What is a Doctorate? | Definition, Origin, and Process?

Qcveedu
3 min readMay 25, 2022

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A doctorate is a much higher level of academic qualification that can be achieved. It is a PhD research degree. This degree is normally four years, sometimes 3 years, giving this job your full time to complete your Thesis on a particular topic you opt for. We can say the topic your Ph.D. is about.

Definition

What is a Doctorate

There are many questions from people about this title. As it means “Doctor of Philosophy,” some people ask that after doing this, do some become a Doctor? The answer is yes, but not that kind of Doctor. Or do we have you, or does someone have to study philosophy? No, it’s not that, but you can if you want to study it.

It is an abbreviation of the Latin term ‘Philosophiae Doctor.’ In Philosophy, Philo means friend or lover, and Sofia means wisdom.

This meaning comes from its original Greek meaning.

Before we rush further into this article, let us find out what a PhD is. And also, why is there the word ‘Doctor’ in it.

Doctorate and Ph.D.

Let’s see what we know so far on this topic. Doctorate and PhD there is no difference between these two.

A doctorate; is a qualification granted to those pursuing a Doctorate (we already talked about the Doctorate above). A doctorate is a doctoral degree, so whoever did a doctorate in a subject will be assigned the word Doctorate as they earn their degree. And after this, they can put Doctor before their name.

To qualify for a Ph.D., one has to provide the best work on the subject of their Ph.D. that makes a particular contribution to their chosen topic. The most common Doctorate is a Ph.D. Likewise, other doctorates are awarded in the areas of a specific subject or for professional projects or practices.

So, you see that not all doctorates are doctorates. But all doctorates are doctorates.

Origin of the Doctorate

The Doctorate is not a Greek degree from the ancient period despite its meaning. However, it is a lot of recent degrees. According to the sources, the Doctorate was developed in Germany in the 19th century.

At that time, advanced education had generally focused on mastering a current pool of scholarships, and the most prominent academic position accessible was a master’s certificate.

After this, all focus shifted to thinking of new ideas and finding new knowledge. At that time, this Doctorate was born or, let’s say, introduced to those capable of significant experience and have skills.

Process followed to study the Doctorate.

Unlike most master’s courses, a Ph.D. is an exploratory degree. However, that does not mean that you will spend three years away from a library or research center. The Doctorate of modern times is very diverse and capable of a wide range of segments.

A person who is doing a Ph.D. It goes through a sort of tough series of stages.

It implies:

1. Literature review.

2. Realization of original revisions.

3. Preparation of a thesis.

4. Writing and submission of the Thesis.

5. Defending your Thesis at VOC. Exam.

Courtesy: Queens College of Vocational Education, Melbourne

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