What Is the Difference Between a Doctor of Human Services and a PhD in Human Services?

Human services professionals who want to expand their subject matter expertise and prepare for new career opportunities often consider earning a Doctor of Human Services (DHS) or PhD in Human Services degree. If you’re among that group of dedicated professionals and have decided to start your journey to one of these top degrees, you may be wondering which one is right for you: a professional doctorate or a PhD.

Walden University offers both, so you can select the online human services degree program that best fits your interests and professional objectives. The essential difference between the two degree programs comes down to focus: The DHS program prepares students to become practitioners, while the PhD in Human Services program focuses on preparing scholar-practitioners.

Understanding the Doctor of Human Services (DHS)

This doctoral program is designed for practitioners who are engaged in the field, helping individuals, families, and communities address problems and challenges. The DHS degree program was developed to offer a practical, practice-based education that meets the needs of those whose career focus centers on human services practice rather than theoretical academic research.

Walden’s DHS online professional doctorate in human services degree program focuses on applied research and the application of evidence-based practices in the field. The research focus and studies are directed toward addressing gaps in practice, as opposed to the PhD, which focuses on gaps in literature.

Other Doctor of Human Services differentiators include:

• Structured Capstone Experience: As a student in the doctoral degree program, you’ll benefit from Walden’s guided capstone experience. There are structured milestones, clear deliverables, and faculty guidance to support you from proposal through completion.
• Unparalleled Doctoral Support: You won’t navigate your doctoral journey alone. Walden is the only institution offering the award-winning Doctoral Degree Coach®, a dedicated support system built to ensure your success.
• Specializations: This doctorate in human services online degree program offers two specializations: Program Evaluation in Human Services Organizations and Prevention, Intervention, and Advocacy.
• Finish in as few as 24 months: Complete your degree program in as few as two years with full-time enrollment.

Exploring the PhD in Human Services

Highlights of the PhD in Human Services degree program include:

• A Bonus Degree: You may be eligible to earn a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) degree on your path to earning a human services PhD. Upon fulfillment of all PhD degree program requirements except for dissertation, you can apply for the MPhil credential.¹
• PhD Specializations: Walden’s online PhD degree program offers a General Program and 10 specializations so you can focus your studies on your career interests.
• Residencies: There are four academic residencies in the online PhD degree program.

Making an Impact Through Original Research

In both the PhD and DHS doctoral programs, human services professionals conduct original research. And through contemporary curriculum and other features, both programs help prepare you for leadership roles in the human services field.

The human services field is constantly evolving in response to problems and crises in local communities and beyond. The DHS degree program is designed to help students develop skills and knowledge that can be applied directly to the field and current issues, enabling graduates to have an immediate impact.

A Shared Mission: Helping Others

The human services field needs both practitioners and scholars—leaders who can implement evidence-based solutions and researchers who can discover what those solutions should be. Whether you earn a Doctor of Human Services or a PhD in Human Services, you’ll join a community of changemakers addressing society’s most pressing challenges.

Your choice between these two doctoral degrees isn’t just about credentials—it’s about defining how you’ll contribute to a field dedicated to the well-being of others. With a DHS, you’ll help transform lives through leadership and practice. With a PhD, you’ll help advance the field through research and teaching.

At Walden University, working professionals have been turning their passion for helping others into advanced expertise for over 50 years. The question isn’t whether you’ll make a difference, but how you’ll make it.

Walden University is an accredited institution offering Doctor of Human Services and PhD in Human Services online degree programs. Expand your career options and earn your degree using a convenient, flexible learning platform that fits your busy life.

¹The MPhil requires a minimum of 45 quarter credits. Maximum transfer of credit varies by program but is not to exceed 50% of the overall, or embedded, program requirements. Students who previously completed a master’s degree with Walden in the same discipline area are not eligible for an MPhil.

Note on Licensure: The PhD in Human Services program, including its specializations, is not designed to lead to professional licensure, including licensure as a professional therapist, counselor, social worker, or psychologist.

Walden University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (www.hlcommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.