research based doctorate

Table of Contents

research-based GRADUATE PROGRAMS AND CAREERS

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TABLE OF  CONTENTS

Where Are You in Your Research Career?

What is Research-Based Academia?

Understanding the Value and Benefits of Research in Grad School

West Virginia University: A Carnegie R1 Status Institution

Top Research-Based Graduate Programs

WVU's Research Achievements

How to Become a Graduate Assistant at WVU

Reading for Aspiring Researchers

Start Your Research Journey at WVU - Connect with Us

WHERE ARE YOU IN YOUR RESEARCH CAREER?

To become a future leader in research, the best move to make is to enroll in a collaborative, inclusive, and cutting-edge graduate degree program that will serve as a launching pad for your dream career.

At West Virginia University, we are passionate about perpetuating a strong commitment to high research activity. In fact, we are one of the best research universities in the country — boasting R1 status that firmly establishes us as a thought leader in myriad fields of study.

Whether you are pursuing a master’s or a doctorate degree, we are here to outline how an advanced research program can help prepare you for professional success in academia and beyond — start exploring now.

what is research-based Academia?

A research-intensive graduate program focuses on the creation and application of new knowledge. Research plays a critical role in academia because it is the avenue through which we envision new ideas, transfer knowledge to one another, and predict trends that will impact the world.

Research enacts tangible change in diverse industries.

Students in a research-intensive graduate program develop skills as an independent thinker and professional within their discipline of study. This kind of training along with r esearch collaboration prepares students for a life of inquiry, leading to a deepening of our collective understanding of the world around us.

UNDERSTANDING THE VALUE AND BENEFITS OF RESEARCH IN GRAD SCHOOL

A research-based graduate degree program is designed to provide the student with a foundation from which they can either pursue additional graduate-level credentials in the form of a doctorate degree or develop the skills necessary to advance more quickly in their industry of choice.

One of the ways that a research-intensive graduate degree prepares professionals for cutting-edge leadership positions is through research collaboration. Research collaboration — that is, research between disciplines — provides “opportunities for investigators to learn how approaches from complementary disciplines may be applied to existing problems, and lead to the development of innovative solutions” for all fields of study involved.

In other words, collaboration between researchers is crucial because it leads to novel, cutting-edge solutions or answers to complex, challenging problems.

Here are just a few of the career fields that require or benefit from research-based graduate degrees:

Federal Government

engineering

data science

public health

exploration

In addition to developing students as innovators in their field, there are a variety of benefits to participating in a research-heavy graduate program. For instance, students pursuing a research-intensive graduate program can expect to:

INVALUABLE CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS

Critical thinking skills are essential to any industry, not just research-based professions, but these specific skills give students self-awareness, open-mindedness about their work, and the ability to collaborate across fields of study.

IMPORTANT, IN-DEPTH PERSPECTIVES

Students learn to explore and discuss multiple perspectives, worldviews, social justice, and cultural norms.

CREATIVE-MINDED SOLUTIONS

While factual information is the focus, students must form innovative perspectives on their research topic and envision solutions to pressing challenges in their field.

TRANSFERABLE COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Professionals for careers in emerging, cutting-edge fields.

Thanks to research, there are many advancements in technology, engineering, medicine, and many other scientific industries. Research-intensive programs also help students to prepare for careers in new and emerging fields.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TANGIBLE BENEFITS OF RESEARCH COLLABORATION!

WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY: A CARNEGIE R1 STATUS INSTITUTION

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Higher Education has classified approximately 146 U.S. institutions as having R1 status. R1 universities are at the forefront of research and innovation, and they receive federal or private funding specifically for their academic research.

R1 institutions are recognized as the best research universities in the country — 

And west virginia university is one of them

At R1 institutions , research study spans the academic spectrum at these universities, engaging grad students with research opportunities from the creative arts and humanities to the social sciences and applied sciences.

• R1 institutions graduate more doctoral students than R2 institutions.
• R1 institutions receive significantly more funding than R2 institutions.
• R1 institutions produce more accomplished researchers than R2 institutions.

Students at Carnegie R1 institutions have the opportunity to engage in research at the forefront of their discipline. Students at R1 universities also work with faculty who remain active in the discovery of knowledge and who bring the latest findings from their research and that of their colleagues into the classroom.

Students who graduate with a degree from an R1 institution have the most current understanding of the state of the art in their major field of study.

In other words, R1 classified schools are up-to-date with the most recent findings and trends impacting that area.

“It’s the graduate students that drive the research enterprise at WVU. They’re the ones doing the frontline work, the research in the labs, and the creative activity in our studios.

Our students and the faculty they work with are engaged in scholarship at the cutting-edge of their disciplines. they are creating new knowledge — looking at what has been discovered and making their own discoveries., at wvu, students can expect to go out and be a leading scholar in their area, and they will be on the forefront of the next generation of people who are discovering great new ideas and changing and shaping the world., my biggest piece of advice for prospective graduate students at wvu, explore the faculty and think about who you would want to work with. at wvu, you will go through a huge transformation, where you’ll move from being the student to being the professional — and then you’ll be ready to make a mark on the world.”, —dr. fred king, vice president for research at west virginia university, listen to the summit ahead podcast episode with fred king.

TOP RESEARCH-BASED GRADUATE PROGRAMS

All PhD programs and many MA and MS programs at WVU are research-based. Here are some sample research-based programs for your review:

Public Health

A Master of Public Health degree is a multidisciplinary professional degree focused on the application of science, research and theoretical knowledge toward the prevention of disease....

A Master of Public Health degree is a multidisciplinary professional degree focused on the application of science, research and theoretical knowledge toward the prevention of disease. The WVU MPH program prepares students for promising careers providing evidence-based solutions to complex health issues. Graduates leave our program with the skills necessary to work in a variety of public health settings such as health departments, clinics, and federal agencies.

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

The Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering offers programs in mechanical and aerospace engineering for students to earn bachelor's, master's, and...

The Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering offers programs in mechanical and aerospace engineering for students to earn bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. Students have the option to perform research in interactive settings under the direction of our exceptional faculty. MAE focuses research primarily in the areas of aerodynamics and fluid mechanics; alternative fuels, engines and emissions; bioengineering; control, design and manufacturing; materials science; solid mechanics, materials and structures; robotics; space flight and systems; and thermal sciences.

Neuroscience

The doctoral program in Neuroscience is committed to training the next generation of researchers and educators. Successful completion of degree requirements is based on research and...

The doctoral program in Neuroscience is committed to training the next generation of researchers and educators. Successful completion of degree requirements is based on research and scholarly achievement. Students will have opportunities to experience and acquire the skills needed for successful careers as independent scientists, including critical thinking, problem solving, writing, public speaking, and leadership.

After completion of core coursework, students conduct an original research project culminating in a doctoral dissertation. Research experiences include evaluating scientific literature, identifying critical scientific issues, experimental design, grant and manuscript writing, publication of scientific papers, and presentations at national meetings.

Political Science

The Department of Political Science provides a comprehensive curriculum that leads to a Master’s Degree (MA) or to a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Students receive training in...

The Department of Political Science provides a comprehensive curriculum that leads to a Master’s Degree (MA) or to a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Students receive training in research methods and choose from courses taught by renowned faculty in American politics, comparative politics, international relations, political theory, and public policy. More specifically, PhD students specialize in American politics, comparative politics, international politics, or public policy.

Many doctoral students from our department have obtained tenure track positions at colleges and universities including the University of Pittsburgh, West Virginia Wesleyan College, Longwood University, Monmouth University, and Wright State University. Graduates from our PhD and MA programs have also found employment with government agencies and non-profit organizations, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the U.S. Department of State.

Here are a few other graduate degrees that are rooted in research:

Computer Science

Business data analytics, animal, food, and nutrition sciences, mental health counseling, engineering, social work, developmental biology, higher education administration, natural resources sciences.

WVU’S RESEARCH ACHIEVEMENTS

• The Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute , the world’s first institute devoted to the study of human memory, is at WVU.
• By the end of 2021, WVU had received a record-shattering $203 million in external funding for research and other sponsored programs.
• 70 = Total number of WVU Fulbright Scholars.
• 19 WVU faculty members have been named Carnegie Foundation Professors of the Year.
• The total number of sponsored expenditures for FY 2020 was $172 million.

Faculty expertise

The faculty employed at WVU are experts skilled at guiding graduate students to share in their expertise.

Faculty who actively perform research in their respective fields

Full-time instructional faculty hold the highest academic degree in their field

LEARN MORE ABOUT WVU’S RESEARCH OFFICE

HOW TO BECOME A GRADUATE ASSISTANT AT WVU

Graduate assistantships are a form of academic employment for which students must apply and be accepted based on academic excellence and faculty referral. Graduate assistants receive a tuition waiver based on the tasks they perform for faculty members or departments.

In addition to payment, graduate assistantships are a strategic way for doctorate and master’s degree students to gain practical field experience, deepen academic understanding, and network with thought leaders and students in their field.

Graduate Assistantships

For researchers at wvu

West Virginia University awards approximately 1,600 graduate assistantships annually to incoming and continuing graduate students. All graduate assistants must be accepted into a graduate degree program and are required to be enrolled full-time while employed during the fall and spring terms (9 credits or more). Those committed to a research-intensive program will ideally choose a graduate research assistant position.

• Graduate teaching assistants teach courses, laboratory sections, and recitation sections, or provide other forms of instructional assistance.

Note: Research assistantships are primarily funded by grants and other third party sources. Because the arrival of these funds at the University may not coincide with the beginning of an academic term, University policy is that the deadline for research assistant appointments is no later than the end of the fifth week of classes in the fall or spring term. Depending on the source of funding, some research assistantships may not be available to non-US residents.

While students enrolled in a research-heavy graduate program will more than likely choose a graduate research assistantship, WVU does offer two other kinds of graduate assistantship positions for qualified students:

• Graduate service assistants typically work in one of the administrative or service offices of WVU in positions related to their program of study and that contribute to their educational experience.

LEARN HOW TO BECOME A GRADUATE ASSISTANT WITH OUR GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIP GUIDE!

READING FOR ASPIRING RESEARCHERS

3 Reasons to Attend an R1 Status Institution (Instead of R2)

Exploring WVU’s R1 Status — What it Means to be a Carnegie R1 Institution

Best STEM Degrees for the Future

How to Find the Best Graduate Program for You

7 STEM Careers for Creative Minds

How Does R1 Status Affect Grad Students Who Do Research?

Start your research journey at wvu , connect with us.

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We foster a community of inclusivity, academic excellence, and cutting-edge innovation with the aim of graduating invaluable, marketable professionals who go on to impact the world and the people in it.

Are you ready to join a community of changemakers at WVU? You are in the right place. Start your journey today!

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Program overview.

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Rigorous, discipline-based research is the hallmark of the MIT Sloan PhD Program. The program is committed to educating scholars who will lead in their fields of research—those with outstanding intellectual skills who will carry forward productive research on the complex organizational, financial, and technological issues that characterize an increasingly competitive and challenging business world.

Start here.

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PhD studies at MIT Sloan are intense and individual in nature, demanding a great deal of time, initiative, and discipline from every candidate. But the rewards of such rigor are tremendous:  MIT Sloan PhD graduates go on to teach and conduct research at the world's most prestigious universities.

PhD Program curriculum at MIT Sloan is organized under the following three academic areas: Behavior & Policy Sciences; Economics, Finance & Accounting; and Management Science. Our nine research groups correspond with one of the academic areas, as noted below.

