Doctor of Science

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D.Sc., Sc.D., S.D., or Dr.Sc. are common abbreviations for the Latin Scientiae Doctor, meaning Doctor of Science.

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[edit] North America

In the United States, the Doctor of Science is a doctoral degree equivalent to the Ph.D.[1]. The first North American Sc.D. was inaugurated by Harvard University in 1872 - when graduate studies first began at Harvard and the Ph.D. degree first introduced there [2]. The Doctor of Science degree is earned with the 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 neuro- and health economics[1].

Although much rarer than the Doctor of Philosophy, the Doctor of Science degree has long been awarded by major institutions, such as Harvard University[3], Johns Hopkins University[4], Massachusetts Institute of Technology[5], Tulane University[6], Washington University in St. Louis[7]. In effort to standardize doctoral degree conferral at these large research institutions, the Ph.D. has often replaced the Sc.D[8]. For instance, the doctoral degree in biostatistics at Harvard recently changed from Sc.D. to Ph.D. - even though the doctoral-degree structure, requirements, and doctoral academic regalia have remained identical[8]. As well, 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, as well as the engineering programs at the Washington University in St. Louis and The George Washington University.

In everyday lay usage, it is commonplace and acceptable to refer to an Sc.D. as a Ph.D.[9][10][11] Distinction is usually made in formal professional academic settings.

[edit] 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, typically having 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 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.

[edit] 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 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. In the French-speaking part of Switzerland the Dr.Sc. is called Doctorat ès sciences techniques, abbreviated dr. ès. sc. and awarded by the École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne. Despite the somewhat different name it is considered to be the same degree since Dr.Sc. is the formal name of the degree in the German and English languages.

[edit] 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 Sao Paulo, the doctorate title is the second highest academic title given by the state's universities (University of Sao Paulo - USP, State University of Campinas - UNICAMP and Sao Paulo State University - UNESP).

[edit] Former USSR

In the former Soviet Union and the various post-Soviet states, the status of Doktor nauk literally means "Doctor of Science", but is a post-doctoral degree and has no Western equivalent.

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ a b Research Doctorate Programs. U.S. Department of Educaiton. Retrieved on 2007-11-07.
  2. ^ History and Organization. Harvard and Radcliffe and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Retrieved on 2007-11-07.
  3. ^ An Explanation of Degree Abbreviations. President and Fellows of Harvard College. Retrieved on 2007-11-07.
  4. ^ DOCTORAL PROGRAMS AT THE SCHOOL. Johns Hopkins University. Retrieved on 2007-11-07.
  5. ^ Ph.D/Sc.D. MIT. Retrieved on 2007-11-07.
  6. ^ Tulane University Graduate Programs: Medicine. Tulane University. Retrieved on 2007-11-07.
  7. ^ Doctoral Program Guide. Department of Computer Science & Engineering, Washington University in St. Louis. Retrieved on 2007-11-07.
  8. ^ a b HSPH Department of Biostatistics Now Offering PhD Degree. Harvard School of Public Health. Retrieved on 2007-11-07.
  9. ^ Research Vacancy details. The European Researcher's Mobility Portal. Retrieved on 2007-11-07.
  10. ^ {PDF) OUTLINES OF INSTITUTE. The National Institute for Physiological Sciences. Retrieved on 2007-11-07.
  11. ^ New Orleans: Tulane University Medical Center. Health Training. Retrieved on 2007-11-07.
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