Now that PhD's are becoming more commonplace, and that there are increasingly more routes to obtain one e.g. traditional, educational (taught), professional (clinical), PhD by publication/portfolio etc., is there a point whereby we might consider the 'next level' of qualification?
This question got me thinking : What qualities does education make us acquire ? And, "how do the titles we award people" testify to these qualities we acquire ? So, I started enumerating both ...
==============
What we get from education ? K - Knowledge ... S - Skills in using tools ...
R - Research skills ... T - Teaching skills ... C - collaboration skills ...
X - Industrial experience
P - publication, reporting, idea & result dissemination ...
D - ability to tackle difficult problems and complete them ...
==============
How do DEGREEs testify to these ?
Bachelor of Arts - K S C D only "K" is knowledge in arts,
Bachelor of Science - K S C D same, but "K" is technical knowledge
Master of Science - KK SS R CC DD P
Philosophy of Doctorate - KKK SS RRR CCC DDDD PPP
Post Doc - KKK SSS RRRR CCC DDDD PPPP T
Adjunct Professor - KKK SS RRR CCC DDDD PP TTT
Research Professor - KKKK SS RRRRR CCCC DDDDD PPPP T
Employment in the Industry - "X" per year
==============
What does academia value (TEACHING schools) ?
KKKK SSS RR C XXXX D P TTTTT
What does academia value (RESEARCH schools) ?
KKKK SS RRRRR CCC XXXX DDDDD PPPP TT
What does the industry value ?
KKKKKK SSSSSSS R CCCCC XXXXXXXX DDDDD PPP T
==============
Do you think, this is making any sense ?
In some countries - e.g. Germany - people also have another stage called habilitation and for that, they write an additional thesis. It is an additional academic qualification, not an additional degree, but it is necessary for applying for some jobs (e.g. becoming a full professor).
Hi Djamel and Tiia - many thanks for your responses. Of course Djamel - post-doc work is in addition to your PhD - but doesn't produce a formal qualification. I have never come across the term 'habilitation' before - so mant thanks for enlightening me Tiia. I checked on Wikidedia and there is quite a bit of useful infromation on it. Below is pasted which countries are known to use it.
Habilitation qualifications exist in France (Habilitation à diriger des recherches, "accreditation to supervise research", abbreviated HDR), Switzerland, Germany (Priv.-Doz. and/or Dr. habil.), Poland (dr hab., doktor habilitowany), Austria (formerly Univ.-Doz., now Priv.-Doz.), Denmark, Bulgaria, Portugal (Agregação), Romania (abilitare), Sweden and Finland (Docent or Doc.), Czech and Slovakia (Docent), Hungary, Latvia (Dr. habil.), Slovenia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Lithuania (Habil. dr.), Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia (Doktor nauk).[citation needed] A similar concept known as Livre-docência exists in some private universities in Brazil, and in the three state universities of the state of São Paulo, where it is a pre-requisite of full professorship.[citation needed] In Spain it is called "acreditación"[4] and it is a requirement for access to some kinds of posts in state-owned universities.
Judie - you might have to be a little careful here. Are you suggesting that a science-based PhD is more 'advanced' than others? In my mind, all PhD's allow access to fellowship - but that is purely dependent on the individual - rather than the qualification.
Many thanks for the update Judie. That again is a new one on me. So, in India, is the DSc separate or additional to a traditional PHD? Is there a ranking of PHD's in your country? If so - that seems different to my experiences whereby a PhD of any format or discipline is considered equal - or at least should be.
Judie - thanks again for further clarification. I did a Google - and there is a very good Wikipedia link below to the various nuances of the DSC or 'Doctor of Science. I can see why I haven't come across this before - it's not used in most of Europe, The Commonwealth countries, US etc.
Whoops - here's the Wikipedia url - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_of_Science
Justyna - a lucid and valid response . Many thanks - I can imagine that it might be a little tricky - and i am very glad that I have not had to go through the process. Just wondering though why many countries - such as the US, Western Europe, Commonwealth countries etc have not adopted it? Would it be a good thing, or not, to adopt it universally - or would something different be preferable?
Thanks Dean for posing the question - well some very interesting answers... we can here become postdoctoral researcher - then might be Senior Research Fellow - but I did not know of any other qualification that would be awarded in our country! ... nice to know the different ways of thinking.
Well, the Professor - does not tell us if this person has a PhD - sometimes this title is awarded by the head of the school or faculty in recognition to their administrative abilities!