MIT Sloan PhD Research Groups

Behavioral & policy sciences.

Economic Sociology

Institute for Work & Employment Research

Organization Studies

Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship & Strategic Management

Economics, Finance & Accounting

Accounting  

Management Science

Information Technology

System Dynamics  

Those interested in a PhD in Operations Research should visit the Operations Research Center .  

PhD Program Structure

Additional information including coursework and thesis requirements.

MIT Sloan Predoctoral Opportunities

MIT Sloan is eager to provide a diverse group of talented students with early-career exposure to research techniques as well as support in considering research career paths.

Rising Scholars Conference

The fourth annual Rising Scholars Conference on October 25 and 26 gathers diverse PhD students from across the country to present their research.

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The goal of the MIT Sloan PhD Program's admissions process is to select a small number of people who are most likely to successfully complete our rigorous and demanding program and then thrive in academic research careers. The admission selection process is highly competitive; we aim for a class size of nineteen students, admitted from a pool of hundreds of applicants.

What We Seek

• Outstanding intellectual ability
• Excellent academic records
• Previous work in disciplines related to the intended area of concentration
• Strong commitment to a career in research

MIT Sloan PhD Program Admissions Requirements Common Questions

Dates and Deadlines

Admissions for 2024 is closed. The next opportunity to apply will be for 2025 admission. The 2025 application will open in September 2024. 

More information on program requirements and application components

Students in good academic standing in our program receive a funding package that includes tuition, medical insurance, and a fellowship stipend and/or TA/RA salary. We also provide a new laptop computer and a conference travel/research budget.

Funding Information

Throughout the year, we organize events that give you a chance to learn more about the program and determine if a PhD in Management is right for you.

PhD Program Events

May phd program overview.

During this webinar, you will hear from the PhD Program team and have the chance to ask questions about the application and admissions process.

June PhD Program Overview

July phd program overview, august phd program overview.

Complete PhD Admissions Event Calendar

Unlike formulaic approaches to training scholars, the PhD Program at MIT Sloan allows students to choose their own adventure and develop a unique scholarly identity. This can be daunting, but students are given a wide range of support along the way - most notably having access to world class faculty and coursework both at MIT and in the broader academic community around Boston.

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Profiles of our current students

MIT Sloan produces top-notch PhDs in management. Immersed in MIT Sloan's distinctive culture, upcoming graduates are poised to innovate in management research and education.

Academic Job Market

Doctoral candidates on the current academic market

Academic Placements

Graduates of the MIT Sloan PhD Program are researching and teaching at top schools around the world.

view recent placements 

MIT Sloan Experience

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The PhD Program is integral to the research of MIT Sloan's world-class faculty. With a reputation as risk-takers who are unafraid to embrace the unconventional, they are engaged in exciting disciplinary and interdisciplinary research that often includes PhD students as key team members.

Research centers across MIT Sloan and MIT provide a rich setting for collaboration and exploration. In addition to exposure to the faculty, PhD students also learn from one another in a creative, supportive research community.

Throughout MIT Sloan's history, our professors have devised theories and fields of study that have had a profound impact on management theory and practice.

From Douglas McGregor's Theory X/Theory Y distinction to Nobel-recognized breakthroughs in finance by Franco Modigliani and in option pricing by Robert Merton and Myron Scholes, MIT Sloan's faculty have been unmatched innovators.

This legacy of innovative thinking and dedication to research impacts every faculty member and filters down to the students who work beside them.

Faculty Links

• Accounting Faculty
• Economic Sociology Faculty
• Finance Faculty
• Information Technology Faculty
• Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER) Faculty
• Marketing Faculty
• Organization Studies Faculty
• System Dynamics Faculty
• Technological Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Strategic Management (TIES) Faculty

Student Research

“MIT Sloan PhD training is a transformative experience. The heart of the process is the student’s transition from being a consumer of knowledge to being a producer of knowledge. This involves learning to ask precise, tractable questions and addressing them with creativity and rigor. Hard work is required, but the reward is the incomparable exhilaration one feels from having solved a puzzle that had bedeviled the sharpest minds in the world!” -Ezra Zuckerman Sivan Alvin J. Siteman (1948) Professor of Entrepreneurship

Sample Dissertation Abstracts - These sample Dissertation Abstracts provide examples of the work that our students have chosen to study while in the MIT Sloan PhD Program.

We believe that our doctoral program is the heart of MIT Sloan's research community and that it develops some of the best management researchers in the world. At our annual Doctoral Research Forum, we celebrate the great research that our doctoral students do, and the research community that supports that development process.

The videos of their presentations below showcase the work of our students and will give you insight into the topics they choose to research in the program.

How Should We Measure the Digital Economy?

2020 PhD Doctoral Research Forum Winner - Avinash Collis

Watch more MIT Sloan PhD Program  Doctoral Forum Videos

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About the PhD in Clinical Investigation Program

The program is targeted toward internal physician postdoctoral fellows in clinical departments of the School of Medicine. It involves one year of full-time academic classroom work, followed by at least two years of mentored training in clinical research. The combination of a year of instruction and a year of clinicals allows students the scientific grounding for subsequent original research. This research effort is jointly mentored by faculty from the program and a mentor from the student’s SOM department. After fulfilling all requirements, a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Clinical Investigation is awarded by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Curriculum for the PhD in Clinical Investigation

Browse an overview of this program's requirements in the JHU  Academic Catalogue  and explore all course offerings in the Bloomberg School  Course Directory .

Prerequisites for the PhD Degree

• Satisfactory completion of 90 credit hours of course work, including one year of full-time in-residency course work
• Five additional courses to be taken in the second or third years
• Continuous registration for the Research Forum and registration for Thesis Research each term
• Completion of a Comprehensive Exam at the end of the didactic year
• Satisfaction of all university requirements for the PhD, including completion of a Preliminary Oral Examination, Thesis Preparation, and Thesis Defense

Admissions Requirements

For general admissions requirements, please visit the How to Apply page. For our PhD specific application requirements, please see our How to Apply page.

This specific program also requires:

Prior Graduate Degree

Advanced medical degree: e.g., MD, MBBS, PhD

Prior Work Experience

Work with human subjects in clinical investigation

Standardized Test Scores

Standardized test scores  are required  for this program. This program accepts the following standardized test scores: USMLE and GRE or MCAT.  Applications will be reviewed holistically based on all application components.

GTPCI is one of 60 national recipients of an NIH-sponsored CTSA KL2 Award to support institutional career development programs for physicians and dentists, encouraging them to become independent, patient-oriented clinical investigators. This Multi- disciplinary Clinical Research Career Development Program funds clinical research training for a broad group of physicians, dentists, and other scientists who have a doctorate in a health-related field, including pharmacy, nursing, epidemiology, and behavioral sciences. The Johns Hopkins KL2 program will provide career development support for junior faculty physicians or dentists from within Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions.

Information regarding the cost of tuition and fees can be found on the Bloomberg School's Tuition and Fees page.

Need-Based Relocation Grants Students who  are admitted to PhD programs at JHU  starting in Fall 2023 or beyond can apply to receive a $1500 need-based grant to offset the costs of relocating to be able to attend JHU.   These grants provide funding to a portion of incoming students who, without this money, may otherwise not be able to afford to relocate to JHU for their PhD program. This is not a merit-based grant. Applications will be evaluated solely based on financial need.  View more information about the need-based relocation grants for PhD students .

Questions about the program? We're happy to help.

Director Khalil Ghanem, MD, PhD

Academic Program Manager Cristina A. DeNardo, MEd 410-502-9734 [email protected]

Academic Catalog 2023-2024

Experiential phd.

The future of research will be collaborative. Researchers across academic institutions, industry, government, and other organizations will team up to solve complex real-world problems. Researchers will require technical proficiency as well as the ability to work with others, form teams, manage projects, and more—skills that go beyond the classroom. At Northeastern University, every PhD student and postdoctoral research associate has opportunities to acquire experiences beyond traditional research. Exposure to and integration with our many partners through unique programs in authentic settings from laboratories to startup companies to nonprofit institutions leads to greater impact and broader career opportunities, both within and beyond academia.

Northeastern’s Experiential PhD programs offer such opportunities for current Northeastern PhD students and postdoctoral research associates and for full-time master's-level employees at companies, laboratories, and organizations who want to pursue a doctoral degree at Northeastern. The former occurs through the LEADERs program , while the latter occurs through the Industry PhD program . Traditional internships and sponsored research agreements are available to Northeastern students.  

The LEADERs program is designed to enable researchers to develop professional skills through authentic career exploration opportunities at organizations in industry, government, and the nonprofit sector. Beyond the comfort zone of their own university research group, PhD students and postdoctoral research associates encounter new experiences that help shape their research perspective. They also bring fresh ideas and talent to their host organizations. Northeastern is one of the only universities in the world to offer students in all of its research-based doctoral-degree programs the option to learn and pursue research outside of their primary research group. These real-world placements are highly flexible and customizable, tailored to meet the needs of both Northeastern’s PhD students and postdoctoral research associates and our institutional partners.

The Industry PhD is a first-of-its kind research-based doctoral program for full-time master's-level employees.  Designed with input from external partners, employees pursue a research-based doctoral degree while maintaining their job and conducting research at the employer site. This enables employees to acquire new skills that will help them to advance in their careers and provides the organization with an opportunity to invest in their future leaders. By working closely with Northeastern faculty, employees will explore their research from a broader scientific perspective, enabling them to appreciate the research foundation of their day-to-day work and to pursue new areas of research for the company.

Experiential PhD programs offer robust benefits to both students and institutional partners. Students solve complex problems as part of their education and chart careers as future innovators. Our institutional partners receive many benefits as well, including:

A deeper engagement in rapidly evolving fields of research

Access to university facilities and senior faculty expertise

Opportunities for senior leadership to mentor and copublish with students and to serve on their dissertation committees

A chance to recruit emerging talent

Opportunities to partner with Northeastern, an entrepreneurial research university known for its innovative collaborations with academia, government, and industry

At Northeastern University, PhD students enjoy a uniquely broad range of immersive opportunities to expand critical inquiry, learn, perform original research, and chart a path to professional success. Experiential PhD opportunities enable PhD students to step outside the comfort zone of their campus research group where students can pursue challenging, creative, customized assignments within industry, government, or the nonprofit sector that inform and enhance their pursuit of a research doctorate.

This Graduate Certificate in Experiential PhD Leadership aims to:

•  Challenge students to address complex problems  through experience within the context of real-world needs and challenges faced by industry, government, or nonprofit-sector organizations, broadening students' view of stakeholders and impact, shaping the very questions they raise and answer.

•  Equip students for a lifetime with the cultural agility, creativity, and professional skills— public speaking and communications, meeting goals and expectations (e.g., project management for personal and professional purposes), teamwork, leadership, peer influence, leading from the middle—that they will need to translate their findings into impactful solutions.

•  Enrich every student’s research group and, ultimately, fields of expertise  by fostering a collaborative, entrepreneurial, innovative approach to knowledge creation that expands their network far beyond academia to include intellectual and professional mentors and collaborators.

This graduate certificate designed for PhD students across all of Northeastern’s research-based PhD programs provides students embarking on an experiential PhD with the preparation, project delivery, and guidance for contextual integration within the context of leadership development. All students pursuing this leadership certificate will be mentored by their sponsor supervisor and dissertation advisor(s).

Complete all courses and requirements listed below unless otherwise indicated. 

A grade of B or higher is required in each course.

Requirements

Program credit/gpa requirements.

