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Eliminating the confusion over the EdD and PhD in colleges and schools of education

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Abstract

This article argues that despite an absence of distinctions in implementation, there are perceived and actual differences between the Ed.D. and Ph.D. degrees in education. Failure to make the distinctions in administering the degrees has caused confusion among faculty in other fields and within graduate schools. The article suggests that all doctoral degrees in education be changed to the Ph.D. with two tracks-one for scholars of practice and one for scholarly practitioners.

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In addition to his professional interests in administration and program development, he teaches and conducts research in educational gerontology and instructional methods. This article describes the dilemma of having two doctoral degrees in the field of education. The Ph.D. degree with two tracks is suggested as the solution.

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Courtenay, B.C. Eliminating the confusion over the EdD and PhD in colleges and schools of education. Innov High Educ 13, 11–20 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00898127

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