In many universities in Australia you are required to have a PhD to be a lecturer, and it it almost essential to have one to be a senior lecturer! After that there are Associate Professors and then professors, which as Theodora notes are titles which may be awarded due to administrative role, but also for research activities. A professorship is something you usually have to move universities for, they do mot seem to be awarded to those within one's own university.
Correct Theodora and Diana for many countries. A 'standard' for many countries that do not have habitation or a DSc etc - is that a PhD (regardless of it's format) is a pre-requisite for most academic positions - junior or senior depending on the discipline. After that, promotion is usually based on university service, grant capture, publication, reputation etc. Then there is the 'difference' of titles just to confuse things i.e. lecturer equals assistant professor, senior lecturer equals associate professor or 'reader'/research fellow equals something between associate professor/ full professor; confusing - hey!!
Thank you Diana and Dean - Indeed, NOW in Australia - you need to have PhD to be given the title of lecturer - but previously - without PhD you would have been awarded any title - including Professor... while Lecturer and Senior Lecturer continue to be difficult to be given to any academic - it seems Associate Professor and Professor titles continue to be given in appreciation of a service or for holding a specific position to give that position prestige.
Lithuania has Doctor = PhD, I think; then it has Dr. Hab. = DSC? In Russia, there is equivalents. Cand. sci. and Dr, sci. In Poland, I believe, this is also doctor and doctor habilitus.
Professorship is not a degree, at least in many countries. To get associated professorship one needs at least PhD, and DSC=hab.dr. for the full professor? Nowadays this is over.
Many countries have just one degree, equal PhD, and professorship depends on your publications.
Says:-
Oh dear! All these years I thought PhD is the ultimate educational achievement. Thanks for throwing light on Habiliation and DSc Degrees'. Now please do not start another debate as to which one of these two is the top most! Even Einstein might struggle to answer this.
Jokes apart, a PhD would give a proper introduction into the research field where the student/ scholar spends more time on field research, data collections and statistics and then summarize everything into one single manuscript and thesis. To my knowledge, Post-Doc is not any qualification. It is just a Research Supervisor Post. Kindly, someone brief on Habiliation and DSc - what is exactly done here?
LIFE AFTER PHD - GET HABILIATED!
Sai - your sentiments are similar to mine. The countries that i have worked in - the 'standard' PhD is the 'ultimate' qualification - but more and more people have them (not sure of the exact percent - but I seem to recall a 'national average' in the UK being something like 2% of the overall population - but that was a little while ago).
Correct, Post-doc is not a qualification - but supposed to be a 'right of passage' for academics.
Just wondering (tongue-in-cheek) - after a PhD - is it habilitation - or 'rehabilitation'?
No qualifications after PhD but experince of research activities with teams or team work project can be, and training or special courses for short term can be.in special field. However, once you have a PhD that means your are qualified to be researcher and independant. You are ready to run a project with help as tean work.
Fathi - Thank you for the clear and concise clarification
Well, as for the discussion between Sai and Dean - I believe what happens after the PhD is for that PhD holder to come back to reality and be shocked with the real world - especially if this same PhD student became an academic directly!
Indeed, professorship is not a degree but rather an academic rank - and there are several students who come from their own countries to our country to obtain their PhD and back to their ordinary business - not academia - so, they will not be professors ever!
So, it is a rehabilitation - as the PhD graduate needs some NEW SKILLS to cope with the pressure of being considered among the academics!
Regards
Theodora - a very good response. I can relate to that. Whereas some countries might have 'habilitation' to cushion the post-PhD experience, for me, there was a post-PhD 'void'. I went from 'frenetic' activity to 'nothing' for a while. I was 'exhausted' and didn't want much to do with it. Amid that, I had all those with a PhD welcoming me to the 'PHD club'. It all felt a little bit false to me - despite it been 'nice' at the time!!
Thanks Dean - well 'welcoming me to the PhD club'... well, they might welcome you but at the same time looking at you as a NEW COMPETITOR! so, that is where the false feeling comes through.
Regards
Theodora - I, again, can relate. There is a common saying in New Zealand (and I am sure in other countries) that relates to the 'tall poppy syndrome'. It's 'alive and well' over here.