12 total semester hours required Minimum 3.000 GPA required

The Industry PhD is a first-of-its kind research-based doctoral program  designed with input from external partners to provide a pathway  for full-time  master's-level employees. Designed with input from external partners,  employees pursue a research-based doctoral degree while maintaining their job and conducting research at the employer site. This enables employees to acquire new skills that will help them to advance in their careers and provides the organization with an opportunity to invest in their future leaders. By working closely with Northeastern University faculty, employees will explore their research from a broader scientific perspective, enabling them to appreciate the research foundation of their day-to-day work and to pursue new areas of research for the company.

The Industry PhD is applicable to any of our 35 doctoral programs. Applicants should follow the requirements of the program to which they are applying. In addition, the following Industry PhD terms apply.

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Why Earn a Professional Doctoral Degree?

A doctoral degree is the highest degree you can obtain in the United States. The most common forms are:

• Research or academic (PhD) programs
• Professional doctoral degrees

So, what’s the difference between a PhD and a professional doctoral degree? Although they sound similar, professional degrees and doctoral degrees are two different types of programs, each suited to a particular type of student. 

A PhD, or doctoral degree , is an academic, research-based degree in which the main goal is to develop advanced research skills and create new knowledge to share with others.

In contrast, a professional doctorate , or a professional degree , is focused on the advanced practice of knowledge and skills, making it a degree for those who are more professionally oriented. While these programs also help to develop research skills, the main focus is to apply knowledge to industry to solve new and emerging problems.

Learn More:  Professional Degrees vs. Academic Degrees: What’s the Difference?

Interest in professional doctoral programs has been growing in recent years, largely due to the evolving needs of employers and the desire of professionals to improve their skills and knowledge.

There are many reasons why you might want to go back to school for a professional degree. Here are five ways a professional doctorate could benefit your career.

5 Ways Earning a Professional Doctoral Degree Can Benefit Your Career

1. you’ll be equipped to impact your industry..

A professional degree program will prepare you to have an impact on, and potentially transform, your chosen field. Professional doctoral candidates usually take an existing concept or problem in their industry, conduct thorough research, and propose possible solutions.

The goal of this process is to expound upon existing knowledge or uncover new findings within a field, and the results can have a significant social and economic impact.

2. You can qualify for top-level positions.

A strong professional doctoral degree candidate is someone who is fairly well-established in a field or career. This is someone who might already be a decision-maker or manager but who wants to develop refined and sophisticated skills to move into the top levels of decision-making.

A rigorous professional doctoral program will push your boundaries and teach you how to think through and solve complex problems that you can translate directly to your industry.

3. You’ll demonstrate higher-level skills.

Holding a professional doctorate doesn’t just show—it proves you have mastered top-level skills in writing, research, and analysis. Many fields now demand top professionals to have these advanced abilities

Obtaining a professional degree demonstrates the effort that you have dedicated to achieving the highest level of education in your subject and positions you as a master in the skills associated with your field of study.

4. You will grow your professional network.

Whether you’re taking courses online or face-to-face, your soon-to-be classmates represent a wide swath of fields and sectors, and they’re all in school to improve themselves professionally. These people become not only a great professional network but also your support system.

Taking a variety of competitive people and putting them in a classroom together to challenge one another will help push all of you further than you could have gone by yourselves. Building your professional network can have huge benefits for your career as well, as it can help you exchange industry expertise and even aid in securing a job.

5. You’ll command a higher salary.

An important reason to consider a doctoral degree is that in many fields, earning your doctorate could increase your earning potential with your current or future employers. The expected lifetime earnings for someone with a doctoral degree is $4.3 million, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. What’s more, professionals with doctoral degrees earn 25% more annually than those with just a master’s.

After sacrificing time and money to get your degree, this might be music to your ears. Of course, some fields will have a higher payoff than others. Make sure you carefully consider your future earning potential when calculating your return on investment.

Is a Professional Doctorate Right For You?

If you are considering earning a professional doctoral degree , it is important to understand how this course of action can help you achieve both your personal and professional goals. As outlined above, there are valuable benefits to obtaining a professional doctorate, like industry impact,  advanced skills, and increased earning potential that can make it worthwhile. 

On the other hand, if you are more interested in applying your knowledge in the world of academia or industry leadership, an academic- or research-based doctoral program may be better suited to your goals. 

Ready to Learn More?

Explore Northeastern’s professional doctoral programs to find the one that can best help you achieve your goals.

FIND YOUR PROGRAM

Editor’s note: This content was originally published in April 2016 and has been updated for thoroughness, accuracy, and recency.

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Doctor of Philosophy in Education

Additional Information

• Download the Doctoral Viewbook
• Admissions & Aid

The Harvard Ph.D. in Education trains cutting-edge researchers who work across disciplines to generate knowledge and translate discoveries into transformative policy and practice.

Offered jointly by the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Ph.D. in Education provides you with full access to the extraordinary resources of Harvard University and prepares you to assume meaningful roles as university faculty, researchers, senior-level education leaders, and policymakers.

As a Ph.D. candidate, you will collaborate with scholars across all Harvard graduate schools on original interdisciplinary research. In the process, you will help forge new fields of inquiry that will impact the way we teach and learn. The program’s required coursework will develop your knowledge of education and your expertise in a range of quantitative and qualitative methods needed to conduct high-quality research. Guided by the goal of making a transformative impact on education research, policy, and practice, you will focus on independent research in various domains, including human development, learning and teaching, policy analysis and evaluation, institutions and society, and instructional practice.   

Curriculum Information

The Ph.D. in Education requires five years of full-time study to complete. You will choose your individual coursework and design your original research in close consultation with your HGSE faculty adviser and dissertation committee. The requirements listed below include the three Ph.D. concentrations: Culture, Institutions, and Society; Education Policy and Program Evaluation; and Human Development, Learning and Teaching . 

We invite you to review an example course list, which is provided in two formats — one as the full list by course number and one by broad course category . These lists are subject to modification. 

Ph.D. Concentrations and Examples

Summary of Ph.D. Program

Doctoral Colloquia  In year one and two you are required to attend. The colloquia convenes weekly and features presentations of work-in-progress and completed work by Harvard faculty, faculty and researchers from outside Harvard, and Harvard doctoral students. Ph.D. students present once in the colloquia over the course of their career.

Research Apprenticeship The Research Apprenticeship is designed to provide ongoing training and mentoring to develop your research skills throughout the entire program.

Teaching Fellowships The Teaching Fellowship is an opportunity to enhance students' teaching skills, promote learning consolidation, and provide opportunities to collaborate with faculty on pedagogical development.

Comprehensive Exams  The Written Exam (year 2, spring) tests you on both general and concentration-specific knowledge. The Oral Exam (year 3, fall/winter) tests your command of your chosen field of study and your ability to design, develop, and implement an original research project.

Dissertation  Based on your original research, the dissertation process consists of three parts: the Dissertation Proposal, the writing, and an oral defense before the members of your dissertation committee.

Culture, Institutions, and Society (CIS) Concentration

In CIS, you will examine the broader cultural, institutional, organizational, and social contexts relevant to education across the lifespan. What is the value and purpose of education? How do cultural, institutional, and social factors shape educational processes and outcomes? How effective are social movements and community action in education reform? How do we measure stratification and institutional inequality? In CIS, your work will be informed by theories and methods from sociology, history, political science, organizational behavior and management, philosophy, and anthropology. You can examine contexts as diverse as classrooms, families, neighborhoods, schools, colleges and universities, religious institutions, nonprofits, government agencies, and more.

Education Policy and Program Evaluation (EPPE) Concentration

In EPPE, you will research the design, implementation, and evaluation of education policy affecting early childhood, K–12, and postsecondary education in the U.S. and internationally. You will evaluate and assess individual programs and policies related to critical issues like access to education, teacher effectiveness, school finance, testing and accountability systems, school choice, financial aid, college enrollment and persistence, and more. Your work will be informed by theories and methods from economics, political science, public policy, and sociology, history, philosophy, and statistics. This concentration shares some themes with CIS, but your work with EPPE will focus on public policy and large-scale reforms.

Human Development, Learning and Teaching (HDLT) Concentration

In HDLT, you will work to advance the role of scientific research in education policy, reform, and practice. New discoveries in the science of learning and development — the integration of biological, cognitive, and social processes; the relationships between technology and learning; or the factors that influence individual variations in learning — are transforming the practice of teaching and learning in both formal and informal settings. Whether studying behavioral, cognitive, or social-emotional development in children or the design of learning technologies to maximize understanding, you will gain a strong background in human development, the science of learning, and sociocultural factors that explain variation in learning and developmental pathways. Your research will be informed by theories and methods from psychology, cognitive science, sociology and linguistics, philosophy, the biological sciences and mathematics, and organizational behavior.

Program Faculty

The most remarkable thing about the Ph.D. in Education is open access to faculty from all Harvard graduate and professional schools, including the Harvard Graduate School of Education, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Harvard Kennedy School, the Harvard Law School, Harvard Medical School, and the Harvard School of Public Health. Learn about the full Ph.D. Faculty.

Jarvis R. Givens

Jarvis Givens studies the history of American education, African American history, and the relationship between race and power in schools.

Paul L. Harris

Paul Harris is interested in the early development of cognition, emotion, and imagination in children.

Meira Levinson

Meira Levinson is a normative political philosopher who works at the intersection of civic education, youth empowerment, racial justice, and educational ethics. 

Luke W. Miratrix

Luke Miratrix is a statistician who explores how to best use modern statistical methods in applied social science contexts.

Eric Taylor

Eric Taylor studies the economics of education, with a particular interest in employer-employee interactions between schools and teachers — hiring and firing decisions, job design, training, and performance evaluation.

Paola Uccelli

Paola Ucelli studies socio-cultural and individual differences in the language development of multilingual and monolingual students.

View Ph.D. Faculty

Dissertations.

The following is a complete listing of successful Ph.D. in Education dissertations to-date. Dissertations from November 2014 onward are publicly available in the Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) , the online repository for Harvard scholarship.

• 2022 Graduate Dissertations (265 KB pdf)
• 2021 Graduate Dissertations (177 KB pdf)
• 2020 Graduate Dissertations (121 KB pdf)
• 2019 Graduate Dissertations (68.3 KB pdf)

Student Directory

An opt-in listing of current Ph.D. students with information about their interests, research, personal web pages, and contact information:

Doctor of Philosophy in Education Student Directory

Introduce Yourself

Tell us about yourself so that we can tailor our communication to best fit your interests and provide you with relevant information about our programs, events, and other opportunities to connect with us.

Program Highlights

Explore examples of the Doctor of Philosophy in Education experience and the impact its community is making on the field:

Lost in Translation

New comparative study from Ph.D. candidate Maya Alkateb-Chami finds strong correlation between low literacy outcomes for children and schools teaching in different language from home

Using E-Books to Get Young Readers Talking

New research shows how parents can help kids — and themselves — use e-books as a tool to improve early childhood development

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UCLA Graduate Programs

Whether you’re a new grad student, a postdoc, a visiting graduate researcher, or a prospective applicant looking to see what research we’re doing on campus, we’ve compiled some resources on this page to get you started.

