What Is a Doctorate?

A doctorate is the highest degree you can earn in an academic field or profession. Earning your doctorate can help advance your career and increase your salary while showing others that you’re an expert in your subject area. When deciding whether to embark on this path, it’s important to consider your options carefully. Explore different types of doctoral degrees, the typical pathway, and alternative education options to consider. 

Types of doctorate degrees

Doctorate degrees are often split into two types: academic and professional. Each type is a terminal degree, meaning it’s the highest degree you can earn and shows true mastery over a subject. The type of doctorate you earn will largely depend on what you want to study. 

Academic doctorate 

An academic doctorate, often called a PhD (short for Doctor of Philosophy), is a research degree that typically requires completing a dissertation. Students enrolled in a PhD programme may be interested in working in academia as a professor or conducting research in their field. However, a growing number of PhD students apply their specialised knowledge and skill set to various careers outside of academia. 

You can specialise in your academic doctorate in many areas, and your PhD typically reflects the broader subject field you’re a part of. For example, some other academic doctorates include:

• PhD in Chemical Engineering

• PhD in Anthropology

• PhD in Creative Writing 

Professional doctorate

A professional doctorate, sometimes referred to as a “while-you-work” doctorate, is related to a specific profession, such as medicine, social work, or business. Students in these programmes enroll to learn the specific knowledge and skills needed to pursue their chosen career path.  

Examples of professional doctorates include:

• Social Science (DSocSci)

• Doctor of Medicine (MD)

• Juris Doctor (JD)

• Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

• Doctor of Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy)

• Doctor in Education (EdD)

• Engineering Doctorate

Doctorates: Time and costs

On average, it can take between three and seven years to earn an academic doctorate. This timeline depends on whether you’re full-time or part-time. 

The time it takes to earn a professional doctorate varies. These degrees are sometimes completed part-time outside of professional commitments and last between two and eight years. A JD degree typically takes three years of full-time study, while earning an EngD may take four years. Careers that require a professional doctorate may also include studying and passing a licensure exam.  

Costs of a doctorate

As with timing, the costs of a doctorate degree will depend on what you choose to study and where you go to school. Depending on your nationality, fees typically range from £4,500 to £35,000 per year, with domestic students paying on the lower end, according to Newcastle University [1]e. 

Professional doctorates, such as MD and JD degrees, tend to fall in a similar annual tuition range; however, this will vary by program and mode of study.

What does it take to earn a doctorate? 

Both types of degrees involve a rigorous course of study. With a professional doctorate, you'll tend to focus your research on solving existing problems. In contrast, with an academic doctorate, you'll typically focus your research on contributing a new theory or analysis to your field.

Beyond that, the path to earning your doctorate will depend on what you want to study—an academic subject or a professional one—and where you go to university.

Professional doctorates

Your time in a professional doctorate programme will be spent advancing your knowledge in your field—medicine, law, or otherwise—and developing important skills for the work required by your chosen profession. 

The programme outline will depend on your professional doctorate. For example, a learner in a DBA programme might need to complete a certain number of taught papers and an applied thesis. In contrast, a EngD learner might need to pass a certain number of credit hours, create a themed portfolio, and pass an examination. Professional doctorates often have a teaching component alongside more minor research and thesis projects. 

Some other common requirements include: 

• Writing a disseration

• Lab-specific research and work

Licensure

Both medical and law students will need to seek licensure after finishing their programme. Law graduates who pass the bar exam can go on to practice, while medical students will typically need to be licensed before beginning to join the medical register. 

Academic doctorates

Your time in an academic degree program will advance your knowledge in your field by learning more about its history, theories, and key figures. From there, you will begin exploring how you can contribute original research to further people’s understanding of some aspect of the subject. Typically, you spend three years completing a comprehensive literature review, refining your thesis question, completing your research, and presenting at academic functions.

Applying for a doctorate 

Each type of doctorate requires different admission criteria. Requirements for a PhD programme generally include: 

• Research proposal

• Academic CV

• Transcripts

• Personal statement

• Letters of recommendation

Requirements for a professional doctorate

Professional doctorate students must earn a 2:1 first degree and/or master’s degree in a related subject. For example, many law students study English, business, or political science as undergrads to prepare for course study as JD students. 

Pursuing an undergraduate degree that will prepare you for the advanced coursework a professional doctorate requires can be helpful, but it is only sometimes necessary. If you’re interested in beginning a professional doctorate after studying a completely unrelated subject, you will likely have to complete a master’s degree to show your prowess. 

Prepare for medical school with specialised, free courses offered by Stanford University, the University of Michigan, Duke University, the University of Chicago, and other leading US institutions.

Requirements for an academic doctorate

As with a professional doctorate, you will need to earn your bachelor’s degree, but you will also likely need to earn your master’s degree unless you are accepted into a dual degree program (integrated PhD) that combines the master’s and PhD. Depending on what you study, a master's degree takes one to two years to complete and further prepares you to earn your doctorate.

Demand, career path, and salaries for doctorates

The demand and career path for experts who hold a doctorate degree depends largely on the field. For example, revenue from the UK legal sector is one of the highest in the world and is expected to grow to nearly 40 billion pounds by 2028 [2]. If you hold a law degree, this demand increase may correspond to a rise in available opportunities for you. The number of practising healthcare physicians has also steadily risen in the UK over the last decade, increasing by around 100,000 between 2000 and 2022 [3]. 

For academic doctorates, common careers include work as teaching professionals, research professionals, therapy professionals, and business and administration professionals. The salary will depend on your position and field, but the UK government reports the average postgraduate degree holder earns a median nominal salary of £45,000 as of 2023 [4].

Overall, postgraduate degree holders tend to make more than those who earn a bachelor’s degree alone, according to the Department of Education [4]. With a doctoral degree, you are a leader in your field. In many cases, you can enter more senior positions or demonstrate a learning ability that allows you to switch fields more easily. 

Is a doctorate right for you?

If your goal is to work in a specific field, like medicine, or to become an authority in your field, a doctorate can help you achieve either outcome. When considering whether to begin a doctorate programme, ask yourself the following questions to help outline the best path forward.  

• Do you enjoy working with this subject matter?

• What kinds of job opportunities are available after graduation?

• How competitive is the job market for your chosen career?

• Will a doctorate give you a unique career advantage?

• Do you have time to dedicate to earning a doctorate? 

• Can you afford the cost of a doctorate? 

• Are there financial aid options available?

Alternatives to doctorate degrees

Depending on your career path and goals, a master’s degree may be a better option. Master’s degrees take less time and cost less than doctorate degrees and are available in nearly every field, including healthcare, business, the social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities. 

If you’re more interested in skills development, a Professional Certificate programme on a learning platform can be a strong option to help you develop job-ready skills in popular fields like data science, project management, and UX design. You’ll find various programmes from industry leaders like Google, Meta, IBM, Salesforce, and more on Coursera. 

Next steps

A doctorate degree is a terminal degree in your field. You can pursue an academic doctorate, or PhD, which is a research-based degree, or a professional doctorate like an MD, JD, or EngD. Depending on your programme, you can expect rigorous academic study, including teaching, taught papers, and/or a novel research thesis.

A doctorate can be financially, academically, and personally rewarding, adding important knowledge to your wheelhouse and a standout credential to your resume. Earning your master's can help you discern whether an academic doctorate makes sense for your larger objectives. Explore degrees in computer science, business, management, or public health from leading US institutions on Coursera while enjoying greater flexibility than an in-person degree program tends to offer.