Says:-
I agree with your statements, Dean and Theodora. As on date, all these post PhD qualifications are not the 'Universal scenario', where as a PhD degree can be obtained almost in all Countries. I believe, these post PhD qualifications might give better positions and a better pay grade, but people who do research and publish papers will continue to do that irrespective of whether they are 'just a PhD' or 'higher'.
Yes, in India here is a provision of acquiring Post Ph.D after possessing Ph. D. Degree. Post Ph.D is meant for expanding your research in the partucular subject . Even you can take new subject for research for post Ph. D.
I have seen all of the answers to this good thread. My question that I want to share with you is whether every level of expertise/knowledge after Ph.D should qualify for new title?
Ljubomir - could you just expand on that a little. Do you mean in terms, for instance, of job title?
@Dean, sorry, I think better word is qualification instead of title, like in Your answer posted 15 days ago addressing @Djamel and @Tila. So, nothing to do with job title.
Furthermore, in my country national framework of qualifications and titles is very hot issue!
Hi Ljubomir,
Many thanks for the elaboration. Yes - it is a good question to ask. What could we call a post-PhD qualification, if it had an international framework and governing bodies? Habilitation, to me, doesn't have a universal 'ring' to it - and it is probably not an international enough 'standard' to pursue. There is a very strange phenomenon in medicine. Medical students, at least in the UK, are called Mr while they train for 5-years (unless they are female of course), then they are called Dr when they qualify. If you want to become a surgical registrar or consultant - you have to sit extensive exams etc to earn the right to be called Mr again. What about applying that convention to post-PhD?
Dean, don't we already have that ? It is called Post-doc ?
If I am interpreting this question correctly, you are talking about an official DEGREE, where, the goal is to do such-and-such ... and you get a degree ?
My understanding has always been that, Ph.D. is the last degree you need after which the importance of the "degree" diminishes and the importance of the "research experience" increases ... A one year Post-doc at a very influential institution might actually be a better CV item than an official degree "post-Ph.D." ?
Also, for example, in the US, a post-doc requires a 2.2x higher pay than a Ph.D. student (say, $23K vs. $50K). So, this makes it very challenging to get grants to support post-docs for a long period (long enough to grant a DEGREE). This is why the DURATION of a post-doc is a very open-ended concept. The only rule is "as long as the adviser can afford with research funding !!!" If you required a DEGREE, I am afraid that, no one might be able to get funding for the student, EVER !.
Am I on the right track for understanding your question ? Or, am I missing something ?
Oh, to add more to this, when we are writing grants, we only put post-doc funding in the proposal budget if the available funding is pretty large ... But, this is in the US. I am curious about how the funding for Ph.D. students gets handled in the other parts of the world ...
Hi Tolga,
You are missing nothing. You are right on track. As has been said previously, the post-doc arrangement is not a formal qualification. My original question relates to 'numbers alone' really. For instance, there was a time 20-30 years ago that a BA, BSc, BEd etc made someone 'stand out from the crowd'. It was a real career advantage. Nowadays though - they are often viewed as 'ten a penny' (an old English expression to mean that everyone has one - so that the value and currency of them is far less than what it was - and not always a career advantage nowadays). With PhD's becoming more common, and with more different formats for getting them, my question now is 'when it becomes a common thing for a notable proportion of a population to posses a PhD - what's the next 'point of difference' - or the next level of qualification?
Yes, these tittle may be given to the people. The situation will become interestingly fruitful and will enable the PhDs to enhance their expertise in specific field of knowledge disseminating era.
I think that the 2 things are different:
Medical Doctor is the title of the job
Academic is the title of the qualification
After the PhD, the holder of it should get more qualified through research. The list of a PhD holders publications, their impacts, citations and relevance in his/her field of specialization are the most important qualifications. A post doctoral fellow or a research follow also does the same. If his/her qualifications are good enough, he/she could earn another qualification, an honorary D.Sc.
Dean , I like the English saying 'ten a penny'. American version is "dime a dozen" . I thought the prices were higher in England :)
=============
There is Ph.D. , there is Ph.D. ... I will repeat some of Najim's words ... Your original question is asking "should we keep adding to our qualifications VERTICALLY ? " or should we keep adding qualifications HORIZONTALLY ? Let me explain ... VERTICAL means : get a B.S., then M.S., then Ph.D. , then post-doc ... HORIZONTAL means, get an M.S., and then get 5 years of work experience, and get 2 years of research experience, and get such and such certificates ... Which one is better ?
