The list of doctoral degrees awarded by country includes all doctoral degrees worldwide.
Argentina
Doctor of Applied Science Doctor of Basic Science Doctor of Science Doctor of Arts Doctor of Administration Doctor of Chemistry Doctor of Informatics Doctor of Criminology Doctor of Design Doctor of Education Doctor of Engineering Doctor of Law Doctor of Literature Doctor of Medicine Doctor of Music Doctor of Philosophy Doctor of Physical Education Doctor of Psychology Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Doctor of Social Science
Czech Republic and Slovakia
The system of Czech and Slovak doctoral degrees has been inherited from Czechoslovakia and is for a large part identical.
Doctoral degrees gained after graduation Doctor of medicine (Medicinæ universæ doctor – MUDr.) Doctor of dental medicine (Medicinæ dentium doctor – MDDr.) Doctor of veterinary medicine (Medicinæ veterinariæ doctor – MVDr.) These degrees are written before the name and are considered as professional doctorates comparable to the US Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degree.
Doctoral degrees gained by thesis, viva voce and rigorous examination Doctor of philosophy (Doktor filozofie – PhDr.) Doctor of natural sciences (Rerum naturalium doctor – RNDr.) Doctor of pharmacy (Pharmaciæ doctor – PharmDr.) Doctor of laws (Juris utrisque doctor – JUDr.) Doctor of paedeutics (Paedagogiæ doctor – PaedDr., no longer used in the Czech Republic) Doctor of theology (Theologiæ doctor – ThDr.) Doctor of economy (Rerum commercialum doctor – RCDr., no longer used) Doctor of social sciences (Rerum socialium doctor – RSDr., deprecated – used by the Czechoslovak communist regime) These degrees are written before the name.
Doctoral degrees gained after a rigorous examination are popularly called small doctorate (malý doktorát in Czech or Slovak). Applicants need a master's degree or a post-graduate degree (5 years+) comparable to Master level or higher and have to write a thesis of 50,000-80,000 words and defend this thesis in a viva voce and a rigorous examination in at least 2-3 subjects.
Doctoral degrees gained after post-graduate study Candidate of Sciences (Candidatus scientiarum – CSc., replaced by common Ph.D. in the Czech Republic in 1998 and by PhD. in Slovakia in 1996) Doctor of philosophy (Philosophiae doctor – Ph.D. or PhD., awarded since 1998 and 1996, respectively; requires at least 3–5-year doctoral study and coursework of 120-180 Credits) Doctor of theology (Theologiae doctor – Th.D.) – doctoral study in theology Doctor of sciences (Doctor scientiarum – DrSc. (no longer used in the Czech Republic); prerequisite: a Ph.D.-level degree) These degrees are written after the name.
Doctoral degrees gained after post-graduate study are popularly called great doctorate (velký doktorát in Czech).
Other doctoral degrees Doctor of sciences (Doctor scientiarum – DSc) - highest appreciation of scientific work, granting from the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Honorary Doctorate (Doctor honoris causa – Dr.h.c.) – honorary degree, usually it is not in use. These degrees are written after the name.
Both Czech and Slovak orthography state that the 'philosophiae doctor' is abbreviated as 'PhD.' in analogy to all of the other degrees, however, perhaps under influence of international use of 'Ph.D.', this foreign form is used in the Czech Law of the Academic and Scientific Degrees.Czech law No. 111/1998 Sb.—The University Law (in Czech) In fact, Czech lawgivers have enacted an orthographical mistake.
