Latvia

Three institutes of higher arts education, the Art Academy of Latvia, Latvian Academy of Culture, and Jazeps Vitols Latvian Academy of Music have right of promotion. However, since the Law on Scientific Activity requires a full dissertation, PhD studies at these academies are in art history and theory, not research in the arts proper. Nonetheless approx. one-third of the PhD students are art graduates, but the research they pursue is largely theoretical.

A proposal by the Association of Art Academies to implement a doctoral degree for research in the arts was rejected by Latvian parliament. However, new amendments to the Law on Institutions of Higher Education (LIHE) that allow implementation of joint degree programmes came into effect in August 2011, creating a legal base for international joint doctoral programmes in the arts.

Part of the funding comes from state scholarships; since 2009 there is additional funding from the European Social Fund through the „Support for AAL Doctoral Study Programs Implementation" agreement, which aims at a substantial increase of research students.