Doctor of Science

Doctor of Science (Latin: Scientiæ Doctor), usually abbreviated D.Sc., Sc.D, S.D. or Dr.Sc., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries (such as the United States, Poland and Brazil) it is equivalent to the Ph.D., while in others (such as the UK, Ireland, Russia, the Czech Republic and several Commonwealth countries) it is a 'higher doctorate' awarded in recognition of a substantial and sustained contribution to scientific knowledge.

North America

In the United States, the Doctor of Science is an academic research doctoral degree. The Sc.D. is recognized by both the United States Department of Education and the National Science Foundation to be equivalent to the more commonly awarded Ph.D.

The first North American Sc.D. was inaugurated by Harvard University in 1872 - when graduate studies first began at Harvard, and where the Ph.D. and Sc.D. degrees were first introduced in the same year. The Doctor of Science degree is earned with the formal dissertation defense and approval of a committee on the basis of original research and publications, and it is awarded predominantly in doctoral-level science programs, such as engineering, information systems, medical and health sciences, and health economics.

Although rarer than the Doctor of Philosophy, the Doctor of Science degree has long been awarded by major institutions, such as Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Tulane University, Washington University in St. Louis. Doctoral programs at Johns Hopkins University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology that offer the Sc.D degree also offer the Ph.D. degree - and requirements for obtaining the two degrees are identical. Currently, doctoral-level research programs that offer the Sc.D. but not the Ph.D. degree include several doctoral programs at Harvard University and Boston University, and The George Washington University, the Information Systems and Communications degree at Robert Morris University, and the Applied Information Technology program at Towson University. Also there are programs where D.Sc and Ph.D consist different degree requirements, though two degrees officially are still considered equivalent. Engineering school at Washington University in St Louis, for example, require four more graduate standing courses in D.Sc program then Ph.D, which Ph.D require teaching assistance experience for at least one course. In some institutions, the Ph.D. sometimes replaces the Sc.D. For instance, the doctoral degree in biostatistics at Harvard recently converted from Sc.D. to Ph.D. - even though the doctoral-degree structure, requirements, and doctoral academic regalia have remained identical.

The formal Sc.D. academic research doctorate is not to be confused with unrelated professional degree programs such as D.Sc.P.T. (see below).

In everyday lay usage, it is acceptable and commonplace to refer to an Sc.D. as a Ph.D. Distinction is usually only made in formal academic settings.

The Commonwealth of Nations and Ireland

In Ireland and the countries of the Commonwealth, such as the United Kingdom and India, the degree of Doctor of Science is one of the Higher Doctorates. In some older universities it typically has precedence after Divinity, Laws or Civil Law, Medicine, and Letters, and above Music. The degree is conferred on a member of the university who has a proven record of internationally recognised scholarship. A candidate for the degree will usually be required to submit a selection of their publications to the board of the appropriate faculty, which will decide if the candidate merits this accolade. The degree will only exceptionally be awarded to a scholar under the age of forty. The first University to admit an individual to this degree was the University of London in 1860. In 1893 Maria Ogilvie was the first woman to receive this degree.

The status of the degree has declined because it is not widely understood, but in former times the doctorate in science was regarded as a greater distinction than a professorial chair and hence a professor who was also a D.Sc. would be known as Doctor. The Doctor of Science may also be awarded as an honorary degree, that is, given to individuals who have made extensive contributions to a particular field and not for specific academic accomplishments. It is usual to signify this by adding (h.c.) for honoris causa after D.Sc.

German language areas

In Germany, Austria, and the German-speaking part of Switzerland, the most common doctoral degrees in Natural Sciences are:

• Dr. rer. nat. - Doctor rerum naturalium, literally "Doctor of the things of nature"
• Dr. sc. nat. - Doctor scientiae naturalis, Doctor of Natural Sciences (less often used)

In these countries there are some related doctoral degrees with very similar names, these are the:

