All Degrees

All About Doctoral Degrees

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The doctoral degree is the highest academic credential it is possible to earn. Whether it's a research Ph.D. (DPhil to the Brits), a D.A. (Doctor of Arts), or some other variant, the doctorate degree typically requires four to six years of additional study beyond the master's level. To get a doctoral degree the graduate student must complete a course of study, do original research and write a publishable thesis or dissertation.

Types of Doctorates
There are three types of doctorates: research/terminal, (first) professional, and honorary.
Research doctorates are nearly always awarded in recognition of academic research that is of a publishable standard (even if not actually published) and that represents at least a modest contribution to human knowledge. The research is usually assessed by submission and defense of a doctoral thesis or dissertation, though in some cases a coherent body of published literature can be accepted instead.

Professional doctorates are awarded in certain fields where most holders of the degree are not engaged primarily in scholarly research and academic activities, but, rather in a profession, such as law, medicine, music, or ministry.
Honorary doctorates are awarded for a substantial contribution to a field that need not be academic in character.

While the Ph.D. is the most common doctoral degree, and even often (mis)understood to be synonymous with the term "doctorate", the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) recognize numerous doctoral degrees as equivalent, and do not discriminate among them; among the common research oriented doctorate degrees are:

Doctor of Applied Science (D.A.S.) Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.) Doctor of Computer Science (D.C.S.) Doctor of Criminal Justice (D.C.J.) Doctor of Criminology (D.Crim.) Doctor of Education (Ed.D. or D.Ed.) Doctor of Engineering (D.Eng.) Doctor of Fine Arts (D.F.A.)

Doctor of Information Technology (D.I.T.) Doctor of Liberal Studies (D.L.S.) Doctor of Management (D.M.) Doctor of Medical Science (D.M.Sc.) Doctor of Nursing Science (D.N.Sc.) Doctor of Public Administration (D.P.A.) Doctor of Health and Safety (D.H.S.)