The specialist degree (Russian: специалист) was the only first degree in the former Soviet Union, was traditionally inherited from the Engineering education of Russian empire, and currently is being phased out by the bakalavr's (Bachelor's) - magistr's (Master's) degrees.

In the early 1990s bakalavr (Bachelor's) and magistr (Master's) degrees were introduced in all the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, except in Turkmenistan. However, the specialist degree remains the most often granted degree in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Ukraine to this day. The specialist degrees in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan were renamed to diplom degrees. Actually there are some similarities between the specialist degree in the CIS and the German Diplom degree.

The following are the most important specialist degrees in the CIS:

The Specialist degree is found in some programs of education or psychology and is awarded for study beyond the Master's degree but below the doctorate, (i.e., Ph.D., D.Ed. or Th.D.). It is most often referred to as an Ed.S. (Specialist of Education), or sometimes Sp.Ed.-- but can be designated in the form of SSP (Specialist of School Psychology), or Psy.S. (Specialist of Psychology). The College of Education at Eastern Michigan University and many other American institutions confer it as the "Sp.A" or "Specialist in Arts" degree.

Wendy Baker (born March 10, 1964 in Montréal, Quebec) is a former field hockey goalkeeper from Canada. She was a member of the Women's Senior National Team, which finished sixth at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea.

Curtis Blaine Wright (born June 6, 1955 in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania) is an American country music artist. He made his debut in 1989 with the single "She's Got a Man on her Mind" on a branch of MCA Records, before recording a solo album in 1992 on Liberty Records. By 1994, he and frequent songwriting partner Robert Ellis Orrall had formed a duo known as Orrall & Wright, which also recorded one major-label album. Wright later succeeded Brent Lamb in 2002 as the lead vocalist for the band Shenandoah, until being replaced by Jimmy Yeary in 2007. He has toured as a member of Pure Prairie League as well.

Initially a member of a band known as the Super Grit Cowboy Band, Wright later performed as a backup vocalist for Vern Gosdin before venturing out on his own. In late 1989-early 1990, he entered the country music charts with his first single, "She's Got a Man on Her Mind". The same year, Shenadoah reached Number One on the same charts with "Next to You, Next to Me", which Wright co-wrote with his frequent songwriting partner, Robert Ellis Orrall. Wright also co-wrote Steve Wariner's 1990 single "There for Awhile" and Ronnie Milsap's Number One hit "A Woman in Love".