Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) vs Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)

Should I pursue a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) or a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) degree? What’s the difference between the two?

It’s a really good question. Embarking on either of these doctorates will involve a major commitment of my energy, time and finances. I want to be sure to choose the right one.

A PhD is a research degree for candidates who would like to pursue a career in academia and conduct research that contributes to business knowledge or theory. Essentially, a PhD candidate is focused on making a contribution to scholarship. PhD students often get financial support during the studies, either by a scholarship or through a position as research assistant. This makes a lot of sense given that PhD students depend on a solid financing plan but sometimes are sponsored by their universities because the university has an interest in their future publication. If the PhD student finally becomes a full time professor at a renowned business school and publishes in top journals, the university's reputation increases. Therefore, the investment pays off for the university in that case.

A DBA is a practitioner-based degree. Instead of developing new research and theories, you will use the existing body of literature to develop hands-on, practical solutions to problems in the workplace. The DBA is a professional doctorate that can be used to indicate a practitioner’s level of expertise in their chosen fields. In financing issues, DBA students, keep on earning money and may have some savings by which they can pay the tuition fees. They may also be able to tax-deduct their DBA expenses and most likely increase their salary once they have achieved their doctoral degree by gaining better positions. Some companies even fund DBA students, especially when they use data from their employers and when their research is relevant for their companies.

Based on University of Liverpool‘s website, both DBA and PhD programs have some similarities such as below:

• ·         Involve several years of study and research
• ·         Culminate in a thesis, usually tested in an oral exam (‘viva voce’)
• ·         Are equal in status, standing and challenge
• ·         Lead to a doctor’s title and can open up new horizons

Clearly, the difference between a PhD and DBA is that a PhD program is generally much broader and has different aspects from a research perspective, while in a DBA program, the problem a student has to explore or investigate is related to a specific business. As a Degree-seekers who are interested in a more academic career might consider a PhD, particularly those hoping to obtain faculty positions at a university. 

So, I think I should proceed on PHD because PhD is the path to a career as an academic. The degree will qualifies as scholars and the overall goal is to start a career as a fulltime professor at any universities.