Gurshtein earned his Candidate of Science from Sternberg State Astronomical Institute, Moscow in 1966 and a Doctor of Science degree in Physics & Mathematics from Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory in St. Petersburg (1980).
He completed his filosofie kandidat degree in 1898, and completed his theology degree in 1904, after having spent time at the universities of Leipzig, Marburg and Berlin.
In 1849 he was mistakenly arrested in connection with the Petrashevsky case and spent several months in the prison of the Peter and Paul Fortress, but he was released and received his certification as kandidat in 1850.
Valentina Suzukei "received her Kandidat degree from the Russian Institute of the History of Art in St. Petersburg and is now the senior academic officer of the Tuvan Institute for Humanities Research in Kyzyl, Tuva.
She graduated from there with honors in 1963 and after studying in the aspirantura of the Scientific Research Institute of Pharmacology and Medicine by the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences for two years, received Candidate of Biology Sciences scientific degree.