Doctorate Degree

What is a Doctoral Degree?

A doctorate degree or doctor of philosophy degree (Ph.D) is the most likely path someone wishing to pursue a career in academia will take. You can pursue a doctorate degree in many different areas, performing original research-forming and testing new theories about how things work and why things happen. It sounds broad, but explaining what you'll do with a doctorate degree demands which topic you're pursuing.

There are many types of doctorate degrees. They're different from lower degree programs because of the depth of study, but more importantly, because of the amount of research involved. A doctorate degree in a social science, like political science or sociology may demand research involving interpersonal interaction. Conducting surveys, polls and observational studies, you study how people behave and form theories about why. A doctorate degree in a medical or science-related field, like anatomy, biology, or physics, will likely require lots of lab work and empirical research. A doctorate degree in education will demand research similar to that you'll find in social science-developing and testing different educational methods. And a doctorate degree in engineering required advanced research in one of the engineering-related fields.

How can I get a Doctoral Degree?

There are many colleges and universities that offer doctorate degrees in a variety of fields. Doctorate degrees require extra and intensive schooling, but the amount of knowledge gained is worth the time. The recipient of a doctorate degree likely completed at least one original piece of research in their field-forming a hypothesis, doing exhaustive studies to prove or disprove it, and writing a thesis that explains their findings. The research will be reviewed by others in the field, and, if it yields a significant finding, will be an integral part of future research. It'll build on human knowledge, teaching us things we never knew before-perhaps profoundly impacting others' lives. Pursuing your doctorate degree may also require teaching at the undergraduate level at the university where you pursue your Ph.D. Some may require it, or others may offer a stipend in exchange for your time as an instructor. For those lucky few with the time, talent, and initiative to pursue a doctorate degree, it can be a greatly rewarding way to optimize the gifts they have.