Types of Engineering Doctoral Degrees in the United States

A layperson might assume that engineering degrees are a simple tiered system where a student goes from associate to bachelor’s to master’s degree to, finally, a doctorate, perhaps with some branching academic career paths for engineering specialists. In truth, it’s a little more nuanced than that. For instance, if you were to look up doctor of engineering vs phd 210, you would find that they are two different degrees. They represent a similar level of academic achievement, but the benefits of a phd in engineering and the type of work that you will be able to claim with such a degree are going to differ from those of someone who has attained a doctor of engineering degree, even though your academic career paths, knowledge, and skills will have quite a bit of overlap.

So what’s the key difference between doctor of engineering vs phd? In some circles the two are referred to interchangeably, and various academic cultures around the world may not differentiate between the two at all. But in Western engineering, a phd is going to be more academic while a doctor of engineering is going to be more practical. A doctor of engineering may write research papers just like an engineering phd, but the doctor of engineering is going to be writing papers addressing specific problems that must be solved. A phd may be more concerned with theoretical and academic research, where a doctor of engineering’s work may point specifically towards, for instance, how to improve fuel economy in the trucking industry.

As you may have already guessed, a doctor of engineering salary may be a bit higher than a phd’s salary, and they will have a broader range of career options before them. A doctor of engineering may be contracted for research and design work by automotive and tech companies, they may be enlisted as a consultant by government agencies. The benefits of a phd in engineering 40 are nothing to sneeze at, of course, but benefits of a phd in engineering generally relate to academic areas. That is to say that a phd can write their own ticket at universities around the world, becoming a tenured and well-regarded professor with their work being cited in countless books and studies. But, their career path will generally be limited to the world of academics. Not every doctor of engineering salary​ is going to be in the six figure range, but where a phd can look for work at other universities, a doctor can look for work in any field where engineering skills are valued.

In terms of study, in a phd program, a student’s training will culminate in the writing of a thesis addressing a common challenge faced by practicing engineers. A doctor of engineering’s research is towards applied engineering, addressing specific problems rather than basic or general concerns and theories.

It is not hard to find worthwhile online doctor of engineering programs or more specific programs like training for a doctorate in engineering management distance learning. Online phd programs, being more academically oriented than online doctor of engineering programs 40 or a doctorate in engineering management distance learning 50 program, tend to be less comprehensive than you might want for a career that will largely be oriented around the university life.

If any of this sounds a little too broad, think of it this way: A phd in engineering is like a degree in literature. Becoming a doctor of engineering is like learning how to write novels. Each profession will draw on the work of the other, but the former is primarily oriented around theory, while the latter is oriented around practice.