Is ANY doctorate on par with the PhD?

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by RAM PhD, Aug 3, 2012.

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  1. RAM PhD

    RAM PhD Member

    Several threads are currently discussing the DBA and DSc in terms of their juxtaposition to the PhD. To broaden the discussion, is any doctorate (DBA, DSc, EdD, JD, DDS, MD, DMin, DA, etc) equivalent to the PhD. By equivalent and in terms of juxtaposition I am referencing issues such as rigor of program, requirements, utility of degree, perception and acceptance within the academy or the workplace, etc. In lay terms, is the PhD the cream of the crop?
     
  2. Delta

    Delta Active Member

    The DBA and the PhD.

    Basically one is a "practice" doctorate and the other is a "research" doctorate. Well, what does that mean exactly? The practice doctorate uses the current research and the research doctorates DO primary research. Lumping the Dsc with the DBA is not necessarily correct I would say the Doctor of Science falls more in line with the PhD in that those degree holders do a lot of primary research in their discipline of science!

    However other "terminal" doctorates like:

    DPT
    AuD
    DNP
    DNSc
    DHSc

    are terminal doctorates and they utilize already researched evidenced based science and practices in their professional practice versus a PhD discovering and publishing new areas of research. This does not mean a terminal doctorate degree holder can't publish or do primary research because they do in actuality, participate in numerous research projects and studies. It just means that for the most part, they are practitioners versus primary researchers!
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 3, 2012
  3. BillDayson

    BillDayson New Member

    You can practice law with a JD, and medicine with an MD. So as far as the practice of law and medicine are concerned, a PhD isn't on a par. The same considerations would apply to many professional doctorates.

    When it comes to being a researcher, which at least formally is kind of the underlying criterion for being a university professor in the contemporary academic world, any kind of doctorate that requires an original research dissertation would probably be pretty much on a par.

    Whatever differences exist in these situations would probably be more a function of a person's dissertation itself, and on the reputation of the person's doctoral advisors and of the department in which the work was done, than of the degree's initials.
     
  4. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    In the UK, there are many doctorates that are considered higher than the PhD or the DPhil.
     
  5. Delta

    Delta Active Member

    What do you mean by "higher"? I don't look at the variety of doctorate degrees out there as being higher or lower. It's more of a matter of utility, functionality and purpose than a doctoral degree holder having a "higher" degree!

    Who would you go see to get your car fixed? An ace mechanic with a GED or a PhD in automotive engineering that can't hold a wrench to save his life? On the other hand, if I wanted an evidenced based study that compared how various cars undergo crash tests than I would want the PhD.
     
  6. Delta

    Delta Active Member

    The point I want to make is that one is an expert in practice and the other is an expert in theory and research but neither is higher or lower than the other!
     
  7. RAM PhD

    RAM PhD Member

    This seems to imply that the PhD in automotive engineering could not complete an evidenced based study and adequately use a wrench. The GED, because he hasn't had the advanced training, could not do both, but the PhD may well indeed be able to do both. Of course, there are always those can't do empirical research with one hand and turn a wrench with the other.
     
  8. RAM PhD

    RAM PhD Member

    Could you list a few, Ted?
     
  9. vadro

    vadro New Member

    The Uk qualifications framework talk of doctoral requirement and makes no distinction. *
     
  10. CalDog

    CalDog New Member

    It wouldn't surprise me if some religious schools (e.g. Catholic University of America) regarded religious doctorates as "higher" than research doctorates in the Arts & Sciences. So for example, they might put ThDs in front of PhDs in an academic procession. I don't know if this is in fact the case, but it seems possible.
     
  11. CalDog

    CalDog New Member

    Oxford has a long list of degrees ranked by "Academic Precedence and Standing" here.

    I won't repost the whole list due to its size, but:

    Oxford's highest ranked degree is "Doctor of Divinity"
    Oxford's lowest ranked degree is "Bachelor of Education"
     
  12. RFValve

    RFValve Well-Known Member

    The designation is not as important as the reputation of the school, I rather a DBA from Boston University than a PhD from Walden.

    However, if the school of your interests have both "PhD" and "DBA" options, I would go for a PhD mainly becase is more recognized and tends to be more rigorous.



    However, once you are hired in a position that requires a doctorate, nobody actually really cares about the designation. Don't kill yourself about this, the PhD is preferred but the DBA is equivalent at most places provided that you meet the other qualifications for the job (e.g publications, experience, etc).

