Applied Professional Degrees Improve Your Career

Advanced professional degrees focus on applied use of knowledge in real-world situations. While many are equivalent to theoretical degrees, these programs often focus on different criteria for admissions and awarding. The Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) degree is awarded for strategic decision makers in Business, while the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) is awarded to education professionals. Public Health professionals will typically follow the path to earning the respected Master of Public Health (MPH) degree.

Equivalency

Doctor of Business Administration degrees are post-graduate research doctorates. The Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) is equivalent to a Ph.D. in Business Administration, however the DBA is issued for applied, rather than theoretical research. When considering a Phd in Education, the type of program depends on the issuing school. Many schools will offer an Ed.D. only, while some feature a Ph.D. alone. Still other education schools will allow students to apply for either academic path based upon their preference for applied or theoretical research. The Master of Public Health (MPH) degree is the applied equivalent of the theoretical Master of Science in Public Health degree.

Policies of Institutions that Award These Degrees

The Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) is a separate path of specialization at many leading institutions, such as Harvard Business School and Boston University School of Management. Researchers who focus on a DBA will spend a large portion of their time working with applied theory in real-life situations. Due to its applied nature, many Universities require significant experience in a strategic business position before issuing the doctorate. Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degrees are the only education degrees awarded from many top schools, such as Harvard University and George Washington University. Institutions such as UCLA, Berkeley and the University of Pennsylvania offer the Ed.D. in addition to the theoretical knowledge doctorate. Phd in Public Health degrees are awarded by institutions approved by the Council on Education for Public Health and will require advanced exposure to biostatistics, epidemiology, health services administration, health education, behavioral science and environmental science.