Doctorate of Technology

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by Kizmet, Dec 20, 2019.

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  1. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

  2. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    The award is a DTech degree, which is a professional doctorate. While it does require original research, it does not require an original contribution to scholarship. In other words, it is similar to DTech degrees offered elsewhere. Unlike those in other countries, however, it is a "taught" degree with a curricular component, typical of doctoral programs in the US.

    (The DTech awarded in other countries is, like the PhD, awarded for the thesis only.)

    The program is even calling itself a "polytechnic." Interesting, since in the UK the polys were turned into universities in the early 1990s, and the technikons (polytechnics) in South Africa were absorbed into universities.

    My favorite was the Technikon SA, which offered several DTech degrees that could be completed at a distance for just a few thousand dollars. It was absorbed first into Vista University and later into UNISA.

    I'm glad to see some schools make this distinction (scholarly vs. professional). There are a lot of practitioners out there who could use a professional doctorate to make original contributions to practice and advance their fields that way. I would think an awful lot of working professionals would prefer that over a PhD.
     
  3. chrisjm18

    chrisjm18 Well-Known Member

    That's mad pricey, even for in-state students. I wouldn't pay that much for a doctorate, especially when it's not the gold standard - Ph.D.
     
  4. Kizmet

    Kizmet Moderator

    My favorite "Poly" is Worcester Polytechnic Institute, which has it's own set on online offerings

    https://www.wpi.edu/academics/online
     
  5. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Can I safely assume you don't have a doctorate? Because this is exactly the kind of comment typical of those who have not gone through it. (Please correct me if my assumption is not accurate.)

    Pierre Bourdieu's Capital theory guides us here. Students and universities exchange two forms of capital each. Students trade their academic efforts and their money. Schools trade their education efforts and the degree. The question is--as you're implying--is it a fair trade?

    Well, those that have gone through it will tell you the exact degree title means a lot less than it does to those who hold it. And the money? Really not much of a factor when you hear doctorate-holders tell it.

    Do an internet search on the DTech degree. You'll find some fascinating holders of the degree; I doubt any of them were concerned about any DTech vs PhD discussion--because there really isn't any.

    What I'm getting at is that the reality is a lot more complex--not just complicated--than how you boil it down.
     
  6. chrisjm18

    chrisjm18 Well-Known Member

    You assumed correctly. I don't have a doctorate but I am actively trying to change that.
     
  7. Steve Levicoff

    Steve Levicoff Well-Known Member

    Try to forgive Rich, Chris. He has two doctorates, so he thinks his shit doesn't stink. And has been so busy pontificating that he apparently has never read your backstory. :D
     
  8. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    Yes

    No

    No. Considering the source, hilarious.

    Yes
     
  9. not4profit

    not4profit Active Member

    Hi Rich,

    I have a doctorate and I tend to agree with Chris that the PhD is considered the gold standard. To be clear, I don't agree that the PhD is necessarily better or more rigorous than other doctorates (and I did not think Chris was saying that.. Please correct me if I am wrong). But, the perception is definitely that the PhD is the gold standard. In my experience with job applications in academia, my EdD has significantly less utility than a PhD, despite my EdD being from a Tier 1 research university, and having published several research articles from my doctoral studies. So I think there is at least a perception of gold standardedness-ness related to the PhD.
     
    chrisjm18 likes this.
  10. Rich Douglas

    Rich Douglas Well-Known Member

    I think I've made it clear that professional doctorates are different from scholarly ones. I would think it natural to find some resistance to them in academia. But the world is much bigger than that, so I object to the "gold standard" label because the distinction doesn't make a lot of difference in a lot of situations. But I would certainly expect some resistance in some scholarly situations to a professional degree, even if the process to earn it was truly scholarly (as Anthony often describes).
     
    newsongs and SteveFoerster like this.

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