    Most employers will ask for copies of your research articles rather than the designation of your doctorate. If your research is published at good journals, the designation is really irrelevant.

    The debate is a bit the same as the MSc vs. MBA. Most people would consider a M.Sc in Finance more prestigious than a MBA in Finance but most people hold the latter and do fine. In academia, most academics consider the MBA a professional degree and a M.Sc an academic degree but many teach only with an MBA.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 3, 2012
  13. Anthony Pina

    Anthony Pina Active Member

    According to the U.S. Department of Ed., degrees are classified as: Associate, Bachelors, First Professional, Masters, Intermediate (ie. 6 year) and Research Doctorate.

    1) First professional degrees, which include the M.D., J.D., Pharm.D., D.D.S., D.M.D. D.V.M., D.P.M., Au.D., D.P.T., O.D., D.O. and others. These are designed to qualify one for entry into a particular profession, such as medicine and law. With the exception of the M.Div., nearly all first professional degrees are now designated with the title "doctor."

    2) Intermediate (post-masters), which include the Ed.D., D.Min., C.A.S. and C.A.G.S. Note that the first two are degrees, while the last two are certificates, which may involve fewer credits than the degrees.

    3) Research doctorates, which include the Ph.D., D.B.A., Ed.D., Th.D., S.J.D., Sc.D., D.M.A. and others. These include a terminal research requirement and are all considered equivalent degrees, according to the Dept. of Ed. and the National Science Foundation.

    Whether or not a given degree has a "practitioner" focus is up to the individual university. It is not true that someone with, say, a D.B.A. would not have a dissertation that involved original research and increasing the knowledge base, just as a Ph.D. dissertation would.
     
  14. Delta

    Delta Active Member

    I am referring more to after the award of the degree than the process of obtaining the degree through a University! ie: the DBA, MD, DO, JD, AuD, DNP, etc are "practice doctorate" or as you said, "first professional" degrees. I didn't make it up, that's the term they are using!
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 3, 2012
  15. Delta

    Delta Active Member

    but since you brought it up.....

    AASA :: Harvard Launches a Practice-Based Doctorate

    http://www.gwu.edu/learn/graduateprofessional/doctoralprograms/practicebasedprograms

    "The George Washington University’s professional doctoral programs reflect the philosophy that theory and research should inform practice—and, in turn, practice should inform research by raising new research questions. A list of practice-based doctoral programs are below, and you can explore the full range of doctoral programs available at GW using our Graduate Program Finder.

    GW’s practice-oriented doctoral programs often include course work in research methods, with emphasis on the skills required to read and use research literature intelligently and to evaluate programs. Students also spend a good deal of time developing their professional skills and gaining supervised practical experience through practica, internships and rotations—taking full advantage of the Washington area’s abundant training opportunities.

    Our oldest and most familiar professional doctoral level programs are offered in the School of Medicine and Health Sciences (the Doctor of Medicine – M.D.) and The George Washington University Law School (the Doctor of Jurisprudence – J.D.). From the Ed.D to the Dr.P.H. and the D.P.T. , other doctoral programs prepare students to become leading practitioners and administrators in various fields of education and health care."
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 3, 2012
  16. Ted Heiks

    Ted Heiks Moderator and Distinguished Senior Member

    The D.Litt., for one.
     
  17. Bruce

    Bruce Moderator

    I think it all depends on the program requirements. One of my professors at MSPP has his Ed.D. from Columbia University and is a practicing psychologist, Columbia just happens to house their psychology department in the Teacher's College.

    Is his Ed.D. "superior" to a lot of Ph.D.'s out there, based on program rigor and reputation? I would think so.
     
  18. carlosb

    carlosb New Member

    Do you consider the "doctoral study" required for Walden's DBA (RA & ACBSP accredited) to be equal to a dissertation? If so, why the difference in terminology? Walden's PhD requires a dissertation.

    Ph.D. in Management | Ph.D. or D.B.A. | Walden University
     
  19. JBjunior

    JBjunior Active Member

    This is what they say, "As with a traditional dissertation, you will do rigorous work that makes an original contribution to your field. However, your focus will be on creating a practical solution."
     
  20. carlosb

    carlosb New Member

    So if I graduate from this program I can claim I wrote a dissertation? Would a academic hiring committee accept this as a dissertation when they see the end product and name "doctoral study"?

    Template for the doctoral study:

    http://writingcenter.waldenu.edu/Documents/APA/DBA_Doctoral_Study_Template_APA_6.doc
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 4, 2012

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