 A doctorate is the highest academic degree
which can be conferred by colleges and universities in the U.S. It
signifies that the holder has become proficient in scholarship and
indicates that one has successfully completed the exacting requirements
of a course of study in a specific discipline in the estimation of his
or her peers.
Although specific qualifications vary from discipline to discipline and
from school to school, in most cases the Ph.D. or Ed.D. candidate must
fulfill certain essential requirements, including previously earning a
bachelor's degree; successfully completing required course work and
comprehensive exams; satisfactorily completing extensive independent
research that leads to an original contribution to knowledge; and
successfully defending a formal dissertation. A typical doctorate
program takes a minimum of three years of additional effort beyond the
attainment of a master's degree; due to the strict qualifications of the
degree, however, many students take far longer than this to complete
their doctorate.
Among the doctorate-level degrees offered by many universities:
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
A general doctorate; a terminal degree, and the highest level degree
which can be conferred by a university.
Doctor of Education (EdD)
A terminal degree awarded for advanced studies in the field of
education, and the equivalent of a PhD.
Doctor of Computer Science (DCS)
Terminal degree for computer science professionals, consultants and
academics. |
