What Is the Difference Between a Doctoral Study and a Dissertation?

Doctoral-level degrees fall into two categories: PhD degree programs and professional doctorate degree programs. PhD and professional doctorate programs are similar in some ways. Both lead to the highest level of graduate degree, and both encourage critical and creative thinking and culminate in a doctoral capstone—an intensive, independent research project.

But there are also differences, and an important one involves the research and written component: a dissertation vs. a doctoral study. What is a dissertation? What is a doctoral study? In short, PhD candidates present their research findings in the form of a dissertation, while professional doctorate candidates present their findings in a doctoral study. Let’s look at the distinctions between these graduate-level degree programs and their capstone projects, the PhD dissertation and the doctoral study.

What Is a PhD?

A PhD is an academic degree focused on original research, data analysis, and the evaluation of theory. The result of that research is a dissertation. People who earn a PhD often pursue careers in research, academia, and leadership. A PhD is also called an academic doctoral degree or a terminal degree.

What Is a Dissertation in a PhD Program?

A dissertation is a research project that addresses a gap in literature and adds new knowledge to a field through original research. A dissertation reflects a PhD candidate’s interests and can have a significant impact in the community or profession.

Walden University asks its PhD candidates to engage in a dissertation research project that can make a positive difference in the world. This reflects the HLC-accredited university’s commitment to positive social change. At Walden, candidates begin exploring and attempting to solve a real-world problem from day one.

Walden’s online PhD program consists of:

• Drafting a dissertation prospectus that outlines research questions and a data collection plan.
• Completing a research dissertation proposal and presenting an oral defense of it to the doctoral committee.
• Completing a research dissertation that identifies a research problem; provides a literature review; defines research methods; reveals findings; and ends with a summary, conclusions, and implications.
• Presenting a final oral defense of the research dissertation to the doctoral committee.

What Is a Professional Doctorate?

A professional doctorate is a degree designed for working professionals with practical experience in their field. Working professionals often choose a doctoral program to gain knowledge they can use to apply their work experience, skills, and expertise to roles of greater leadership and influence.

One of Walden University’s online doctoral programs, the ACBSP-accredited Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) program, even features an option that lets students participate in real-life consulting opportunities. A professional doctorate is also called a terminal degree.

What Is a Doctoral Study?

A doctoral study is a capstone project in which a candidate identifies a problem, presents their methodology, describes their project, makes observations about their findings, and presents a practical solution. Doctoral degree program coursework and academic residencies prepare candidates as they learn about research methods, planning and designing research, and presenting findings.

The doctoral study’s components are designed to demonstrate competence in research and research design, subject matter expertise, and command of critical thinking and academic writing.

The doctoral study involves:

• Creating a proposal that describes a problem the candidate wants to solve; the purpose of the study; and the research questions, methodology, and design.
• Presenting an oral defense of the research proposal to the doctoral committee (a 20-minute presentation followed by a question-and-answer session).
• Collecting data and writing the findings.
• Presenting a final oral defense of the research findings to the doctoral committee.

Hundreds of examples of dissertations and doctoral studies can be found in Walden’s ScholarWorks archive.

Explore Walden’s Online Doctoral Programs

By understanding the difference between a doctoral study and a dissertation, you are in a stronger position to choose the best terminal degree program for achieving your educational and career goals. Either online degree program you choose—PhD or professional doctorate—will give you the opportunity to broaden your knowledge and expertise.

What kind of terminal degrees can you pursue? Walden’s many online PhD degree programs include a PhD in Psychology and a PhD in Nursing. Options in Walden’s professional doctoral degree programs include a Doctor of Education (EdD) and a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH).

In all of Walden’s doctoral-level degree programs, you’ll find a comprehensive suite of student support services, including academic support and writing workshops.

Walden’s Doctoral Writing Workshops help prepare students for their dissertations and doctoral studies. Doctoral faculty members lead the optional workshops and provide one-to-one guidance.

You’ll also find robust support at the university’s Writing Center. There are program-specific templates for PhD dissertations, writing tips for multilingual and international students, webinars for doctoral candidates, and much more.

One of Walden’s student success features is the Doctoral Degree Coach^®, an interactive planning and tracking tool designed to help you stay on course throughout your academic journey.

With the flexibility and learning support online doctoral degree programs offer, you may be ready to achieve your goal of earning a PhD or professional doctorate, completing a dissertation or doctoral research paper, and making a lasting impact in your field.

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

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