As a preeminent public research university, UCLA offers the opportunity to lead research in state-of-the-art facilities while collaborating with world-renowned faculty. Scholars will learn to further shape and define their particular projects, expand their mastery in their chosen field, work in partnership with their peers and mentors and share their knowledge in the classroom and lab. This collective effort is the spark that ignites solutions to the most pressing global problems of today and tomorrow. Susan L. Ettner Dean, UCLA Division of Graduate Education Professor, Department of Medicine Professor, Department of Health Policy and Management

Visiting Graduate Researchers

Visiting Graduate Researchers are domestic or international degree-seeking graduate students at their home institution who are invited to conduct short-term doctoral research or participate in a mentored or independent research project or master’s research collaboration with a faculty member at UCLA. The initial Visiting Graduate Researcher appointment can range from 3 weeks to 12 months; the maximum stay is 24 months.

Postdoctoral Scholars

A  Postdoctoral Scholar  (Postdoc) is an individual who holds a doctoral degree, is engaged in advanced training and education, and conducts research under the guidance of a faculty member at UCLA. A postdoctoral scholar position prepares you for a career in academia, industry, government or the non-profit sector. Each year, UCLA hosts approximately 1,200 postdocs worldwide who play a critical role in furthering the University’s educational and research mission.

Research Assistantships

Graduate Student Researcher positions provide experience working on faculty-supervised research projects. Applicants should inquire within their department.

Internships

The UCLA Career Center’s  Handshake  is a good place to start looking for internships, as is the  UCLA International Education Office  if you’re looking for an experience abroad. Other places are your home program/department and other programs/departments on campus.

Summer Programs

Many UCLA summer programs are designed to give undergraduates research experience before applying to graduate school. Head to our Admissions section to learn more about Undergraduate Summer Programs . For graduate students, search our Graduate Funding Search Engine to see current research opportunities available through the summer.

• UCLA-Peking Joint Research Institute Summer Exchange

Publication-based doctorate: is it for me?

Potential research higher degree candidates from academia or industry will need to decide between a doctorate by thesis or by publication. Here are key questions to ask before embarking on the doctoral journey

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Prospective doctoral candidates have much less understanding of the process and requirements for a publication-based doctorate than they do for the more popular thesis-based route. Completing a doctorate, thesis- or publication-based, takes time and effort. Selecting the right mode is important before starting a research higher degree (RHD), so that the prospective doctoral candidate can be confident of completing it.

Here, I discuss the questions that future doctoral candidates should ask if they are considering a publication-based doctorate.

• Why get a PhD by publication (and other career tips)
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What is my goal in completing a doctorate?

A thesis-based doctorate helps the candidate to explore a subtopic of a research field as deeply as possible, based on few theoretical variables and within a limited practical context (for example, a limited dataset from a single socio-economic setting). A publication-based doctorate could explore a topic with more variables and contexts (for example, different publications on same topic would have different variables and datasets). It gives a publication-based doctorate a little more flexibility to explore a topic more widely. Therefore, the goal of exploring a subtopic area as widely as possible could fit better for a publication-based doctorate.

What is my thesis?

Yes, even for a publication-based doctorate, candidates need to produce a thesis, a theory or a proposition on a single topic, in combination with the overall contributions of published papers. As a result, the candidates need to think about how they can draw together the relevant findings from published papers to produce new knowledge on a single topic.

Are my publications cohesive?

For a publication-based doctorate, the publications you may already have and the outputs you plan to produce within an agreed time frame should focus on and contribute to a single subtopic. So ask yourself: how unified are my existing and planned publications? Designing the research aim, research question, methodology and contribution of your intended publications in relation to these sections among your existing publications is instrumental to ensuring that your publications are cohesive.

Where am I publishing?

Understanding where you publish should be a key consideration, as not all publications will be eligible for inclusion in your submission. All fields of studies have their own benchmark publications. For example, in business, the journal lists of the Association of Business Schools in the UK and the Australian Business Deans’ Council are often used to indicate a publication’s quality. In general, a publication-based doctorate could consist of journal papers, book chapters or published conference proceedings. Industry-based publications could be considered as well in some instances (for example, if you have an article published by a reputable chamber of commerce). Articles in predatory journals and publications such as brief op-ed articles or blogs might not be considered for a doctorate by publication.

Will the findings and contributions of my publications stand the test of time?

Doctoral candidates may already have publications, perhaps even in good academic journals, but they may be 10 years old. The knowledge produced perhaps made a contribution to your field of study, but the subsequent progress of the field may have surpassed your work or made it obsolete over time. So considering the potential significance of publications during the projected time of a doctoral submission is important. Comparing your work with existing publications in your field is a good way to understand the significance of the work you produce.

What is the extent of my theoretical and practical contribution?  

All doctorates should make significant contribution of theoretical knowledge and practical implication. But we know that the extent of theoretical and practical contribution of a RHD can differ based on the type of doctorate someone would undertake. For example, a doctor of philosophy needs to produce significant theoretical knowledge, whereas a professional doctorate would need more practical implications. Therefore, the candidate needs to consider the extent of theoretical and practical implications of their publications, in order to decide whether a doctor of philosophy or a professional doctorate would be more relevant.

Am I publishing as a sole author or a co-author?

Often, we work in a team and publish with our co-authors. Therefore, if you are planning to include one or several co-authored publications in a publication-based doctorate, securing permission from co-authors to include the relevant sections (that you have contributed to those co-authored publications) into a publication-based doctoral thesis will be helpful in avoiding any future conflict of interest among co-authors.

What is my career stage?

Career stage would have an influence on whether to opt for a doctorate by publication. For example, a candidate may already have five or 10 years of academic teaching or industry experience but has perhaps produced few academic or industry-based publications. In general, working to publish more papers in next two years, and combining them with existing publications to produce a new knowledge, would be useful to submit a thesis by publication. Mid-career candidates from either academia or industry might be considering a publication-based doctorate alongside other commitments but find that their work-life balance is unsustainable. In this case, a doctor of philosophy would be more appropriate for academic candidates, while a professional doctorate would be more relevant for candidates from industry.

How do I find a PhD supervisor?

Irrespective of whether the doctorate is by thesis or publication, RHD supervisors play a significant role in training their candidates to become independent researchers. So looking at the prospective supervisors’ profile, comparing your topic with their research area, emailing them to share your draft proposal, and requesting an appointment to talk about it further will be valuable for prospective candidates. It will help them to develop their topic of research, understand research procedures and requirements, and secure a supervisor.

These questions will help an academic or an industry professional considering a doctorate by publication to weigh their options carefully.

Riad Shams is assistant professor and head of the PhD programme at the Newcastle Business School at Northumbria University, UK. He is a board member of the Northern Advanced Research Training Initiative, a fellow of the Higher Education Academy and the EuroMed Academy of Business, and associate editor of the Journal of Social Entrepreneurship .

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Exploring the Doctorate Degree: What You Need to Know

Types of Doctorate Degrees

Your Doctorate Degree Journey

The Role of Research

Challenges & Benefits

Right for You?

The doctoral degree, sometimes called doctorate degree, or PhD degree, is the highest college degree out there. Whether you want to immerse yourself in research and academic pursuits, or qualify for top leadership positions in your field, it’s essential to know how different doctorate degrees align with your goals and circumstances.

If you’re unsure if a doctoral degree is worth it or which kind of doctoral program is right for you, keep reading… In this post you’ll learn exactly what a doctorate degree is, discover different types of doctoral degrees and degree pathways, discover the benefits they offer professionally and personally, and get insights for how to apply for programs at top schools.

Beyond being a badge of honor, a doctorate showcases your expertise, research skills, and demonstrates your readiness to contribute original research in your chosen field and area of specialization.

But, before we explore all the requirements for applying to a doctoral degree program , and what’s required to get the degree, let’s quickly explore all the different names these degrees can go by and what kind of learning they represent.

Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy)

In the Middle Ages being a doctor wasn’t associated with medicine as it is today. A doctor was simply an academic title conferred upon those who had finished a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree and had gone on to earn the highest degree possible in the arts and sciences of those times.

Today, PhD stands for Doctor of Philosophy, but it’s important to be clear that PhD degrees are awarded in virtually all disciplines, not just philosophy!

That said, the PhD is still just one type of doctoral degree, although very common. In short, a large majority of doctoral programs, across all disciplines, will lead to a PhD.

Typically, if you want to pursue advanced theoretical research or faculty positions in academia, you’ll find the PhD track the most suitable for those interests .

If you’re interested in getting the most advanced degree possible but want a format and structure more geared for practical professional development, then a professional doctorate may be the right degree for you…

Doctorate vs. PhD

Doctorate and PhD are often used interchangeably. But many doctoral programs lead to a professional doctorate degree in lieu of a PhD.

By comparison with the highly academic orientation of most PhD programs, professional doctorate programs tend to be oriented toward those seeking advancement in more practical management, leadership, and R&D roles in the business sector or elsewhere outside academia.

If you’re a top executive (or aspiring top executive) in a STEM field or healthcare services — just to take a couple of examples — you’ll find sector-specific professional doctorate programs that cater to business-oriented professionals working in complex leadership, management, or applied research and development roles. Instead of pursuing a PhD in your field, you might pursue a professional doctorate, such as a DBA (Doctorate in Business Administration) or DHA (Doctorate in Healthcare Administration).

If you want to burrow into academia, then a PhD track is probably the best.

If you want to focus more on practical leadership challenges or practical research applications and rub shoulders with business professionals and management leaders, then you’ll be more at home in a professional doctorate program!

Ed.D. (Doctor of Education)

For those passionate about education and leadership, pursuing a PhD in education is one option. But, if you’re working in an education setting — not academia — and want to make a bigger impact, then getting a professional doctorate in education, an EdD, may be a more practical goal.

EdD programs are typically oriented toward school system leaders, managers, and specialists, including:

• school principals
• curriculum specialists
• instructional experts and trainers
• school district superintendents
• school reform leaders and policy experts

If you’ve already found education work like this to be your passion, and you’re ready to go deeper and make a bigger impact, getting an EdD degree would have a more practical orientation than a PhD track, and also be best suited to expanding your professional network!

Psy.D. (Doctor of Psychology)

If therapeutic relationships and clinical practice intrigue you, the PsyD could be your avenue. This degree trains you to become a practicing psychologist. The focus is on applied clinical work rather than the heavy research orientation of a PhD.

A PsyD pathway could be ideal if you prefer practical clinical counseling roles as opposed to jobs in academia teaching college seminars or doing intensive research projects in a library or laboratory.

Many clinical roles in the field of psychology require a doctorate degree. For many practicing psychologists, getting a PsyD is a valuable and practical step for career advancement.

For those not accustomed to research, honing pragmatic research skills is another practical benefit of a PsyD program. Most doctor of psychology students — whether on a PhD track or in a professional doctorate program — take foundational courses that teach them a lot about research resources and methods.

Even if you don’t plan to work in academia, research skills are valuable. As a practicing clinical psychologist you’ll be more confident and more respected if you can keep up with new trends, especially those that can help you take the lead in improving approaches to treatment, practitioner training, or public policy.

D.Sc./D.Eng. (Doctor of Science/Doctor of Engineering)

Doctor of Science and Doctor of Engineering degrees open doors to advanced scientific research and engineering concepts.

At the doctoral level, students in these programs specialize in subfields of advanced STEM learning , where innovation and technological advancement are a high priority.

Whereas a PhD track in science or engineering is one way to pursue very advanced theoretical research, a professional doctorate in these fields can be well suited to professionals in business settings.

In contrast to the Ph.D., which generally aims to expand academic knowledge, ‘professional doctorates increase the knowledge about the practice of a profession,’ says Stuart Powell of the University of Hertfordshire. ‘I thought about doing a Ph.D.,’ adds Eng.D. candidate Rob Cross, ‘but I liked the more hands-on aspect of the Eng.D., the industrial links, and the management courses in the taught element.’