It depends ... What is your goal ? Are you trying to land a teaching position ? ... and, you don't have the qualifications they want ? ... or, are you trying to get a research position ? or academic position ? or, an industrial position ? They will VALUE totally different things ... Adding to your degrees vertically just for the resume-filling effect of it is a bad idea . The best thing to do is to target a career and start developing the skills/qualifications they need.
Industry likes SKILLs , so, they won't care about a post-doc. Academia likes research and teaching skills (depending on the school), so, they will like a post-doc only if it is from a good school ... However, in almost every case, academia will prefer a couple of high-impact papers to a post-doc from an OK university.
Tolga - an excellent response. If I could give you two vote-ups I would. I suppose that a dozen (especially a Baker's dozen - another English traditional saying I think) is more than ten - so not sure where is cheapest?
I really like the vertical/horizontal analogy. I have to admit, my original questions was far more orientated to the vertical; what's next. Most posts seem to be leaning towards the horizontal though - so i may have to accept that as the point of difference.
Najim - I like your point of honorary qualifications; they are obviously an award based on Tolga's horizontal viewpoint. But by the time someone gets an honorary reward - I doubt that they need it for career progression, recognition etc.
Thank you Dean and Ljubomir, a lot of people get nice DEGREEs and QUALIFICATIONs, and interview in the industry or an academic institution, and do not get the results they want. They then go back and think "I should add to my DEGREEs, this is why it is not working " ... I don't think this is a good idea... It is clear that, post-doc is about the highest QUALIFICATION that makes sense. The academia decided (I think, in the 1700's) that, Ph.D. should be a DEGREE, but, they left post-doc as a QUALIFICATION, almost like a CERTIFICATE. However, some still call it a DEGREE, but, it really isn't ... Because, Ph.D. is the level above which all sorts of .other QUALIFICATIONs are a lot more important ... Although, a post-doc, even if considered just a QUALIFICATION with 6 months of work, can be a very important one if taken from an impressive institution. It depends on what your target institution values ...
Tolga - as part of the reason for wanting to post the question in the first place - most posts have help illuminate the fact that the answer to this question is not 'straight-forward'.
This question got me thinking : What qualities does education make us acquire ? And, "how do the titles we award people" testify to these qualities we acquire ? So, I started enumerating both ...
==============
What we get from education ? K - Knowledge ... S - Skills in using tools ...
R - Research skills ... T - Teaching skills ... C - collaboration skills ...
X - Industrial experience
P - publication, reporting, idea & result dissemination ...
D - ability to tackle difficult problems and complete them ...
==============
How do DEGREEs testify to these ?
Bachelor of Arts - K S C D only "K" is knowledge in arts,
Bachelor of Science - K S C D same, but "K" is technical knowledge
Master of Science - KK SS R CC DD P
Philosophy of Doctorate - KKK SS RRR CCC DDDD PPP
Post Doc - KKK SSS RRRR CCC DDDD PPPP T
Adjunct Professor - KKK SS RRR CCC DDDD PP TTT
Research Professor - KKKK SS RRRRR CCCC DDDDD PPPP T
Employment in the Industry - "X" per year
==============
What does academia value (TEACHING schools) ?
KKKK SSS RR C XXXX D P TTTTT
What does academia value (RESEARCH schools) ?
KKKK SS RRRRR CCC XXXX DDDDD PPPP TT
What does the industry value ?
KKKKKK SSSSSSS R CCCCC XXXXXXXX DDDDD PPP T
==============
Do you think, this is making any sense ?
@Tolga, oh yes, it makes a lot of sense! I like such approach in quantification of qualities!
@ Tolga Soyata
Very well said and I agree with you. If we have maximized career trajectory on vertical path, then we take horizontal career trajectory to keep relevant to constant change. To level up our profession we move vertically by obtaining post graduate degree. To expand and extend our expertise and specialization we move horizontally. Lifelong learning and career enrichment take any direction.
Indeed, informative inputs by Najim & Tolga.
I am facing same situation of should I opt for another DEGREE... And I am still unable to convince myself. I have been taking e-learning courses along with publications; hope these will help.
Being an early professional, If you people could guide more in-detail then that would be great.
I recommend this book for ALL interested colleagues "A PhD is not enough! : a guide to survival in science" By Peter J. Feibelman. (attached)
Islam - that is a great resource that you have attached. It's personal, heartfelt and ably demonstrates that the 'magical' PhD, these days, is often not enough on its own!!
