Contrary to popular belief, there are a variety of professional fields of business, industry and vocational careers that do not offer the option to study at doctorate level, but moreover some subjects that do offer a doctorate degree have proven not to enhance one’s career after completion.
With that being said, here, for your information, is a detailed look into the top six fields of research whereby the acquisition of a degree will directly benefit one’s career progression, paying particular attention to doctorates and how one would acquire one.
Necessary Skills and Attributes For The Undertaking Of Doctorate Degree
A plethora of required personality attributes and types of skill sets are needed to successfully complete a beneficial and career-enhancing – as well as wholly life-enhancing – professional undergraduate, postgraduate, or doctorate degree.
Such skillsets and personality strengths include but are categorically in no way limited to:
- Collaborative Skills
- Resilience and Strength of Character
- Experience in conflict resolution
- General Intelligence
- Leadership Skills
- Experience with managing people
- Entrepreneurial Initiative
- Time Management
- Emotional Stability
- Interpersonal Skills
- Networking Experience
- Analytical Skills
- Experience in conflict management
- Project Management Skills
- Ethics and Integrity
Benefits Of Studying At Professional Doctorate Level
There are many wide-reaching advantages to undertaking a PHD in your area of study that you are both passionate about and committed to. Within your studies and research practices, you will be exposed to methods of working, industry experts, and innovative science and mathematical theories that you would never be exposed to otherwise.
Professional doctorate degree programs provide an incredibly inspirational and practical learning experience in an exciting, challenging, and exceedingly rewarding environment working alongside genuine experts and world-class pioneers of your specific field of study. Your training will be focused on developing and nurturing your research skills and the practical application of your findings in a modern-day working environment, and you will be provided with the opportunity to create your own personalized global network by working and studying one or more modules overseas.
Now that the particular key skills, knowledge, experiences, and personality attributes that are necessary for the successful completion of a professional doctorate degree have been established, it is now time to explore the key areas of research that warrant the existence of a Ph.D. within them.
1. Engineering
Engineering is a stand-out area of academic study whereby a high proportion of doctorate degrees are set in throughout the United States and overseas. Most professional doctorate degrees in engineering are terminal research doctorates.
If you are a postgraduate of the field of engineering who is considering whether or not to advance your education and enroll on a professional doctorate in engineering, there are more than a few key points that may be helpful to consider whilst you decide on your next professional proverbial move.
- The relevance of your proposed research problem or question to the area of engineering industry that you intend of pursuing.
- The passion for academia within engineering over practical application of your knowledge and expertise
- Whether or not you want to concentrate your efforts on the advancement of technology, or else the analysis and improvement of said technology
- Are you ready for the huge and all-encompassing level of financial and emotional commitment that automatically accompanies such a professional doctorate degree
After the successful completion of a professional doctorate degree in engineering, there are around five main areas of specialism to enter.
- Chemical Engineering
- Aerospace Engineering
- Biomedical Engineering
- Computer Software Engineering
- Telecommunication Engineering
2. Chemistry
As in other areas of science, a Ph.D. is the highest possible qualification in chemistry that is possible to obtain. As a result, the research questions and problems in a postgraduate doctorate in chemistry are incredibly challenging and complex.
Unlike other Ph.Ds, chemistry degrees often take longer than the initial three or four years stated by colleagues, graduates, and lecturers during the enrolment process, and this is due to several key reasons. Firstly, laboratory work and related experiments to your doctorate may mean you experience delays or need to repeat experiments, which will lengthen your study time. Additionally, the duration of your professional doctorate in chemistry also depends on the specific nature of your individual dissertation, the length of time it takes to complete said dissertation, and the specific type of research you are conducting.
After the entirety of your intense Ph.D. studies, you will be afforded the opportunity to pursue a career progression path in the following areas, although this list is by no means exclusive:
- Chemistry Professor
- Chemistry Researcher
- Chemical Engineer
- Environmental Science Specialist
- Medicinal Chemist
- Materials Chemist
3. Criminal & Legal Justice
Usually, those individuals who want to enroll in a professional doctorate degree in criminology, criminal justice, or legal justice are expected to possess a postgraduate master’s degree of an upper second-class honors grading or higher.
