Professional PhD all the go for business

The traditional PhD is falling out of favour with business and industry, an Australian academic argues in new paper.

Employers want research-capable staff with relevant commercial skills and experience to enhance the company’s competitive edge.

The traditional PhD is falling out of favour with business and industry because the professional doctorate is more suited to their needs, an Australian academic argues in new paper.

Michael Jones, an associate professor in management at the University of Wollongong, says the professional doctorate is a better fit for industry because the degree delivers broader skills in areas such as research and presenting.

Dr Jones says employers also want research-capable staff with relevant commercial skills and experience to enhance the company’s competitive edge.

“These (professional doctorate) students are seen as presenting optimum value for an employer,” he writes.

Dr Jones, who has a background in electronics engineering, says industry often deems the traditional PhD as too narrow because it focuses on one disciple.

However, he argues that universities also are driving the “emphasis towards professional doctorate”.

“First, universities can make money by encouraging professional doctorate enrolments. Second, professional doctoral students create strong industry linkages which can be leveraged for research.”

A professional doctorate is a mix of coursework and a thesis, while a traditional PhD usually contains a small amount of coursework and a thesis of about 80,000 words.

In Australia, professional doctorates are offered in fields such as education, business, engineering, psychology, nursing and public health.

Dr Jones reviewed the literature on doctorates and examined the issues industry and universities faced to produce his article, “Contemporary Trends in Professional Doctorates”, which is published in Studies in Higher Education.

Dr Jones said that when students came to see him about undertaking a doctorate, the first question he asked them was: “Where do you want to work?”

If a student wanted a career as an academic he would recommend a traditional PhD, whereas if the student was keen on an area in industry he would suggest a professional doctorate. Dr Jones supervises both traditional PhD and professional doctorate students.

He said the professional doctorate was a different way of approaching a higher degree because the student had to sell their idea to industry.

“He can’t go up to them and say ‘this is what I want to do’ — some blue-sky idea,” Dr Jones said of his doctor of business administration student who is working with a large international security company.

“He has to deliver value for them in order for them to engage with him.”

However, Dr Jones said undertaking a professional doctorate did not preclude graduates from pursuing an academic career. For example, university education faculties employed former teachers with professional doctorates.