@Islam, scientist learns whole life, Ph.D's are stages of whole life learning process, right! Ph.D is not the end, it is the beginning in real science!
Drs Dean and Ljubomir, you are right. I think the answer of the main topic question is: right after PhD, you have to keep going on learning the new in your field, and the most important is to "Benefit the Humanity" as much as you can, and don't let your acquired skills and knowledge end with your end!
Yes Islam - post-doctoral work is best viewed in the context of 'beginning research' and pulling all the pieces of an apprenticeship together.
Yes,
Scientist learns whole life , Post-doctoral work is best but this degree can not give you pramotions or increment in your service- This is your interest and study-
Hi all,
It's been a little while since the last response. Has anyone though more about or investigated the 'next qualification' phenomenon?
Scientists should never stop hardworking, doing researches, I think after phD there will be:
Postdoc, collaborative research, or sabbatical research.
TQVM
Just to add to the Mix in the UK we have a higher doctorate the DSc - which is an evaluation of your published work within a theme or themes, demonstrating a continued and substantial contribution through academic publication. It is usually towards the end of your career. But basically I agree with all the above A PhD is not enough.......it is merely the beginning of your academic career
Hi Ray,
Yes - I know of the DSc - and you describe it well. I agree that, while universities are adapting and developing new ways to conduct and deliver PhD's i.e. traditional, taught, by portfolio, professional doctorates etc - then the numbers of general populations will increase and, part of the critique is that 'some doctoral degrees will be easier to get than others'. This being the case, some might view that the spread and 'dilution' of the award could result in some PhD's being classified as current Master's degrees are; therefore, potentially, the need for the next tier of qualification - that which lies 'above' a PhD.
Dear Dean,
Having been a Deputy Dean for Research, I have overseen both PhD and DProf degrees at two "new" Universities in the UK. I am very sorry to say that yes the DProf is an easy route to a Doctorate, and that PhDs, although much more original research based and trying to hold out, are being/have been diluted. One might have a view that the corporate bodies of such awarding Universities have no interest in standards and the pursuit of excellence. It is simply a paper-mill, to maximise income and profile for attracting fee paying students. Cynically academics holding up for a standard of excellence in the doctoral award are a nuisance that is tolerated or disposed off (often the latter). The irony is that it is the believe in this certificate of academic excellence that gives the award any value.
However, my view is that in reality the PhD or other doctorate is, as it has always been, just a bit of paper. The value in an academic is the research they do, publish and is cited. The ready availability of bibliometric searching online of any named individual is making this point. Furthermore, we are in a new revolutionary age in which "Dr's" and so called Professor who in fact have no academic standing (unfortunately, all too often university senior managers) are exposed. We don't need another award as that would also eventually be diluted and corrupted by those who require a badge of academic credibility to hide behind.
The higher award badge is your published research profile found in google scholar and Researchgate. This has always been true but now this is visible to the World at the click of a button, not just academics who searched it out.
It is going to be very interesting times ahead for Universities whose true academic standing will be tested ................ and found wanting.
Ray - an articulate response. Jealous that I didn't come up with it myself. Yes - I've heard a very similar debate for some time - especially with taught EdD's - and I fully agree that, when it comes to 'bums on seats' or EFTS, then standards often fall to the side. Likewise, the academic gatekeepers who decide the awards are not always up to scratch.
I also endorse your other points. I got my PhD 'the wrong way around'. I invested a lot of time and effort into researching and publishing before I enrolled into a PhD. Often, my profile was far higher than those that had a PhD - yet I was not 'allowed into the club until i had one'. When it happened, it was an anti-climax. I didn't feel any different and, if anything, jumping through the PhD hoops held me back from doing my 'natural thing'. It, to me as well, is definitely just another piece of paper - no matter how unpopular that might sound.
Yes - my RG, Google Scholar, Scopus, H-index etc score is well ahead of my School colleagues - but 'we currently don't talk about it' - until perhaps we have to.
Dear Dean,
I thought as much and looked at your profile before writing the response........but I know that everyone on Researchgate feels the same! We are all contributing to these discussion boards because we participate in and passionately believe in, the academic vision of the pursuit of excellence. We are the most open, but yet exclusive, club in the world. Here you can not hide behind paper qualifications. If you are starting out or an old hand you are judged by all by the quality of your reasoned arguments and open willingness to share knowledge.