Criminology degrees, be those undergraduate, postgraduate, or professional doctorate degrees, are among the most popular to take, especially throughout the United States.
The knowledge in different areas acquired when studying at the doctorate level in the criminal and legal justice sector include, but are in no way limited to:
- Policing, court, and offender probation
- Environmental action
- Human rights policy
- Activism
- Prison work and the work of prison psychologists and officers
- Community building
- Alternative and community sanctions
- Offender rehabilitation
- Service providers for drug addiction
- Local authority crime prevention tactics
- Third sector service providers of crime prevention
- Matters of local and national security
4. Healthcare
There is a wide plethora of available doctorates in medicine, nursing, and healthcare, and no matter what field of specialism you decide upon, you will be afforded an incredibly detailed and extensive wealth of knowledge and practical experience in your chosen area of healthcare.
Healthcare Ph.Ds that are available for study in both the United States and the United Kingdom and, indeed beyond, include but are categorically not limited to:
- Doctorate Medical Science
- Doctor of Clinical Psychology
- Doctor of Pharmacy
- Doctorate in Biomedical Science
- Doctorate in Health Service Management
- Doctorate in Nursing Science
- Doctorate in Public Health Care
Pursuing an online doctorate is the most popular and beneficial area of study. It is an area of research that is grounded in theory. The essential aim of the course is to provide a much deeper understanding, knowledge, and all-around awareness of nursing and nursing science.
Nursing science doctorate students are taught how to produce and develop their individual stylistic research skills that are reflective and objective. Such degree syllabuses are designed to promote the constructively critical acquisition of knowledge and self-reflection and help registered, professional nurses manage their own learning to promote high levels of critical understanding and the application of this understanding in a professional way.
Students enrolled in the program will extensively study the theory of nursing and practice and learn how to research specific and current issues objectively and in an in-depth fashion to become experts on it.
If you want to start a career in healthcare, the natural progression of further education starts with a bachelor’s degree in your chosen field of study, and this can be obtained through a variety of different ways, namely an online ABSN program from a renowned and established academic institution.
5. Creative Writing
Contrary to widely upheld and popular belief, doctorates in creative writing are just as academically challenging and simultaneously rewarding as more scientific and research-based courses.
Research within the creative writing sector has been and still is a growing area of interest and advancement, and a Ph.D. in Creative Writing usually culminates in the requirement of a book-length piece of work, usually fictional, which is written specifically for the degree program and is essentially ready to be published.
Doctorates in creative writing are geared towards research through creative practice and an accompanying dissertation analyzing and objectifying the work undergone to create the final literary masterpiece.
6. Cultural Studies
If your professional career is already involved with cultural and foreign studies, a doctorate would greatly benefit your career, especially as such programs are constantly evolving and updating to match the changing sociological landscape of the country and indeed the world over.
A doctorate in cultural studies encompasses aspects of humanities, social sciences, the arts, and even languages and literature studies as part of the study syllabus.
Cultural studies doctorates could include one or more of the following modules of study:
- Design History
- Spatial, Environmental, and Cultural Policies
- Transforming Gender and Sexuality
- Memory, Narrative, and Cultural Histories
- Applied Philosophy
- Ethics and Politics
Cultural studies is the complex and incredibly fascinating research and practical process of attempting to determine the formation of distinct and wholly separate cultures and the individual aspects within each one. Additionally, some syllabuses may concentrate on feminism, popular culture, ethnicity, racism, social hierarchies, gay and lesbian rights, and and nationalism.
Conclusion
Studying a Ph.D. is a huge challenge for anyone that takes up a lot of time. That’s why it’s important to do what you can so that you pick the right one for you. These options discussed are the top 6 in terms of future prospects and should be considered in great depth.