Both a PhD and a doctorate are doctorate-level degrees. However, there are some meaningful differences at the core of each program, and each are designed to help students learn in different ways.
Typical Students
Because the focus of these two degrees differ, each program is designed to better suit different career goals. A PhD, for example, is geared toward teaching, leading and training learners to be experts in their field through a research-intensive program.
Those who enroll into a PhD program are typically college graduates who have a bachelor’s and master’s degree in a related field to whatever field they want to pursue. Most learners who earn PhDs go on to conduct academic research and fill prestigious roles in academia, including teaching.
A professional doctorate, however, is geared more toward practical application within a field. Those who earn a professional doctorate are typically already working professionals who want to increase their knowledge in their field to advance their career and salary to the next level and beyond. These professionals are from all areas of work, but usually aspire to become leaders within their field.
Dissertation
While both degrees end with learners defending a dissertation, the approach to the dissertation process in each program is extremely different. In a PhD program, the foundation of the dissertation is focused on the exploration and development of a theory that each doctoral candidate must defend. A PhD candidate analyzes their data and evaluates their hypothesis, coming up with new theories to contribute to the field.
The dissertation process for professional doctorates, on the other hand, includes identifying real-world issues within their field of study and working out a solution to these challenges faced by professionals. The candidate researches the problem and applies possible solutions to this problem while documenting their results. The end of the dissertation generally includes suggestions for how others in the field may use this information to solve problems in their own practices.
Post-Degree Career Options
While careers for a professional doctorate overlap with those for PhD graduates, the skills learned in each program will better equip graduates for certain roles over others.
PhD graduates typically pursue a career that lets them apply their academic research skills, such as:1
- Dean of students
- Professor
- Research consultant
- Nonprofit development writer
- Curriculum designer
Because professional doctorate graduates usually are already rooted in a certain profession, they will use their degree to secure a leadership position within their field, such as:
- Chief executive officer
- Business intelligence director
- Market research director
- Healthcare management
- Public administration leadership