All sounds a bit gushing - but if you are not openly part of this and/or Google scholar etc you really are not an academic.
Hi Ray,
Not 'gushing' at all. It is what it is. If you belong to a good club then, as you rightly suggest, be an active contributor. There is 'no place to hide' and, in my experience, colleagues, peers, students etc soon find you out - if you try to hide behind the PhD. There's far more to life. That said, tomorrow is our College's Graduation Day Ceremony. All pomp and ceremony - but I actually enjoy it. It gives the student's a chance to 'shine' - and celebrate their achievements. The doctoral students tend to be 'centre-stage' and that might help to 'inflate' the achievement.
I suppose there is no formal qualification or a "degree" per se when it comes to academics. PhD, PostDoc, DSc all look good only on the resume nothing else. I very much agree that academics and research is all about contributing and publishing or communicating your work. Having said that, what is next after PhD?.. well one can't have another "Dr" preceding a "Dr" so either DSc or some another acronym but what matters is the creativity lying up in the head in finding innovation... that according to me is what academics and research is all about and not PhD or DSc or any other acronyms
As a newly graduated doctoral student I stand in awe of the depth and intricacy of this discussion. Your ideas and thoughts are very motivating as I try to navigate my way through the scholarly jungle. In my opinion one of the positives of the academic profession is that it keeps one humble - you are only as good as your last publication (even if you have joined the PhD club).
Post Doctoral... and Do more research on co-realated area. while you have degree (Phd,Post Doc) . Then we need to only focus on main area as well as co-realted area on my point of view.
I agree with Islam Saadeldin in saying that a PhD is not enough. We need to nurture our degree title with practice, and multidisciplinary transaction towards expertise.
The next qualification after a PhD is horizontal certification. Adding advanced knowledge and skills horizontally through certification to develop expertise and major focus of specialization. Examine the demands of labor market and match with your current competence. Develop generic skills to increase flexibility and relevance in the labor industry. Make your knowledge and skills certified and marketable. Create a borderless profession with PhD.
Dear Dr. Dean Whitehead,
A doctorate degree (PhD, DSc, LLD, ...) is the last step of educational ladder. But knowledge has no such boundary it continues. We define such scholars professors / scientists/ ... Distinguished Scholar / .. and may entitled to get awarded degrees 2nd and 3rd (multiple) Doctorate degrees.
Generally speaking the PhD degree is the highest, however, in some countries, the following degrees are considered even higher than PhD:
Doctor of Science (DSc), Doctor of Divinity (D.D.), Doctor of Civil Law (DCL), etc.
In Bulgaria for instance, the Doctor of Science is awarded in recognition of a substantial contribution to scientific knowledge beyond that required for a PhD. In other words, you need to obtain a PhD degree first, and after that you can pursuit the DSc.
Hi Stefan,
Is the DSc in Bulgaria an honorary award - as you suggest that it is given for 'recognition of contribution - or does it still require further coursework and/or research?
@Dean
in some countries DSc (or habilitatus) is not awarded - it is defended, the same way as PhD
In Bulgaria, the DSc requires writing a doctoral dissertation which can't repeat the PhD dissertation and shouldn't consists of more than 30% similarity between the two dissertations.
There are also other requirements which should be fulfilled. For instance, the candidate has to show evidence of published articles (some of which as a first author, a few as the only author and also publications in an international magazine).
I think, even here in the UK, some degrees like Doctor of Divinity (D.D.), Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.), Doctor of Science (D.Sc.), etc. are considered higher than the normal PhD degree and are called Higher Doctorates.
That's interesting Stefan. I'm not sure that I have ever come across that before. I'm from the UK (although have been in Australasia for the past 12-years) and, while you are correct on the D.Litt etc, I think that they are structured differently to the Bulgaria model. I wonder if other countries do similar to Bulgaria?
I spent 10-years in New Zealand and, certainly where I worked, the likes of the D.Litt were honorary awards.
What will be the next qualification after a PhD?