- science.org.

A DSc or DEng — or similar STEM-oriented professional doctorate degree — would be a powerful way to advance professionally if you’re involved in the STEM sector. Your doctorate should help you qualify for advanced research and development roles, consulting roles, or executive positions.

D.B.A. (Doctor of Business Administration)

Business degrees offer you a great deal in the way of flexible opportunities for employment and professional advancement. The DBA degree takes your learning to the next level — bridging advanced theoretical business knowledge and highly complex real-world challenges.

Unlike many MBA programs that serve large cohorts of business students, the DBA is designed for senior-level business professionals in leadership and consulting roles.

Depending on the program you choose and your areas of specialization, a DBA track should offer you opportunities for exploring advanced methods, tools, and frameworks for:

• business planning and systems analysis
• organizational leadership
• financial planning and modeling
• complex logistical problem solving

Because you’re in a program designed for executives, you should also tap into some excellent networking opportunities.

This kind of networking can be a bigger-than-expected benefit of your professional doctorate program. People in your cohort may help you find new professional opportunities and prove to be valuable resources for information sharing and mentoring.

J.D. (Doctor of Jurisprudence)

If you’re interested in becoming a lawyer , getting the JD degree and passing the BAR exam are the two biggest milestones at the outset of your journey.

For most students, the path to the JD degree — also called a juris doctor degree — begins by completing a bachelor degree program and then enrolling in an accredited law school.

Those who aspire to practice law in the US will also typically need to satisfy state licensing requirements — so it’s a good idea for juris doctor degree seekers to consider at the outset what state they want to practice in.

A JD curriculum blends theoretical learning and practical training. Your training will prepare you to navigate the intricacies of legal argumentation and courtroom proceedings. Many JD programs can be completed in four years or less.

Most JD programs also have programming to support students’ success on the BAR exam. After getting your doctor of jurisprudence degree, you’ll still need to pass the BAR exam before you can get licensed to practice law in almost any state.

Earning Your Doctorate Degree: The Journey

Academic and professional prerequisites.

Securing your spot in a doctoral program requires more than just the desire to learn. Generally, what you'll need to get into a doctoral program includes:

• A master’s degree (in most cases) and a proven record of academic achievement
• A satisfactory college GPA, typically 3.5 or above
• Relevant professional experiences may also be required or helpful
• Letters of recommendation
• A personal statement that highlights your academic and professional passions, motivations, and goals

Most doctoral programs will also be interested in knowing what specific research interests you have — especially since doctoral candidates typically work much more closely with faculty leaders than do other students.

Many doctorate programs limit the size of their cohorts and require a strong record of prior academic accomplishments, so the path forward can be fairly competitive, especially for top programs at prestigious universities.

Faculty Relations and Mentorships

Strong and positive relationships with relevant faculty members can help any student build a better foundation for academic success in college, even more so for students in a rigorous doctoral program.

But building these mentoring relationships can be a relatively informal process that requires taking some initiative.

A mentoring relationship with a faculty member can be helpful in many ways , including:

• Helping you explore areas of interest
• Getting you involved in research or helping you navigate research sources and directions
• Providing advice or insights for future academic and career pathways
• Writing letters of recommendation
• Providing academic guidance and mentoring, including navigating administrative requirements and timelines important for your academic progress

As a doctoral student you’ll be working at a level of academic specialization that could be hard or nearly impossible to navigate successfully without faculty support.

And, most doctoral programs require you to identify a faculty member in your department or college who will serve as a mentor and academic advisor during the final steps of your degree program.

Length of Study and Time Commitment

Doctorate degrees aren't a sprint; they're a marathon. Be prepared for a significant time commitment.

Depending on the program and field, doctorate degrees can take anywhere from 3 to 7+ years to complete.

This timeframe accounts for coursework, comprehensive exams, and the substantial foundation in specialized research you’ll do for your dissertation or alternative capstone project.

Doctoral programs that cater more to working professionals, as opposed to most PhD tracks, may make it easier for you to finish your degree sooner.

Comprehensive Exams and Dissertation Requirements

Comprehensive exams, also known as qualifying exams or prelims, are like academic rites of passage.

These exams often include both written exam formats as well as oral exams.

The “orals” are usually led by members of the faculty who teach graduate studies at the school you’re attending. They serve as a means for measuring progress and readiness before dissertation research begins.

Once these exams are conquered, you’ll typically need to complete the required capstone project — most commonly a research-based doctoral dissertation .

In professional doctorate programs, you may have the option of doing some other kind of capstone project, in lieu of a dissertation. These options often take the form of a realistic and in-depth case study analysis, field study activity, or experimental laboratory or clinical research project — something relevant to your industry and the kind of professional roles you’re aspiring to.

Virtually all doctoral degree programs also include courses dedicated to research methods that help you identify and articulate an original research topic and research approach.

When completed, your dissertation will stand as a sound scholarly work that contributes original knowledge to your field — usually responding to and building on prior research — and which showcases your ability to apply accepted research methods.

The Central Role of Research in Doctoral Studies

Unlike most other degrees, at the heart of any doctorate journey is research.

The emphasis on research in your doctoral program means you’ll be synthesizing foundational knowledge to develop a compelling line of inquiry.

You'll immerse yourself in existing bodies of knowledge…

identifying gaps…

formulating relevant questions…

and seeking answers to those questions…

Developing Expertise Through Original Research

Earning a doctorate is like building a tower of knowledge in your chosen field.

Your intensive and comprehensive studies are the foundation, and your research allows you to add new bricks to the edifice of understanding that leads to new insights, claims, or discoveries…

Depending on your field, area of research, and research objectives and methods, your research work will rely on one or more of the following research sources:

• Print or digital publications (such as scholarly books, journal articles, reports…)
• Field work (such as interviewing subjects or gathering observational data)
• Lab studies
• Information gleaned from conversations and dialogue with other scholars or experts in your field

As a doctoral student you'll contribute to academic discourse and may even impact real-world issues. You’ll also turn yourself into a leading expert in your specific subfield!

Dissertation vs. Thesis: Defining the Difference

It's crucial to understand the distinction between a dissertation and a thesis.

While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, a thesis is typically associated with master's degrees and focuses on synthesizing existing research.

A thesis typically requires less time to complete, has a fairly standard format, and does not have the methodology challenges posed by dissertation projects. Some bachelor degree programs and many master degree programs require a thesis.

A dissertation involves presenting unique contributions to the field based on original research or on a new avenue of inquiry that synthesizes existing research, uses a clear and accepted methodology, and culminates in new theories or insights. Most PhD programs and some professional doctorate programs require a dissertation.

To give you an idea of how inventive and specialized dissertation topics are, here are a few sample titles of actual dissertations:

PhD in Health Policy

Decision-Making for Allocation of Public Resources in Decentralized District Health Systems in Uganda

PhD in Psychology

Leading By Example Motivates Prosociality through Second-Order Belief Inference

PhD in Applied Science and Engineering

Deterministic Transaction Execution in Distributed Database Systems

PhD in English

An Intellectual History of Black Literary Discourse 1910-1956

Is a dissertation always required for a Professional Doctorate vs PhD?...

Because most PhD programs are designed to lead to jobs in academia, a dissertation is usually required. Professional doctorate programs vary, with many offering a more practical form of capstone project as an alternative to a dissertation.

Committee Evaluation and Defense of the Dissertation

Once your dissertation is complete, the culmination of your research journey awaits: the defense.

Not all programs include this step, but it is common.

As the dissertation writer, you’re proposing some original findings for other scholars in your field. Your dissertation defense is kind of like an academic rite of passage: your work will be subject to pointed questions about your approach, underlying assumptions, methodology, factual accuracy, key claims or findings...

What to expect when it’s time to defend your dissertation:

• The format and structure can vary, depending on your school, your program of study, the department, and the presiding faculty members — so typically you’ll be in close consultation with your faculty advisor about the format prior to the defense.
• In addition to other graduate students and department faculty members, the defense may also be open to the public at large.
• The defense usually begins with you presenting your research, its genesis, and the research methods and findings.
• The presentation is followed with questions and academic or intellectual “challenges” posed by a small panel of appointed faculty members.
• A dissertation defense can typically last one to two hours and is a chance for the candidate to get insights into how high-level researchers engage in academic discussion and debate.

This is both a nerve-wracking and exhilarating experience, as it's a chance to showcase your expertise and receive critical feedback from seasoned scholars!

Challenges and Benefits

To be candid, pursuing a doctorate can be intellectually stimulating, but for most mere mortals it also requires a good dose of resilience and perseverance.

You’ll find yourself juggling commitments without much outside supervision or structure…

You may need to navigate a prickly relationship with a faculty advisor or mentor…

You’ll be in circles where high expectations are the norm when it comes to the pursuit of knowledge and academic rigor…

Rigorous Demands and Work-Life Balance

The pursuit of original research and the demands of coursework can also take a toll on your work-life balance. It's essential to have a support system in place to help you navigate these demands.

Getting to the finish line will require lots of decision making about how much academic research is realistic along with disciplined time management, especially if you’re juggling other demands, such as professional or family responsibilities.

Financial Implications and Educational Debt

A doctoral program can easily take four to eight years to complete — a big time commitment but also a big financial commitment. But there are rewards too…

About 75% of student loan borrowers took loans to go to two- or four-year colleges; they account for about half of all student loan debt outstanding. The remaining 25% of borrowers went to graduate school; they account for the other half of the debt outstanding.

- “who owes all that student debt and who’d benefit if it were forgiven brookings institute, average student debt & worker earnings, by degree earned.

Some programs offer scholarships and grants, and it’s always a good idea to explore those options, in addition to college loans.

In addition, some institutions may have RA (research assistant) positions or graduate student instructor positions that allow you to earn while you learn — a great way to build your academic resume and reduce borrowing.

Finally, you may also want to consider financial obligations in terms of your expected professional goals and earnings down the road.

For example, weighing debt vs. earnings may look different for someone pursuing a doctorate in humanities and liberal arts fields as opposed to someone pursuing a DBA or JD…

Job Market Competition and Career Prospects

Indeed, while a doctorate can open doors, it's essential to recognize that certain fields might have more limited job opportunities or earnings potential.

If you’re considering a PhD track and aiming for a career in academia, keep in mind that the academic job market is forecast to grow at a good pace over the next decade, but can be highly competitive and may not offer the salaries that many roles in private industry can promise.

Jobs in Academia — According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics :

• Most postsecondary teachers work in public and private colleges and universities, professional schools, and junior or community colleges
• Most work is full time, although part-time work is common
• Typically, postsecondary teachers must have a Ph.D. However, a master's degree may be enough for some postsecondary teachers at community colleges, and others may need work experience in their field of expertise
• The median annual wage for postsecondary teachers was $79,640 in 2021
• Overall employment of postsecondary teachers is projected to grow 12 percent from 2021 to 2031, much faster than the average for all occupations

If you are aiming for work in academia, it’s also important to realize that teaching and research opportunities can vary considerably from discipline to discipline.

Surveys of doctoral recipients in science, engineering, and health fields show that about 45% end up in education; another 45% go on to work in business and industry; and about 9% hold jobs in government.

And, recent studies have suggested that most of the top tenure-track jobs in academia go to students with PhDs from a smaller circle of prestigious universities.

And, what if you don’t find that dream job in academia?...

On average, having a doctorate degree is still likely to open doors to more job opportunities and higher earnings, and doctorate holders are often in demand in private and government sectors too!

