Professional Doctorate and a Ph.D
Know how to choose between Pro Doctorate and Ph.D
Introduction
Differences Between a Professional Doctorate and a Ph.D
A Ph.D. is suitable for those who want to pursue a career in academic research and teaching, while a Professional Doctorate is suitable for those who want to apply knowledge in practical settings and take on leadership roles.
Ph.D (Doctor of Philosophy):
- Main Objective: Focuses on academic research and theory, aiming to create new knowledge and contribute to a specific research field.
- Curriculum: Involves extensive research, writing a dissertation, and frequently publishing academic papers.
- Career Opportunities: Suitable for research positions, teaching at universities, research institutes, or academic organizations.
- Completion Time: Typically takes around 3-5 years.
Professional Doctorate:
- Main Objective: Focuses on applying knowledge and research to practical professional settings, aiming to solve real-world problems within the specific industry.
- Curriculum: Includes specialized courses, practical projects, and a dissertation related to specific professional issues.
- Career Opportunities: Suitable for leadership and management positions in companies, non-profit organizations, or government agencies.
- Completion Time: Typically takes around 2-5 years.
Commonalities:
- Both are the highest degrees in the higher education system.
- Require significant commitment of time and effort.
- Both require a final dissertation or project to complete the program.
This table will show the differentiation of Professional Doctorate and Doctor of Philosophy in details:
| No. | Criteria | PhD | Professional Doctorate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Name | Doctor of Philosophy in [majors] | Doctor of Business Administration, Doctor of [majors] |
| 2 | Classification | Doctorate | Professional Doctorate |
| 3 | Level | Level 8 EQF | Level 8 EQF |
| 4 | Years of traning | From 3 to 5 years | From 2 to 5 years |
| 5 | Learning and research goals | Forming a new theoretical framework | Forming a new theoretical framework or applied solutions |
| 6 | Publish paper in ISI/SCOPUS | Encouraged | Must have or Encouraged |
| 7 | Subject requirements | research-intensive subjects | Research-intensive subjects and/or Compulsory doctoral-level subjects |
| 8 | Thesis Requirements | High level of academic and theory | High level of application content |
| 9 | Recognition after graduation | Doctoral (Dr.) | Doctoral (Dr.) |
| 10 | Degrees | Doctor of Philosophy in [majors] | Doctor of Business Administration; Doctor of Education; Doctor of [majors] |
| 11 | Career | Teaching, Researching | Teaching, Managing, Researching |
| 12 | Academic Development Pathway | Post Doctoral Programs | Ph.D & Post Doctoral Programs |
Specialty
Know how to choose between Pro Doctorate and Ph.D
Degrees
Doctorate
Certificates & awards
DBA, EDD, Ph.D