Accredited Online Doctorate Degree

by Debra Larson

An overview of an Accredited Online Doctorate Degree

A Doctoral student is expected to take advanced courses in their selected fields of study through independent studies or small seminars. The coursework will typically cover 3-4 semesters of thorough full-time study. Once you have satisfactorily completed your coursework, you will have to prove that you acquired all the necessary background to go ahead with an independent research phase of your accredited online doctorate degree program. This you do by taking and passing an oral and/or written Doctoral qualifying examination.

The examination is administered by the candidate’s committee made up of 3-5 professors in your program who commonly agree to guide, mentor and oversee you throughout your research. You will then pursue an original research and write a dissertation about the research, the length of a book. When you feel you have completely finished the dissertation for your accredited online doctorate degree, you must defend its conclusions orally before the preferred committee. When everything goes successfully, you will be conferred with the title “doctor”.

Classification of accredited online doctorate degree

  • Higher Doctorates – this is a higher rank of research doctorate degrees conferred after a formal submission of a portfolio of a published research that equals extremely high standards.
  • Honorary Doctorates – this is bestowed upon an individual recognized for contributions to a certain field or due to humanitarian efforts and the student don’t have to meet the normal requirements required to earn a degree.
  • Professional Doctorates – awarded in particular fields where students don’t always engage mainly in scholarly research but in a profession such as ministry, music, medicine, law, etc.
  • Research Doctorates – awarded to learners who have written a publishable academic research and mastered all research methods proven by a comprehensive exam and grades.

Importance of accredited education at the Doctoral level

Accreditation is crucial because only then will you know that your years of study have not been wasted. Only when you get an accredited online doctorate degree will you be able to use it professionally. Ensure you look at the accreditation of an institution before committing your time, money and effort.