In short, we encourage you to research potential career pathways and seek the help of an experienced postgraduate studies advisor . Getting real insights should help you feel much more confident about whether a doctoral degree is right for you and which programs to apply for, while boosting your chances of getting into the best school and making it to the finish line.

Is a Doctorate Right for You?

In other contexts, it might sound like a platitude to say that the decision to pursue a doctorate should align with your passions, interests, and long-term goals.

But when it comes to doctoral programs, this advice matters more than ever… The candid truth is that PhD pathways are littered with broken commitments.

In fact, on average it takes 7.3 years to finish a doctoral program, and about 50% of doctoral students never get to the finish line.

Some common reasons students don’t finish a doctoral degree include:

• Unrealistic expectations
• Lack of disciplined time management skills
• Lack of support systems among faculty, family, peers…
• Advisor issues / Advisor incompatibility
• Lack or organizational skills
• Inadequate academic writing skills

Evaluating Personal Goals and Aspirations

Early consideration and exploration of your personal goals and aspirations and what kind of doctoral program to pursue are very early but also crucial steps in your success.

Can you answer “yes” to the following questions?…

If not, explore your hesitations or doubts as you also explore and learn about the challenges and rewards of getting a doctorate degree!

• Are you genuinely excited about contributing to your field's knowledge?
• Do you enjoy academic environments and independent research?
• Since getting a doctorate will include substantial field study, extensive library research, or long hours in a laboratory —Do you feel prepared and excited about immersing yourself in that work?
• Do you have a level of passion for learning in your area of study that will sustain your doctoral journey?
• Do you see yourself thriving in a research, teaching, policy, or leadership role in the future?

Seeking guidance from mentors and professionals

One way to evaluate the benefits of pursuing a doctoral degree is to reach out to knowledge leaders or helpful mentors in your field of interest. 

Professionals like these, or academic faculty leaders who know you from current or prior college programs, often have experiences and perspectives that will help you test your own assumptions and expectations.  

These kinds of mentoring relationships can provide valuable insights — not only for initial decision making, but for other decisions you’ll need to make even after you decide if a PhD or doctoral program is right for you.

Final Thoughts

If you do decide to pursue a doctoral degree, you’ll probably be surprised just how many types of programs you can find.

And, while many programs in a specific discipline may have similar topics of study and the same broad academic requirements, there are often less visible differences…

At the doctoral level especially, factors such as faculty expertise, research resources, and even theoretical orientations can differ significantly from one program to another.

So, once you’ve made some careful consideration of your passions and career goals and you’re ready to go for a doctorate, be sure to consider a good range of available opportunities at different universities — as much as your circumstances permit.

And once you’ve started, we encourage you to maintain contact with professionals and mentors who can guide you through the ups and downs of a doctoral journey.

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And, if you are committed to the goal of getting the degree, don’t look back!...

For many PhD candidates, a combination of resilience, perseverance, persistence, and strategic support from mentors are the crucial ingredients for getting across the finish line!

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Comparing the differences between MD vs. PhD vs. professional doctorate

By Michael Feder

This article has been vetted by University of Phoenix's editorial advisory committee.  Read more about our editorial process.

Reviewed by Marc Booker, PhD, Vice Provost, Strategy

At a glance

• MD is the abbreviation for Doctor of Medicine and PhD stands for Doctor of Philosophy. These are two types of doctoral degrees in addition to professional doctorates. 
• An MD is a doctoral degree for medical professionals, while a PhD is an academic degree focused on original research. Somewhat similar to a PhD are professional doctorates, which focus on applying practical research to problems in workplaces or communities.   
• A professional or practice-based doctorate (EdD, DBA, etc.) can be medical, and others are for scholar-practitioners in disciplines like education, business or psychology.
• University of Phoenix does not offer MD or PhD programs, but students can earn a doctorate in business, nursing, education or healthcare that allows them to build upon their industry expertise. Learn more about the differences between these degree programs and if one of the  five doctoral programs  at University of Phoenix is right for you !

What is a doctorate? Breaking down the three types

Some people might confuse an  MD (Doctor of Medicine)  with a  PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) , and vice versa. While both an MD and a PhD are prestigious degrees near the top of the  academic ladder , they each have a different meaning and come with very  different requirements .

Different still from both of those degrees are professional doctorates, which allow industry professionals to translate their education and experience into credibility and leadership through research. Professional doctorates have similar requirements to PhDs, such as a dissertation and residency, but focus on the application of research and professional growth over original research.

Upon graduation, those who have earned any of these three degrees can call themselves a “doctor,” but the path to a degree, the purpose behind it and its applications vary based on the choice. MD graduates want to work in medicine and healthcare. PhDs want to bring new knowledge and research to the world. A practice-based doctoral graduate wants to grow in their professional expertise. (If the last one sounds like you, University of Phoenix can help!)

Keep reading to learn more about these doctoral programs and which is right for you.

What does MD stand for?

MD is an abbreviation for Doctor of Medicine and identifies a  medical practitioner  who has completed undergraduate studies and four years of medical school. An MD program teaches medical students about the human body and diseases through a combination of classroom instruction and hands-on clinical labs.

Several  types of physicians  might have this degree, depending on their area of study. For example, medical practitioners with an MD degree might become a medical doctor and potentially specialize in dermatology, cardiovascular disease, family medicine, oncology, pediatrics, neurology or preventive medicine. As you can see, this degree  can lead to a variety of career paths , depending on which specialty interests you and what your medical education is.

Learn more about online doctoral degrees at University of Phoenix. 

How to earn an MD

Becoming a Doctor of Medicine  requires a significant investment of time and money, but the reward can be well worth it. Before medical school, you’ll need to  take the Medical College Admission Test  (MCAT ® ) and earn a passing score. You’ll also need to build a portfolio of coursework and experience to help you gain admittance to medical school.

Medical school typically takes students four years to complete. You’ll learn the latest techniques and approaches for patient assessment, diagnosis and treatment. Medical schools commonly provide a combination of classroom,  research and clinical experience . You’ll work alongside peers and healthcare professionals as you develop skills in general medicine.

You’ll choose a field to specialize in during your final year of medical school. Students have more than 120 options to choose from when specializing, including  primary care,   pediatrics, geriatrics, emergency medicine and family medicine .

After graduating, you’ll complete residency training to further develop skills in your specialty. Residency typically lasts three to seven years, depending on the field you’ve selected. During the residency portion of your education, you’ll treat patients under the supervision of more experienced physicians.

Even after you begin to practice as an MD,  the educational portion of your career never stops . As practices change, patient needs evolve and research continues, MDs benefit from ongoing education to stay current.

What does PhD stand for?

A PhD, or  Doctor of Philosophy , is a doctoral degree that recognizes graduates who have completed a full postsecondary program. Students can earn a PhD in more fields than philosophy. After completing the necessary coursework, original research and hands-on experience, you can earn a PhD in fields like science, the humanities and engineering.

Earning a PhD can help unlock a wide range of potential career opportunities. Computer engineers, research scientists, statisticians, healthcare administrators, professors, chemists and other careers commonly require a PhD degree, in addition to appropriate undergraduate study.

How to earn a PhD

Becoming a PhD is also a  serious commitment  that requires an investment of  time, money and energy .

Here is what’s typically required to become a PhD:

• Complete a bachelor’s degree in your field
• Complete a master’s degree in an appropriate field
• Pass any program entrance exams
• Fulfill coursework, research and hands-on lab requirements in your program
• Finalize and defend your dissertation as a  doctoral candidate  (unless your program specifies otherwise)

It’s important to note that many PhD  programs have different requirements , prerequisites and parameters for students. Check with your preferred institution for a more detailed explanation of these requirements.

What is a professional doctorate?

While some professional or practice-based doctorate programs are medical,  others are designed for professionals in other fields . These programs are meant for  scholar-practitioners  in disciplines like education, business or psychology. One of the key differences between this degree and a PhD is the focus on applying research to a professional setting rather than conducting theoretical and research-focused studies. Often, programs are differentiated as academic versus professional.

Examples of doctoral degrees are Doctor of Education, Doctor of Nursing Practice and Doctor of Business Administration. Each of these programs focuses on a specific discipline and applying research in those areas to a professional setting.

How to earn a doctorate

While  practitioner doctoral programs  teach different skills, they all share common requirements. You’ll need to  complete a bachelor’s degree  in your field and sometimes a master’s degree, depending on program requirements.

After completing the necessary coursework and research, students also typically need to finish a supervised thesis and defend their dissertation or capstone project-specific coursework, research and hands-on labs alongside other students in the same field. However, this will depend on the specific program and its requirements.

What does the title “Dr.” really mean?

The term “doctor” or “Dr.” is commonly used today to describe a wide variety of occupations. Students who complete a doctoral degree can earn the title of “Dr.” even though they earned their credentials in a non-medical field like education or business management.

While a variety of professionals can earn a doctorate, the term is often still  reserved for medical practitioners . In conventional use,  doctors typically refer to medical physicians . However, it is appropriate to use “Dr.” if you graduated from any of the three programs discussed above.  

read similar articles

What is doctoral candidacy?

Practitioner doctoral degree programs at university of phoenix.

While University of Phoenix (UOPX)  does not have  MD or PhD programs, it does offer several professional doctoral degrees that can be earned completely online. Students might choose the UOPX programs because classes are flexible and offered online, and because of the University’s unique “ Scholar-Practitioner-Leader model .”

If you are curious about a doctoral degree, the following programs are available at UOPX:

• Doctor of Business Administration  — This doctorate can help you gain strategic vision and skills to position yourself as a business leader. It explores how to solve organizational problems, how to design and conduct research studies, how to introduce innovative business ideas to the industry and more.
• Doctor of Management   — This doctorate equips you with critical thinking skills to find creative solutions to complex problems.
• Doctor of Education  — This doctoral program prepares you to use analytical, critical and innovative thinking to improve performance and solve complex problems in education.
• Doctor of Health Administration  — If you’re a health professional who is seeking greater responsibility in shaping the future of the health sector, this doctorate can help you meet the challenges inherent to today’s healthcare landscape, including economic fluctuations, burgeoning patient needs and industry-changing legislation.
• Doctor of Nursing Practice  — This doctorate is designed for working nurses who require a doctorate for advanced practice or nurses who desire their terminal degree. It does not prepare students for professional certification or state licensure as a nurse or as an advanced practice nurse.

These doctoral studies are only some of the many options for professionals who want to gain the  highest academic credentials  in their fields. Doctoral programs offer significant benefits to program graduates, including  newly developed skills , insight into field trends, hands-on research opportunities and  leadership capabilities .

Completing a doctoral program is also a strong indication to employers that you’re serious about your career and your field. With so many options for advanced study, these programs are available for most major fields. Even if you have already completed a bachelor’s or master’s degree in your discipline, a doctorate lends further credibility to your reputation and  can help prepare you for a leadership position .

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michael Feder is a content marketing specialist at University of Phoenix, where he researches and writes on a variety of topics, ranging from healthcare to IT. He is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University Writing Seminars program and a New Jersey native!

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The Network Science PhD program is a pioneering interdisciplinary program that provides the tools and concepts aimed at understanding the structure and dynamics of networks arising from the interplay of human behavior, socio-technical infrastructures, information diffusion and biological agents.

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• Master’s vs PhD | A Complete Guide to the Differences

Master's vs PhD | A Complete Guide to the Differences

Published on November 27, 2020 by Lauren Thomas . Revised on June 1, 2023.