• Dr.sc.agr. - Doctor scientiarum agrariarum, Doctor of Agricultural science
• Dr.sc.hum. - Doctor scientiarum humanarum, Doctor of Humanities
• Dr.sc.inf.med. - Doctor scientiarum informaticarum medicæ, Doctor of Science in Medical Informatics
• Dr.sc.inf.biomed. - Doctor scientiarum informaticarum biomedicæ, Doctor of Science in Biomedical Informatics
• Dr.sc.math. - Doctor scientiarum mathematicarum, Doctor of Mathematics
• Dr.scient.med - Doctor scientiæ medicæ, Doctor of Medical Sciences
• Dr.sc.mus. - Doctor scientiae musicae, Doctor of Musicology
• Dr.sc.oec. - Doctor scientiarum oeconomicarum, Doctor of Economics
• Dr.sc.pol. - Doctor scientarium politicarum, Doctor of Political Sciences
• Dr.sc.soc. - Doctor scientiae socialis, Doctor of Social Sciences

All these doctoral degrees are equivalent to the Ph.D but are considered to be separate degrees and should not be confused with the actual Dr.Sc.. Until German Reunification, universities in East Germany also awarded the Dr.Sc.. However, the East German Dr.Sc. wasn't equivalent to the Ph.D since it was adopted to replace the German Habilitation and therefore was equivalent to this German qualification. After reunification the Habilitation was reintroduced at universities in eastern Germany.

In Switzerland, the Dr.Sc. is a doctoral degree awarded by the two Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology, only. The Swiss Dr.Sc., like the D.Sc. in the US, is equivalent to the Ph.D, is earned with the approval of a committee on the basis of original research, publications, and extensive applied professional contributions and is awarded in doctoral level science and technology programs. Since 2004 the Dr.Sc. is the only doctoral degree awarded by the ETH Zurich. The École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne awards several different doctoral degrees, including Docteur ès sciences techniques and Docteur ès sciences, abbreviated dr. ès. sc. tech. and dr. ès. sc., respectively. However, all doctoral titles currently awarded by the EPFL are translated into English as Ph.D.

Thailand

Higher education institutes in Thailand normally grant Ph.D. for doctoral degree, but some universities such as Chulalongkorn University grant D.Sc. In exception, Mahidol University can grant both Ph.D. and D.Sc. Doctoral student in Faculty of Science always graduated with Ph.D., but some other Colleges or Faculties grant D.Sc.

Other European Union countries

In Poland "Doctor of Sciences" is equivalent to Ph.D. Doctoral degrees in Poland are similar to degrees awarded in Germany (Doctor of Agricultural science, Doctor of Medical Sciences etc). Just like in Germany and Austria - habilitation in Poland is the highest academic qualification.

In Czech Republic "Doctor of Sciences" (DrSc. behind the name) is equivalent in the degree of Doctor of Science in the sense in which the DSc is used in the Commonwealth and is the highest academic qualification.

Brazil

Most doctorate titles given in Brazil can be classified into two large groups:

1. Doutor em (Doctor in) field studied such as: Doutor em Medicina (Doctor in Medicine), Doutor em Teologia (Doctor in Theology), Doutor em Farmácia (Doctor in Pharmacy).

2. Doctor in Science (D.Sc.) followed by the concentration area (program field).

Both kinds of doctorate are equivalent and obtained in Graduate School after satisfactory evaluation of knowledge, research accomplishment and thesis defense. This doctorate is comparable to a PhD program found in other countries. In the state of São Paulo, the doctorate title is the second highest academic title given by the state's universities (University of São Paulo - USP, State University of Campinas - UNICAMP and São Paulo State University - UNESP).

Japan, South Korea, China

In these countries usually Dr. Sc. is equivalent to US Ph. D. degree in science and obtained in Graduate School after satisfactory evaluation of knowledge, research accomplishment and thesis defense.

Former USSR and some of the ex-Socialist Bloc countries

In the former Soviet Union and the various post-Soviet states and in some of the former Socialist Bloc countries, the status of Doktor nauk literally means "Doctor of Sciences", but is a post-doctoral degree and has no American equivalent but does have a Western equivalent in the degree of Doctor of Science in the sense in which the DSc is used in the Commonwealth.

Other Professional Programs

Unrelated to the formal Sc.D. academic research doctorate, other unrelated professional DSc-like tangential degrees are offered as a post-professional degree. Examples include the Doctor of Science in Dentistry (D.Sc.D.), or Doctor of Science in Physical Therapy (D.Sc.P.T.). In contrast to the formal academic research Sc.D. that are equivalent to PhD programs, unrelated "DSc-like" professional programs prepare students to pursue professional or practice-oriented direction. Professional DSc-like degree holders cannot substitute or refer to the degree as a PhD.