What is a doctorate degree?

A doctorate degree is the highest degree that can be gained in a particular field. It is awarded for a researcher who conducted an independent and significant research in their sphere of interest and defended a thesis on this research. Achieving a doctorate degree can be helpful building a career in both academic and applied disciplines. Having this degree will show that you have achieved a significant progress in a filed as an independent researcher who is able to solve complex tasks.

Difference between a PhD and other doctorate degrees

But what is the difference between a PhD and applied doctoral degrees? Why is PhD often considered separately? First, it is necessary to note that a PhD stands for a Doctor of Philosophy degree. In this definition, Philosophy should not be considered as a separate discipline but rather in its original Greek meaning “love of wisdom”. Therefore, a PhD can be gained in difficult fields including social sciences, economy and law.

The main difference between a PhD and a doctoral degree is the balance between the practical and academic components. PhD is awarded for distinctive academic research in a certain sphere. A PhD applicant not only solves a task or analyses something using an already-known information and method but rather makes their own contribution to science. These may be a new model that would help to solve a range of tasks, a new approach to solving problems or an extension of an existing theory that increases the overall scientific knowledge in a field. This contribution to the science is mostly theoretical but can be applied in practice. In this case, the work is more research-focused rather than practice-focused. A researcher finds the boundaries of applicability of particular theories and tries to extend them.

Meanwhile, a professional doctorate degree is gained due to achievements in practical activities. When a professional aggregates practical expertise, makes their own contribution to practice and summarises this experience so that it can be further used to solving real-life problems in a particular sphere, they can apply for a doctoral degree. That is, they make their contribution to knowledge from the practical side, but their experience can be further theorised.

However, it is not worth thinking that a PhD stipulates purely theoretical work whereas a doctoral degree, on the contrary, contains only practice. Both degrees have an ultimate goal of contributing to the scientific knowledge. However, the ways of its attainment are different. When you are conducting PhD research, you will explore and revise the existing theory first to apply it in a new context. As a result, you will obtain new knowledge. Meanwhile, a professional doctorate degree implies that you are already working in a particular sphere and wish to generalise your knowledge and inform scientific community. Thus, your gains become a public domain so that not only you, but many other professionals can apply them.

What both degrees have in common is that the findings have to be reported in a specific standardised way. In both cases, you will have to write a thesis that meets a number of formal requirements to present your accomplishments. Moreover, the procedures of defending both types of theses will be to a large extent similar. Ultimately, your results will be reported in a required way, the contribution to the scientific knowledge will be made, and you will be deemed a high-level specialist in a field capable to conduct independent research.

Why go for a PhD and a doctorate degree?

The reasons behind applying for a PhD degree and a doctorate degree may be different. If you are more interested in a theoretical knowledge in a particular science, you should choose applying for a PhD degree. However, it does not mean that you will be locked in a laboratory or will necessarily work in an academic sphere. For a potential employer, this will mean that you are able to conduct high-quality independent research, obtain results and present them in a required form. Moreover, PhD thesis writing can be considered a long-term project which lasts a few years. If you finish it, this will mean that you able to take the responsibility for managing such projects which require the skills of collecting, summarising and analysing information and extending the existing knowledge. This is a highly demanded range of skills in the labour market. So, having a PhD degree provides you prospects of making a successful career in numerous spheres. Moreover, if you are going to dedicate your life to the academic work, a PhD becomes a must-have thing. Without this degree, you will unlikely gain any academic heights.

As for a doctorate degree, the motivation behind applying for it are slightly different. When you are already a professional who has attained a lot in a certain practical sphere, gaining a doctorate can also provide you new perspectives. Gaining this degree often promotes significant career upgrade, start of new activities and attainment of greater independence within the corporate environment. Similar to PhD, a doctorate implies that not only you have gained some professional success in your sphere, but you are also able to complete the entire project that contains the stages of gaining results, summarising them, writing a thesis, presenting results in an appropriate manner and fulfilment of all formal requirements. Some positions close to the top management of large corporations may even require a doctorate. In addition, a doctorate positively influences your reputation within a professional community. You may enter private clubs and groups the doors of which were previously closed for you.

To sum up, both PhD and a doctorate point to a distinctive level of expertise in a specific field and significant contribution to the academic knowledge. The main difference is that while a PhD degree is mostly associated with theoretical research and the work in the academic sphere, a doctorate is connected with the work in a professional field and practical gains in solving real-life problems.