The two most common types of graduate degrees are master’s and doctoral degrees:

• A master’s is a 1–2 year degree that can prepare you for a multitude of careers.
• A PhD, or doctoral degree, takes 3–7 years to complete (depending on the country) and prepares you for a career in academic research.

A master’s is also the necessary first step to a PhD. In the US, the master’s is built into PhD programs, while in most other countries, a separate master’s degree is required before applying for PhDs.

Master’s are far more common than PhDs. In the US, 24 million people have master’s or professional degrees, whereas only 4.5 million have doctorates.

Table of contents

Master’s vs phd at a glance, which is right for you, length of time required, career prospects, costs and salaries, application process, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about master's and phd degrees.

The table below shows the key differences between the two.

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A PhD is right for you if:

• Your goal is to become a professor at a university or some other type of professional researcher.
• You love research and are passionate about discovering the answer to a particular question.
• You are willing to spend years pursuing your research even if you have to put up with a lot of dead ends and roadblocks.

A master’s degree is the better choice if any of the following apply:

• You want to continue studies in your field, but you’re not committed to a career as a professional researcher.
• You want to develop professional skills for a specific career.
• You are willing to pay a higher upfront cost if it means finishing with your degree (and thus being able to work) much faster.
• You want the option to study part-time while working.

The length of time required to complete a PhD or master’s degree varies. Unsurprisingly, PhDs take much longer, usually between 3–7 years. Master’s degrees are usually only 1–2 years.

Length of a master’s

Master’s degrees are usually 2 years, although 1-year master’s degrees also exist, mainly in the UK.

Most of the degree consists of classes and coursework, although many master’s programs include an intensive, semester-long master’s thesis or capstone project in which students bring together all they’ve learned to produce an original piece of work.

Length of a PhD

In the US, a PhD usually takes between 5 and 7 years to complete. The first 2 years are spent on coursework. Students, even those who choose to leave without finishing the program, usually receive a master’s degree at this point.

The next 3–5 years are spent preparing a dissertation —a lengthy piece of writing based on independent research, which aims to make a significant original contribution to one’s field.

Master’s degrees tend to prepare you for a career outside of academia, while PhDs are designed to lead to a career in research.

Careers for master’s graduates

There are two types of master’s degrees: terminal and research-intensive. The career prospects are different for each.

Terminal master’s degrees are intended to prepare students for careers outside of academia. Some degrees, known as professional degrees, specifically prepare students for particular professions; these include the Master of Public Policy (MPP), Master of Business Administration (MBA), Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT), Master of Fine Arts (MFA), and Master of Public Health (MPH) degrees.

Other master’s degrees, usually Master of Arts (MA) or Master of Sciences (MS or MSc) degrees, do not necessarily lead to a specific career, but are intended to be a final degree. Examples include an MS in Communications or MS in Data Analytics.

In research-intensive master’s programs, students take coursework intended to prepare them for writing an original piece of research known as the master’s thesis . Such programs are usually intended to prepare for further study in a doctoral program.

Careers for PhD graduates

As research degrees, PhDs are usually intended to lead to an academic career. A PhD can be thought of like an apprenticeship, where students learn from professional researchers (academics) how to produce their own research.

Most students aspire to become a university professor upon the completion of their degree. However, careers in academia are highly competitive, and the skills learned in a doctoral program often lend themselves well to other types of careers.

Some graduates who find they prefer teaching to producing research go on to be teachers at liberal arts colleges or even secondary schools. Others work in research-intensive careers in the government, private sector, or at think tanks.

Below are a few examples of specific fields and non-academic careers that are common destinations of graduates of those fields.

• Computer Science
• Lab Sciences

Many government jobs, including economists at a country’s central bank, are research-intensive and require a PhD. Think tanks also hire economists to carry out independent research.

In the private sector, economic consulting and technology firms frequently hire PhDs to solve real-world problems that require complex mathematical modeling.

Graduate students from the humanities are sometimes hired by museums, who can make use of their research and writing skills to curate exhibits and run public outreach.

Humanities PhDs are often well-suited to research and grant-writing roles at nonprofits. Since so much of research is funded by grants, PhD students often gain a lot of experience applying for them, which is a useful skill in the nonprofit sector.

There are a wide range of non-academic research jobs for lab scientists with doctorates in subjects like chemistry, biology, ecology and physics.

Many PhD graduates are hired by pharmaceutical companies that need to perform research to create and test their products. Government agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), also hire lab scientists to work on research projects.

Job prospects after graduation vary widely based on the field. In fields like management, computer science, statistics, and economics, there’s little underemployment—even graduates from less well-known programs can easily find jobs that pay well and use the skills they’ve gained from the PhD.

However, in other fields, particularly in the humanities, many PhD graduates have difficulty in the job market. Unfortunately, there are far more PhD graduates than assistant professor roles, so many instead take on part-time and low-paid roles as adjunct instructors. Even non-academic careers can sometimes be difficult for PhDs to move into, as they may be seen as “overqualified”  or as lacking in relevant professional experience.

Because career options post-PhD vary so much, you should take the time to figure out what the career prospects are in your field. Doctoral programs often have detailed “placement” records online in which they list the career outcomes of their graduates immediately upon leaving the program. If you can’t find these records, contact the program and ask for them—placement information should play an important role in your choice of PhD program.

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Although PhDs take far longer to complete, students often receive a living stipend in exchange for being a teaching or research assistant. Master’s degrees are shorter but less likely to be funded.

Both master’s degrees and PhDs lead to increased salaries upon graduation. While PhDs usually earn a bit more than those with a master’s degree, in some fields, the wages are identical, meaning that no financial benefit is gained from going on to a PhD.

Cost of a master’s

The upfront cost of a master’s degree is usually higher than a doctoral degree due to the lower amount of financial aid available. However, increased salaries also arrive faster than with a doctoral degree, because people graduate much earlier from a master’s program.

Some master’s students do receive stipends for their degrees, usually as compensation for being a teaching or research assistant. In addition, many people complete master’s degrees part time while working full-time, which allows them to fund their living costs as well as tuition.

The cost varies significantly by school and program. Public schools are usually cheaper than private ones. Some master’s degrees, such as MBAs, are notoriously expensive, but also result in much higher wages afterwards that make up for the high cost.

The master’s wage premium , or the extra amount that someone with a master’s degree makes than someone with just a high school diploma, is 23% on average. Many universities provide detailed statistics on the career and salary outcomes of their students. If they do not have this online, you should feel free to contact an administrator of the program and ask.

Cost of a PhD

PhDs, particularly outside the humanities, are usually (though not always) funded, meaning that tuition fees are fully waived and students receive a small living stipend. During the last 3–5 years of a PhD, after finishing their coursework (and sometimes before), students are usually expected to work as graduate instructors or research assistants in exchange for the stipend.

Sometimes students can apply for a fellowship (such as the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Program in the United States) that relieves them of any obligations to be a teaching or research assistant. Doctoral programs in the US tend to be better funded than in the rest of the world.

Sometimes, PhD degrees can be completed part-time, but this is rare. Students are usually expected to devote at least 40 hours a week to their research and work as teaching or research assistants.

The main cost of doctoral programs comes in the form of opportunity cost—all the years that students could be working a regular, full-time job, which usually pays much better than a graduate school stipend.

The average wage premium for PhDs is 26%, which is not much higher than the master’s degree premium.

In the US, the application process is similar for master’s and PhD programs. Both will generally ask for:

• At least one application essay, often called a personal statement or statement of purpose .
• Letters of recommendation .
• A resume or CV .
• Transcripts.
• Writing samples.

Applications for both types of programs also often require a standardized test. PhDs usually require the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), which tries to measure verbal reasoning, quantitative, critical thinking , and analytical writing skills. Many master’s programs require this test as well.

Applying for a master’s

Master’s degrees programs will often ask you to respond to specific essay prompts that may ask you to reflect upon not just your academic background, but also your personal character and future career ambitions.

Northwestern University’s Kellogg Business School requires Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) applicants write two essays, one about a recent time they demonstrated leadership and the second about their personal values.

Who you should ask for your letters of recommendation varies by program. If you are applying to a research-intensive master’s program, then you should choose former professors or research supervisors. For other programs, particularly business school, current work supervisors may be a better choice.

Some professional master’s programs require a specific test. For example, to apply to law school, you must take the Law School Admissions Test, or LSAT. For business school, you must take either the GRE or the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT).

Applying for a PhD

When applying for a PhD, your resume should focus more on your research background—you should especially emphasize any publications you’ve authored or presentations that you’ve given.

Similarly, your statement of purpose should discuss research that you’ve participated in, whether as an assistant or the lead author. You should detail what exactly you did in projects you’ve contributed to, whether that’s conducting a literature review, coding regressions, or writing an entire article.

Your letters of recommendations should be from former professors or supervisors who can speak to your abilities and potential as a researcher. A good rule of thumb is to avoid asking for recommendations from anyone who does not themselves have a PhD.

If you want to know more about college essays , academic writing , and AI tools , make sure to check out some of our other language articles with explanations, examples, and quizzes.

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A master’s is a 1- or 2-year graduate degree that can prepare you for a variety of careers.

All master’s involve graduate-level coursework. Some are research-intensive and intend to prepare students for further study in a PhD; these usually require their students to write a master’s thesis . Others focus on professional training for a specific career.

A PhD, which is short for philosophiae doctor (doctor of philosophy in Latin), is the highest university degree that can be obtained. In a PhD, students spend 3–5 years writing a dissertation , which aims to make a significant, original contribution to current knowledge.

A PhD is intended to prepare students for a career as a researcher, whether that be in academia, the public sector, or the private sector.

This depends on the country. In the United States, you can generally go directly to a PhD  with only a bachelor’s degree, as a master’s program is included as part of the doctoral program.

Elsewhere, you generally need to graduate from a research-intensive master’s degree before continuing to the PhD.

This varies by country. In the United States, PhDs usually take between 5–7 years: 2 years of coursework followed by 3–5 years of independent research work to produce a dissertation.

In the rest of the world, students normally have a master’s degree before beginning the PhD, so they proceed directly to the research stage and complete a PhD in 3–5 years.

A master’s degree usually has a higher upfront cost, but it also allows you to start earning a higher salary more quickly. The exact cost depends on the country and the school: private universities usually cost more than public ones, and European degrees usually cost less than North American ones. There are limited possibilities for financial aid.

PhDs often waive tuition fees and offer a living stipend in exchange for a teaching or research assistantship. However, they take many years to complete, during which time you earn very little.

In the US, the graduate school application process is similar whether you’re applying for a master’s or a PhD . Both require letters of recommendation , a statement of purpose or personal statement , a resume or CV , and transcripts. Programs in the US and Canada usually also require a certain type of standardized test—often the GRE.

Outside the US, PhD programs usually also require applicants to write a research proposal , because students are expected to begin dissertation research in the first year of their PhD.

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Research-Doctorate Programs in the Biomedical Sciences

Editors: Joan F Lorden , Charlotte V Kuh , James A Voytuk ; National Research Council (US) An Assessment of Research-Doctorate Programs: Panel on the Biomedical Sciences .

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In September, 2010, the National Research Council (NRC) released A Data-Based Assessment of Research-Doctorate Programs in the United States (referred to here as the Assessment ), a report describing an extensive database of data and rankings from more than 5,000 doctoral programs, 982 of which were in the biomedical sciences. As part of its support for this project, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) asked the NRC to examine data on the biomedical sciences programs to see if they could shed light on specific questions about research training and support, many of which were highlighted in Investing In the Future, National Institute of General Medical Sciences Strategic Plan for Biomedical and Behavioral Research Training .

