagogy based on the submitted rigorosum dissertation. Upon meeting all requirements and passing the examination, the university awards the PaeDr. degree.

Study Duration

Depending on the candidate’s pace in preparing the rigorosum thesis, the duration ranges from one to two semesters. The standard duration in Slovakia is up to 12 months. It can be extended once for a maximum of 12 additional months; after that, admission expires.

Tuition and Fees

The total tuition fee for the entire doctoral procedure (rigorosum process – PaeDr.) is EUR 8,850.

The full tuition fee is due upon enrollment at the start of the doctoral process.

Application Process

Applications are submitted online through our institution. We forward the received documents to the university for preliminary evaluation. If the pre-evaluation is successful, the applicant will be notified and requested to submit the required documents as notarized copies directly to the application office in Slovakia.

After official admission based on the original notarized documents, an invoice is issued. The tuition fee must be paid in full within fourteen days of receiving the invoice; otherwise, admission will be withdrawn.