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Read time 2 minutes

Jessalyn Johnson

Published on Apr 29, 2016

Choosing to take on a doctoral degree is a huge decision. Becoming a doctoral student can unlock new opportunities in your life, as well as open doors for your career. There are many reasons to start a doctorate program, and learning how to get started is the first step to beginning this exciting new chapter.

Choosing a Doctoral Degree

When choosing to begin a doctoral degree program, you first need to know what you would like to pursue and why. Though you may have a master’s degree in one area, there may be another program that can take you in a whole new direction. Consider your current field and if you want to expand your career or re-career.

If you prefer to expand your knowledge with a doctoral degree, you can improve your skills to better your chances of success in your field of work. For example, if you earned your online MBA, you may choose to pursue a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) degree. If you are an educator in a primary or secondary school, you may decide to pursue a doctorate in K-12 leadership. When you decide which degree is right for you, you are ready to begin researching universities.

Choosing Your School

Grand Canyon University is a regionally accredited university that offers a variety of doctoral degree programs to help you further your education and achieve your academic goals. GCU also offers a variety of doctoral resources to help you pursue your education.

All of our doctorate degrees are offered online, including our EdD online and online PhD programs, and many are offered in evening cohorts on our main campus in Phoenix. The degrees offered by GCU range from a DBA to a DNP, and you may even have the option to choose a program with an emphasis in a certain area. For example, our leadership degrees have emphasis areas such as higher education, organizational development and special education.

When you are ready to pursue your doctoral degree, make sure to consider which degree is right for you, program modality and the quality of the school to ensure you get the most out of your education. To learn more about Grand Canyon University’s College of Doctoral Studies, visit our website.

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Jessalyn Johnson

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The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Grand Canyon University. Any sources cited were accurate as of the publish date.