• Collapse All
• The National Academies
• An Assessment of Research-Doctorate Programs: Panel on the Biomedical Sciences
• Preface and Acknowledgments
• METHODOLOGY
• RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS IN THE STATEMENT OF TASK
• OTHER TOPICS
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Sources of the Data
• 3. Pairwise Correlations
• 4. Time to Degree, Funding, and Completion Rates
• NIH TRAINING GRANTS
• A STATISTICAL APPROACH
• STUDENT EXPERIENCE
• COMPLETION RATES AND TIME TO DEGREE
• RESEARCH PRODUCTIVITY
• 7. Postdoctoral Scholars: An Extension of the Data
• MEDICAL SCHOOL OR GRADUATE SCHOOL
• PROGRAMS IN INTEGRATED BIOLOGICAL AND BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES
• Supplementary Materials
• A Biographies of Panel Members
• B Committee and Board Rosters
• C Definitions of Relevant Variables from the Data-Based Assessment of Research-Doctorate Programs
• D Correlations in the Biomedical Sciences
• E Biomedical Sciences Field Averages for Each Variable

This project was supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy (Grant DE-FG02-07ER35880), the National Institutes of Health (Grant N01-OD-4-2139, TO#170), the National Science Foundation (Grant OIA-0540823), the National Research Council, and contributions from 212 U.S. universities.

Suggested citation:

National Research Council. 2011. Research-Doctorate Programs in the Biomedical Sciences: Selected Findings from the NRC Assessment. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project.

NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.

• Cite this Page National Research Council (US) An Assessment of Research-Doctorate Programs: Panel on the Biomedical Sciences; Lorden JF, Kuh CV, Voytuk JA, editors. Research-Doctorate Programs in the Biomedical Sciences: Selected Findings from the NRC Assessment. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2011. doi: 10.17226/13213
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5 routes to getting a Doctorate

While most of those studying for a PhD take the PhD by thesis pathway, there are five viable routes to achieving a Doctorate degree

PhD by thesis

This is the most common means of getting a Doctorate degree. Over the three or four years of research at university, your PhD supervisor will support you as you aim to produce a thesis based on your research proposal .

A thesis is typically 60,000-90,000 words in length - although this can vary between institutions. For instance, the University of Glasgow's College of Social Sciences expects a thesis to be 70,000-100,000 words including references, bibliography and appendices, while the University of Cambridge has set an upper limit of 80,000 words.

Once completed, you'll need to defend your PhD thesis in front of a panel of examiners during your viva voce .

PhD by publication

This route involves submitting previously published work - such as books, book chapters and journal articles, which together form a coherent body of work and show evidence of an original contribution to a particular field of study.

It's often taken by mid-career academics that haven't had the opportunity to undertake a standard Doctorate degree.

Generally, a minimum of five to eight published pieces are required, but this varies between institutions and depends on their length. The published work will be assessed to the same rigorous standards as a traditional PhD by thesis.

You must also provide a written supporting statement, which can range from 5,000 to 20,000 words, and present your work to an academic committee. A supervisor will assist you with selecting which publications to submit and with the supporting statement.

Some universities accept only their own graduates for a PhD by publication, while others restrict this route to their academic staff. In general, you should have graduated from your first degree at least seven years ago to be eligible.

For example, The University of Manchester has published its own Guidance for the PhD By Published Work , with eligibility only extending to current members of staff.

Professional Doctorate

Geared primarily towards current professionals in vocational sectors such as healthcare , teaching and education , and engineering and manufacturing , this type of Doctorate degree includes a significant taught component and a smaller research project.

Professional Doctorates are often taken on a part-time basis and can last between two and eight years. Like their standard PhD counterparts, they usually begin in October or January.

While you won't typically be looking to get an academic job , your research is expected to contribute to theory as well as professional practice. Projects often revolve around a real-life issue that affects your employer.

Several professional Doctorates, such as the Doctorate in Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy), are accredited by a professional body - for instance, the Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) and The British Psychological Society (BPS) - and may also lead to a professional qualification .

Common titles for graduates of professional Doctorate degrees include:

• Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
• Doctor of Education (EdD)
• Doctor of Engineering (EngD)
• Doctor of Medicine (MD).

Unlike many professional Doctorates, the EngD is typically offered as a full-time course and is aimed at young engineering graduates with little or no professional experience.

Explore what's currently available at Find a Professional Doctorate .

Integrated PhD

This four-year qualification, also known as the New Route PhD, involves studying a one-year research Masters degree (MRes) before progressing onto a three-year PhD.

Offered by a select number of universities across the UK, integrated PhDs are supported by the government and the British Council through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) . Visit Research Council funding for further information on research and funding for different types of PhD.

The integrated PhD involves a combination of taught materials, practical experience and advanced research. This allows you to learn subject-specific methodologies, while building the transferable skills that will enable you to become a leader in your chosen profession.

Institutions can also develop personalised integrated PhD programmes to meet each student's needs. For example, universities may offer you the opportunity to gain a postgraduate certificate (PGCert) in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education - perfect if you're considering a career as a higher education lecturer .

As PhDs are based primarily on independent research rather than time spent in lectures and seminars, distance learning has always been a viable route for many Doctoral students.

PhDs by distance learning offered by course providers such as The Open University are therefore a good option to consider if you've got family or work commitments or are an international student - as this gives you the chance to undertake Doctoral research without having to live close to your chosen institution. It's also a suitable mode of study if your subject requires you to be based in a specific location away from the university.

For the most part, you'll be in touch with your supervisor by phone, email or Skype/Zoom. You'll need to bear in mind that even if you opt for this form of research, you'll generally still need to attend university for one or two weeks of each academic year for meetings and to receive research skills training. Your final examination may be undertaken either face-to-face or virtually.

With online PhDs, you can usually register as a full or part-time student. The level of fees you pay varies between institutions - some charge the same as for a standard PhD while others offer a reduced rate.

Check that any funding you plan to apply for is available to distance learning students, as this isn't always the case.

Search for distance learning PhDs .

Find out more

• Explore what is a PhD?
• Sort out funding for postgraduate study .
• Consider what to do after completing your PhD .

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Top Female Scientist in the U.S. recognized for the second year in a row

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Patricia Brandt Manager, Public Relations and Communications, Huntsman Mental Health Institute University of Utah Health Email: Patricia.Brandt @hsc.utah.edu

Deborah A. Yurgelun-Todd, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and vice chair for research at Huntsman Mental Health Institute at University of Utah Health has been named as one of the U.S.’ top female scientists, for the second year in a row. 

The list of U.S. Top Female Scientists from Research.com is based on the number of peer-reviewed publications and citations throughout the scientist’s career. For Yurgelun-Todd, that means a career total (and counting) of 424 publications and 33,647 citations.

Yurgelun-Todd is recognized as a leader in studying brain activity as it relates to behavior. Her laboratory has applied a variety of magnetic resonance imaging techniques to identify brain changes in mood processing and neurocognitive functions. For example, in people who use Cannabis and in children as they develop into adolescence. Using a variety of imaging techniques has led to an improved understanding of both developmental and brain changes that lead to altered behavior. This knowledge may eventually result in better and more personalized treatments for patients who have or are vulnerable to psychiatric disorders.

In addition to her role at Huntsman Mental Health Institute, Yurgelun-Todd serves as the director of the Salt Lake City VA Rocky Mountain Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center for Suicide Prevention. Her work there is focused on veteran suicide prevention through the application of neuroimaging approaches and neurocognitive assessments.

“Dr. Yurgelun-Todd serves as an excellent role model for our institution, inspiring critical psychiatric brain research, and educating future mental health professionals,” said Mark H. Rapaport, MD, CEO, of Huntsman Mental Health Institute. “Her leadership has been foundational to creating a global nexus of mental health and brain research right here in Utah.”

In addition to her research, Yurgelun-Todd works to narrow the gender gap in science by tackling obstacles to obtaining funding, developing leadership roles, and establishing national collaborations.

“As one of the few women around the table in the early years of my career, I recognize both the effort it took to reach this milestone, and the work to be done to create research opportunities for all”, said Yurgelun-Todd.

Yurgelun-Todd is currently working to bring a new mental health and brain Translational Research Building— which will house the only 7 Tesla MRI in the world dedicated to the study of the brain and behavioral disorders—to life at the Huntsman Mental Health Institute. Her team is bringing together experts across law, ethics, architecture, art, genetics, neurosciences, and others on the campus of University of Utah to collaborate and bring research-backed practices into patient care.

About Huntsman Mental Health Institute

Huntsman Mental Health Institute at University of Utah Health brings together 75 years of patient care, research, and education into one of the nation's leading academic medical centers focused on mental health. Nestled in the campus of University of Utah, Huntsman Mental Health Institute serves the community with 1,600 faculty and staff in 20 locations providing inpatient and outpatient services for youth, teens, and adults as well as a comprehensive crisis care model which includes the nationally recognized SafeUT app and the 988 Crisis hotline for Utah. Our mission is to advance mental health knowledge, hope, and healing for all. Learn more at: healthcare.utah.edu/HMHI and join the conversation on  Instagram ,  Facebook ,  TikTok ,  X  and  LinkedIn .

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IIT Hyderabad Invites Applications For Interdisciplinary PhD Admissions, Check Details

Iit hyderabad phd admissions 2024-25: the enrollment to the program is based on the submission of research proposals by two faculty members from different departments..

IIT Hyderabad PhD Admissions: Students can apply to a maximum of two interdisciplinary proposals.

The Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad (IIT-Hyderabad), has invited applications from students with diverse academic backgrounds to pursue doctoral research in interdisciplinary areas. Interested and eligible individuals can submit their applications on the official website by April 11.

Research Verticals:

Artificial Intelligence, Computing, Communications & Networks Bioengineering & Healthcare Energy, Environment, Creative Design & Management Novel Materials & Computational Techniques Soft and Active Matter & Mechanics of Materials Eligibility Criteria:

Prospective candidates must meet one of the following qualifications:

• Possession of a Master's degree (MA/ME/MTech) or its equivalent in any field.
• Possession of a Bachelor's degree (BE/BTech) or its equivalent in any field along with a valid GATE Score.
• Possession of a Master of Science (MSc) degree or its equivalent in any scientific discipline along with a valid GATE score.
• Successful completion of one of the following national examinations: INSPIRE, Joint CSIR-UGC NET with JRF, DBT JRF.

Interdisciplinary PhD Positions at #IITH #IITHyderabad invites applications from talented individuals with diverse academic backgrounds to pursue doctoral research in Interdisciplinary areas For registration visit https://t.co/K66L5ytY1h For info. visit https://t.co/DZDLkRypOA pic.twitter.com/C2NQfeoWko — IIT Hyderabad (@IITHyderabad) April 2, 2024

Admission Process:

• Admission to the program is based on the submission of research proposals by two faculty members from different departments.
• Prospective students can apply to a maximum of two interdisciplinary proposals. Shortlisted candidates will undergo an interview conducted by the Interdisciplinary Admissions Committee.

Requirements:

• Detailed information about qualifications can be accessed on the admissions page.
• Each applicant can apply to a maximum of two research proposals, specifying the proposal number and indicating their order of preference.

The five-year-long program is designed to ensure scholars attain a comprehensive understanding of their chosen field. The Interdisciplinary PhD program provides a rigorous academic experience, equipping students for careers in research, academia, and beyond. Scholars will receive an annual research contingency fund of Rs 50,000.

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