Analysis of changes in the concept of doctoral studies. Approaches through the prism of policies promoted at european level

Abstract

The article analyzes the aspects of doctoral treatment at European level. The doctorate becames part of the higher education (cycle III) in the early 2000s and has been an important element of the Bologna process and the development of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). The announcements of the ministers responsible for higher education in European countries as a result of their regular meetings, provide various activities for the development of a common framework for doctoral studies at European leve as welll. At the same time, the processes of globalization and the development of knowledge-based economies pose a number of challenges to the process and purpose of doctoral studies, which are widely debated by researchers, experts and decision makers. International experience can be useful and needs to be taken into consideration in the process of reforming the doctoral studies in the Republic of Moldova, especially in the context of implementing actions to integrate national higher education in the EHEA.