Doctor of Technology

The Doctor of Technology (abbreviated variously in different countries) is a degree normally conferred upon candidates after having completed a course of study in technology and a project of lengthy duration in a technologically related field. Like other doctorates, it is usually an academic degree at the highest level; the degree may rank below, alongside, or above the Ph.D. depending on the specifics of the national system within which it is awarded.

While the details of the degree vary, a doctor of technology program usually enables graduates to obtain an advanced level of knowledge in specialist fields and aims to produce graduates capable of advancing knowledge within their industry. The degree focuses on developing practical solutions in the workplace, critical analysis, synthesis, and innovation.

As a substantive degree

In South Africa, the Doctor of Technology or Doctor Technologiae (DTech) is equivalent to other research doctorates at level 10 of the South African National Qualifications Framework.[1] It is normally awarded by universities of technology and can be awarded in a wide variety of fields, not just technology.[2]

In the United States, the Doctor of Industrial Technology (D.I.T.) degree was recognized by the National Science Foundation (NSF) as equivalent to the Ph.D. degree until 2008, when it was determined that it had moved to a more professional orientation and no longer met the NSF criteria for a research doctorate.[3]

In Finland, the degree tekniikan tohtori (TkT) or teknologie doktor (Doctor of Science (Technology), D.Sc. (Tech.)) is comparable to a Finnish filosofian tohtori (Doctor of Philosophy).

In Sweden the situation is the same and the degrees are called teknologie doktor or teknisk doktor ("Tekn. Dr." or "Tek. Dr.") and are translated to Ph.D. in English.

The same can be stated for Austria, where universities of technology grant the title of "Dr.techn." or "Doctor scientiae technicorum" as an equivalent to the Ph.D.

Honorary degrees

The Doctor of Technology degree may also be awarded as an honorary degree, that is, given to individuals who have made extensive contributions to a particular field and not necessarily for specific academic accomplishments. It is usual to signify this by adding (h.c.) for honoris causa after D.Tech. or to refer to the award as Hon.D.Tech or Hon DTech. Robert Gordon University (Aberdeen, Scotland) is one example of an establishment which awards such a degree.[4]

At the British Columbia Institute of Technology, the Doctor of Technology is also an honorary degree.

Higher doctorates

In the United Kingdom the degree of Doctor of Technology (DTech) is offered as a higher doctorate by a number of universities.[5]

See also

References
  1. "Doctor of Technology: Business Administration". South African Qualifications Authority. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  2. "Find a course or degree". Cape Peninsula University of Technology. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  3. "Technical Notes". Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities: 2014. National Science Foundation. December 2015. Research doctoral degree. Retrieved 2017-04-23. As doctoral degree programs change to meet the needs of students, the orientation of the degrees they award may change from research to professional, and vice versa. Survey staff review degree programs to ensure that the designation of research doctorate remains appropriate. As a result of degree reviews in the past two data collections, survey staff identified several research doctoral degrees that shifted to a professional orientation. The doctor of music (DM) and the doctor of industrial technology (DIT) were both dropped from the SED in 2008, and the graduates (approximately 40 to 60 per year) who earn these doctoral degrees are no longer included in the SED.
  4. "RGU Honours Former Oil Executive". Robert Gordon University. 15 July 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2017. Trevor Garlick OBE has been awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Technology (Hon DTech) at Robert Gordon University’s graduation ceremony on Tuesday 12 July at 10.30am.
  5. Tina Barnes (2013). Higher Doctorates in the UK 2013 (PDF). UK Council for Graduate Education. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-9563812-7-9.
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