Denmark The Danish ph.d. degree has no further subdivisions and grants the holder the postposed title of ph.d.. The higher doctor grants the holder the title of dr. or doktor. In the case of an honorary doctorate, h.c. (honoris causa) is added. The higher doctorate is issued in varieties dependent on the field: dr.agro. (doctor agronomiae) – Agronomy dr.jur. (doctor juris) – Law dr.ling.merc. (doctor linguae mercantilis) – Business language dr.med. (doctor medicinae) – Medicine dr.med.vet. (doctor medicinae veterinariae) - Veterinary medicine dr.merc (doctor mercaturae) – Business economics dr.odont. (doctor odontologiae) – Odontology dr.oecon. (doctor oeconomices) – Economy dr.pharm. (doctor pharmaciae) – Pharmacy dr.phil. (doctor philosophiae) – Philosophy dr.polit. (doctor politices) – Economics dr.psyk. (doctor psychologiae) – Psychology dr.pæd. (doctor pædagogiae) – Pedagogics dr.rer.soc (doctor rerum socialium) – Social science dr.scient. (doctor scientiarum) – Natural sciences dr.scient.adm. (doctor scientiarum administrationis) – Administration dr.scient.ant. (doctor scientiarum anthropologicarum) – Anthropology dr.scient.pol (doctor scientiarum politicarum) – Political science dr.scient.soc. (doctor scientiarum socialium) – Sociology dr.techn. (doctor technices) – Technology/engineering dr.theol. (doctor theologiae) – Theology
Finland This list is comprehensive list of doctoral decrees granted by Finnish universities, based on the Government decree on university degrees. The English translations are official.Annex to the Government Decree on University Degrees (Asetus yliopistojen tutkinnoista, 794/2004) Retrieved 5-5-2008. Partly English. Elintarviketieteiden tohtori – Doctor of Food Science Eläinlääketieteen tohtori – Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Farmasian tohtori– Doctor of Science (Pharmacy) Filosofian tohtori – Doctor of Philosophy Hallintotieteiden tohtori – Doctor of Administrative Sciences Kasvatustieteen tohtori – Doctor of Philosophy (Education) Kauppatieteiden tohtori – Doctor of Science (Economics and Business Administration) Kuvataiteen tohtori – Doctor of Fine Arts Liikuntatieteiden tohtori – Doctor of Philosophy (Sport and Health Sciences) Lääketieteen tohtori – Doctor of Medical Science Maatalous- ja metsätieteiden tohtori – Doctor of Science (Agriculture and Forestry) Musiikin tohtori – Doctor of Music Oikeustieteen tohtori – Doctor of Laws Psykologian tohtori – Doctor of Psychology Taiteen tohtori – Doctor of Arts (Art and Design) Tanssitaiteen tohtori – Doctor of Arts (Dance) Teatteritaiteen tohtori – Doctor of Arts (Theater and Drama) Tekniikan tohtori – Doctor of Science (Technology) or Doctor of Science (Architecture) Teologian tohtori – Doctor of Theology Terveystieteiden tohtori – Doctor of Health Sciences Valtiotieteiden tohtori – Doctor of Social Sciences Yhteiskuntatieteiden tohtori – Doctor of Social Sciences
France Doctorat: Ph.D. equivalent. Traditional mentions are : Doctorat ès lettres: Doctorate of Letters. Doctorat ès sciences:Doctorate of Science. Doctorat en droit; Doctorate of Laws. Diplôme d'État de docteur (State Degree of Doctor): professional doctorate equivalent. Diplôme d'État de chirurgien dentiste: Doctor of Dental Surgery. Diplôme d’État de docteur en médecine: Doctor of Medicine. Diplôme d'État de docteur en pharmacie: Doctor of Pharmacy. Diplôme d'État de docteur vétérinaire: Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. Until 1984 existed a higher doctorate called Doctorat d'État and a junior doctorate called Doctorat de troisième cycle.