After completing their PhD, some people are pursuing post-doc research, some are pursuing other / more PhD(s), some are going back to industry for better salary package etc. Remembered one of the goals to pursue PhD is for knowledge contribution - not sure is there any higher qualification that its goal is higher than knowledge contribution? Also if there is a need for a higher qualification after PhD - what will be the need(s) to justify this qualification? How can the higher qualification (higher than PhD) contributes to the betterment of human mankind?
for me i don't feel that i satisfied by the PHD degree( satisfaction that based on my personal feeling of my capability of mastering sciences in field i got the degree) i think this is because a PHD by research is mainly focus on the topic you selected rather than the sciences it covered. i suggest postdoctoral certificate proving that the PHD holder of certain subject should have all knowledge related to that subject and once asked should a reference
Dear Dean,
In general, a PhD is the highest degree you can get. A postdoc is simply a research position that is not permanent, i.e. no fixed contract or tenure.
greetings
KS Al-Niaeem
Doing Research, Publication, Research Group, Teach MSc, PhD, promote to Professor Level.
Hi Prasanna - I would imagine that varies between countries and institutes.
Best,
Dean
Hi Sadia - part of the support network on RG. It's not my field - but I hope that something comes of your request. Well done on graduating very soon!!
Dear Dean Whitehead Sir / Islam Saadeldin Sir / Rajeev Dwivedi Sir / all others,
Sorry for my belated reply.
In India, after Ph.D one may go for higher (additional) academic qualifications like D.Litt / D.Sc. / LL.D. The details are as follows:
(1) D.Sc (Doctor of Science) is relevant for Ph.Ds in Science, Engineering and allied disciplines. [D.Sc is not often preferred for Arts, Humanities and such other disciplines, including law. See items (2) and (3) below]. However, in some universities D.Sc can be pursued even by Ph.Ds in Management / Business; like D.Sc in Management Science. Of course, there are no universally accepted norms for the above categorization.
(2) D.Litt (Doctor of Literature OR Doctor of Letters) is the relevant higher doctoral degree for Ph.Ds in Arts, Humanities and such other disciplines. In some universities even Ph.Ds in Law pursue D.Litt in Law discipline, because those universities might noy be offering LL.D degree. D.Litt is not often open to Ph.Ds in Science, Engineering and allied disciplines; quite naturally.
(3) LL.D (Doctor of Laws), as the name suggests, is the highest doctoral qualification for Ph.Ds in Law / allied disciplines. This degree is not at all relevant (nor allowed) for Ph.Ds in disciplines other than Law.
The above is the general nature of higher doctoral degrees, as per the norms followed by Universities in India. In India, such higher doctoral degrees fetch some weight (marks) during the selection / nomination of Senior Professors; not often at lower levels (upto Professor).
Criteria for admission to all higher doctoral degrees in India are more or less the same. Ph.D with high quality publication (preferably in SCI Journals, especially for Science / Engineering disciplines) over a period of 3 to 10 years (maximum 15 years) AFTER the relevant Ph.D degree.
My special thanks to Islam Saadeldin Sir for your attachment (book entitled, "A Ph.D is not enough") - a very interesting and informative book for researchers at all levels, right from the beginners to stalwarts.
Thank you all, for all your meaningful insights related to your home countries.
With regards,
MANOJ P K; D.Litt (Economics), Ph.D (Economics), Ph.D (Management)
CUSAT, KERALA, INDIA.
Dear Whitehead,
In a formal education setting a PhD is the highest degree of a higher learning with all its different variants, that offers the highest conceptual form of formal (epistemic) knowledge needed in a particular field, to function.
In some European countries they offer another additional certificate called habilitation after people completed their PhD degree for a more robust and research centered capability to advise or guide researchers and doctoral students, which in other countries are accomplished by seasoned professors with long standing teaching and research experiences and results.
Qualification by definition is an academic training that will rise the level or scaffolding of of knowledge and conceptual tower for someone, which both are not clear beyond PhD in one specific field of study, except cross fertilization of knowledge which is doable at this level.
In a sense of truth, qualification beyond PhD is life(the highest of the high, school of non epistemic knowledge) effective professional performances either in teaching or research, or in other works of assignments, which a PhD degree offers the highest academic qualifications.
Regards,
There are two degrees higher than a PhD.
---First is the post-doctorate*, which is research carried out after a doctorate, often together with a teaching position.
---The highest degree is a higher doctorate, which is awarded on the basis of a formally submitted portfolio of published research of a particularly high standard.
There are two degrees higher than Ph.D. One is Post-Doctorate Fellowship, which is towards research after Ph.D. and second is Higher Doctorate which is awarded on the basis of a formally submitted portfolio of published research contribution.
Some interesting answers about the issue of qualifications after Ph.D.
https://www.quora.com/What-degrees-are-higher-than-a-PhD
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