STOUH’s Dissertation Council was created in July 1997 with the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch Alexis II of Moscow and All Russia. His Holiness approved the makeup and Statutes of the Council, and blessed the first examination, which took place on November 6, 1997. The first Dissertation Council included leading experts in theology and church history employed at STOUH, the Moscow and St. Petersburg Theological Academy, Moscow State University, the Russian Academy of Sciences, and other Russian academic and higher educational institutions.

To date, the Dissertation Council has granted degrees for 6 higher doctoral dissertations, 60 doctoral dissertations, and 4 Master’s theses (see the list of examined theses [RU]).