DPhil, PhD by Publication, Professional Doctorate, what’s the difference?

Every PhD is a doctorate, but not every doctorate is a PhD: what distinguishes them? Fadime Sahin outlines the key differences between doctorates in the UK higher education system.

This article is shared from the LSE Impact blog the article gives the views and opinions of the authors and does not reflect the views and opinions of the Impact of Social Science blog (the blog), nor of the London School of Economics and Political Science or Dementia Researcher. Shared under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) the original publication can be found at https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2026/10/01/dphil-phd-by-publication-professional-doctorate-whats-the-difference/

Doctoral students are asked to be students and scholars at once. They are learners, still acquiring the norms and judgement of academic practice. Yet, they are also expected to produce independent original research that meets the standards of academic scholarship itself.

The doctoral degree is the highest level of academic qualification. Yet in the UK, the research doctorate is only a century old. Oxford introduced the first British research doctorate programme (the DPhil) in 1917, more than a century after Germany and France introduced research PhDs in 1810.

It remains a niche qualification in demand, pursued by only 2% of UK adults aged 25-64, but enrolments are growing. In 2024/25, 121,175 postgraduate research students were enrolled across the UK, up almost six per cent since 2020/21.

HESA’s most recent higher education sector staff data records that 129,200 of the UK’s 244,755 academic staff hold a doctorate, that is just over half of the academic workforce (53%).

But a doctoral degree is not a single uniform award. The UK doctoral system is much more diverse than most students realise. Broadly, there are three different doctoral awards: subject-specialist doctorates, doctorates by publication and professional or practice-based doctorates.

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD or DPhil)

PhD stands for Doctor of Philosophy. The term doctor comes from the Latin docēre, meaning “to teach” or “to instruct”. The word philosophy derives from the Greek philo (love) and sophia (wisdom), referring to the “love, study or pursuit of wisdom, truth or knowledge”.

PhD is a subject-specialist doctorate and remains the most common doctoral qualification in the UK. It usually takes three to four years full-time or six to seven years part-time study, undertaken through supervised research. A PhD demonstrates independent research competence and, simultaneously, is the product of that process through which a researcher develops scholarly judgement, evaluates evidence and communicates appropriately. It is both a training ground for producing an original contribution to knowledge and the product of that scholarly formation.

A PhD can be examined through different types of research output, including a final thesis, an artefact or a composition (for example, an original musical work), usually accompanied by an oral examination (viva voce) to defend the research.

PhD by thesis is a single continuous monograph, typically 80,000-100,000 words long, though often shorter in STEM fields, involving many actors such as the doctoral student, supervisor(s), the department, external examiners and the university that awards the degree.

Some PhD programmes permit an “alternative format” or three-paper thesis, in which the candidate writes a set of articles, commonly three, intended for journal publication. This is administratively distinct from the separate award of a ‘PhD by publication’. In the alternative format, papers are produced prospectively as part of the doctoral research and examined under standard PhD regulations, whereas ‘PhD by publication’ is typically retrospective, built from work already published before or during registration.

Research‑focused master’s degrees – such as the MPhil (Master of Philosophy), MRes (Master of Research) or Master of Science (MSc) by Research – often serve as a stepping stone into a PhD.

Some universities also offer an Integrated PhD (iPhD), which is a structured doctoral programme that combines taught components with research training, usually over a four-year full-time route. Unlike the traditional PhD, which is centred almost entirely on independent supervised research, integrated doctorates include taught modules, research seminars, workshops and thesis preparation during the first year. Once the taught phase is completed, students begin their independent research and produce a thesis much like a conventional PhD.

PhD by Publication

Doctorates by publication – also called Thesis by Publication, PhD by Published Work – are awarded based on a body of peer-reviewed published output. This retrospective route allows a candidate – typically the university’s own academic, administrative or library staff or alumni – to submit a portfolio of work produced over a career within or outside of academia, such as journal articles, books, book chapters, creative outputs or collections of artifacts, accompanied by a substantial critical commentary linking the work together. The submission is examined through an oral defence, much like a standard viva.

In PhD by publication, the publications form the backbone of submissions, yet expectations differ considerably by institution and discipline – from what counts as a “publication”, to how many are required, the status of unpublished work and whether co-authored work or self-publishing are allowed.

Doctorates by publication have long been established in parts of Europe, notably Germany, Norway and Sweden, but were introduced much later in the UK, first appearing in 1966.

Professional Doctorates (ProfDoc)

Professional doctorates – also called Professional and Practice-based (or practitioner) Doctorates – form a distinct category of doctoral awards, designed to integrate academic study with the development of professional expertise. They normally combine a substantial taught component and work placements with a supervised research project that addresses real-life problems within the candidate’s field. They are designed to meet the needs of professions such as business, creative arts, education, engineering, law, nursing and psychology.

The UK’s first professional doctorate was introduced in 1989. Professional and practice‑based doctorates represent a small, yet meaningful share of the doctoral awards currently available in the UK. Unlike the traditional PhD, which is rooted in disciplinary research conducted within a university setting, professional doctorates situate inquiry directly in the workplace or professional context.

Professional doctorates are typically post‑experience qualifications and are often pursued by mid‑career professionals seeking to deepen or extend their practice. In some fields such as clinical psychology or education, they may be required for entry to the profession or serve as a license to practice. The titles usually follow the “Doctor of…” convention and include the name of the discipline in the award, for example Doctor of Education (EdD), Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), Doctor of Clinical Psychology (DClinPsy) or Engineering Doctorate (EngD).

Practice-based doctorates sit alongside professional doctorates but differ in orientation. They use practice itself as a research method and often involve creative or practice‑generated outputs such as performances, artefacts, designs or creative writing, which may not be best represented in written form and allow for innovative research practices.

Above these sits a separate, rarer tier: higher doctorates. Higher doctorates, typically the Doctor of Science (DSc or ScD) and the Doctor of Letters (DLitt). These are awarded, sometimes as honorary degrees, for a substantial, distinguished body of published research built up over a career, typically to established academics or practitioners rather than doctoral candidates.

For prospective students, UK universities offer a diverse range of doctoral pathways and understanding the differences between them matters. “Doing a doctorate” can mean different things depending on one’s career stage, profession, discipline and intended outcomes. Whether pursuing a traditional PhD, a PhD by publication or a professional doctorate, each path reflects a different relationship with research, practice and knowledge creation. Choosing the right path is not only about obtaining the highest academic qualification, but also selecting the type of doctoral study that best aligns with one’s goals and circumstances.

About the author

Dr Fadime Sahin is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Portsmouth, London. She writes regularly on UK higher education policy and finance for mainstream outlets, including Times Higher Education, Higher Education Policy Institute, LSE Business Review, Research Professional and University World News.