Doctoral programme "Criminal Procedure"

Brief Description

The doctoral programme in Criminal Procedure supports the mission of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences to conduct research, provide training and carry out activities of national and international significance; address issues relating to the development of Bulgarian society and the state; conduct research in accordance with universal values, national traditions and interests; and contribute to the advancement of the nation’s intellectual and material wealth.

The programme aims to train specialists capable of conducting independent research in criminal procedure and related legal disciplines. It directly responds to the social need to improve the administration of criminal justice.

Improvements in legislation and the resolution of inconsistencies in judicial practice are possible only when legislative activity and the administration of justice are based on sound scientific foundations. The development of legal scholarship must therefore keep pace with international advances so that it can fulfil its purpose: improving the effectiveness of criminal justice and providing well-founded scholarly predictions about the consequences of adopting particular legal solutions.

The primary objective of doctoral training in criminal procedure is to develop scholars capable of generating new knowledge in the field, conducting in-depth analyses of the decisions of the Constitutional Court and the acts of the legislative, executive and judicial authorities, and formulating scientifically grounded forecasts concerning the development of relevant legal relationships.

The programme aims to achieve the following learning outcomes:

• Acquisition of knowledge of the methodology of legal research.
• Improvement of skills in the precise use of legal and academic terminology.
• Development of skills in identifying, defining and analysing theoretical and practical problems.
• Development of the ability to apply a scientific approach to research and use appropriate research methods and tools.
• Development of skills in working with information sources, together with the necessary computer and foreign-language proficiency.
• Acquisition of specialised and systematic knowledge for conducting critical analysis and synthesising new ideas.
• Contribution of new knowledge to legal scholarship and facilitation of other specialists’ access to new findings and contemporary academic advances.

Professional Competences Acquired upon Completion

Graduates of the programme develop the following competences:

• Mastery of the methodology of legal research.
• Ability to apply a scientific approach to a specific research problem in criminal procedure. This includes formulating the research problem, examining existing domestic and foreign sources of legal scholarship, working with the collected research material, developing theoretical arguments through critical analysis, defending research conclusions, formulating new hypotheses and proposing solutions with practical and societal relevance.
• Ability to produce research findings with practical applications, including proposals for improving legislation and judicial practice.
• Ability to implement research projects and participate in academic life.
• Acquisition of in-depth professional knowledge in criminal law and related legal disciplines, enabling the development of new ideas within the field.
• Academic writing skills and the ability to publish scholarly articles and other academic work.
• Development of teaching skills and knowledge of contemporary teaching methods and tools.
• Ability to prepare legal opinions for public authorities and private-law entities.
• Advanced computer and foreign-language proficiency.

Potential Career Opportunities

Graduates may pursue careers as:

• Researchers capable of conducting independent academic research.
• University lecturers.
• Judges, prosecutors, lawyers and investigative authorities.
• In-house legal counsels.
• Mediators.
• Professionals in other fields requiring knowledge of criminal procedure.