Germany Dr. h.c. (Doctor honoris causa - honorary doctor), but: Dr.-Ing. E.h. (German: ehrenhalber) Dr.-Ing. (Doktor der Ingenieurwissenschaften - engineering, sometimes Computer Science) Dr. iur. (Doctor iuris - law), also: Dr. jur. although this is not the correct spelling Dr. iur. utr. (Doctor iuris utriusque - both Laws, secular and Canon Law, "Doktor beider Rechte" (weltliches und kanonisches Recht)) Dr. habil. (Doctor habilitatus - professorial qualification, higher doctorate awarded to candidates who finished the habilitation) Dr. oec. pub. (Doctor œconomiae publicae - business administration ("Betriebswirtschaftslehre") or macro- and micro-economics ("Volkswirtschaftslehre")) Dr. theol. (Doctor theologiae - theology) Dr. paed. (Doctor paed. - education ("Doktor der Pädagogik")) Dr. phil. (Doctor philosophiae - most of the humanities) Dr. rer. medic. and Dr. med. sci.(Doctor rerum medicinalium - "Doktor der Medizinwissenschaften", Doctor of Medical Science) Dr. rer. physiol. (Doctor rerum physiologicarum - Doctor of Biomedicine and or Human Biology) Dr. rer. nat. (Doctor rerum naturalium - literally "Doctor of natural things" - all natural sciences, mathematics and computer science) Dr. rer. biol. hum. (rerum biologiae humanae) - "Doctor of Human Biology" Dr. rer. soc. (Doctor rerum socialium. - social sciences ("Doktor der Sozialwissenschaften")) Dr. rer. pol. (Doctor rerum politicarum - economics, business administration, sociology and related subjects) Dr. med. (Doctor medicinae - medicine), also Dr. med. dent. for dentists and Dr. med. vet. for veterinarians
Ireland
Doctor of Governance (DGov)
Netherlands The Netherlands does not distinguish between different research doctorates bestowed by research universities. All research doctorates are Ph.D. without any further specification. Under Dutch law only those with a PhD can use the title "doctor".
The Netherlands has one professional doctorate in Engineering bestowed by the (research) universities of technology (first abbreviated as PDEng - professional doctorate in engineering but since renamed to EngD).
Since 2023, Dutch Universities of Applied Sciences have been piloting a Professional Doctorate (UAS-PD), a practice-oriented doctoral program designed to develop research professionals within applied sciences. Unlike traditional PhD programs, the UAS-PD emphasizes solving practical challenges in professional contexts. Van Houten critically compares the UAS-PD with professional doctorates in the United Kingdom. He posits that anglo-saxon professional doctorates that contain a clear academic component, related to a specific profession, but are furthermore largely comparable to a Dutch PhD. The proposed Dutch UAS-PD is however more practice oriented which may create challenges related to international recognition of the degree. The programme features identified as particularly relevant to its recognition include the institution’s awarding powers, admission routes, required research outputs, viva or defence requirements and the involvement of external examiners. The exact naming of a future title was still not settled upon by mid 2026.
Doctor / PhD Engineering Doctorate (EngD) - legal status in process of legalisation as of April 2026 https://www.cursor.tue.nl/en/news/2026/maart/week-4/government-to-formally-recognize-engd-and-hbo-doctorate Professional Doctorate (PD) - legal status in process of legalisation as of April 2026https://www.cursor.tue.nl/en/news/2026/maart/week-4/government-to-formally-recognize-engd-and-hbo-doctorate
Pakistan
Doctor of Medicine (MD) Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Doctor of Science (DSc) Doctor of Law Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) Doctor of Nutrition and Dietetics (DND) Doctor of Physiotherapy (DPT) Fellow of College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (FCPS) doctor of optometry (OD)
South Africa See: List of universities in South Africa Doctor of Philosophy (PhD or DPhil) offered at Traditional Universities Doctor of Engineering (DEng or DIng) offered at Traditional Universities Doctor of Science (DSc) offered at Traditional Universities; may be the Higher doctorate in Science Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) Offered at Business Schools Doctor of Literature and Philosophy (DLitt et Phil) offered at the University of South Africa and other formerly Afrikaans Universities Doctor of Technology (DTech, also "Doctor Technologiae") offered at the Universities of Technology Doctor of Laws (LLD) offered at South African Law schools; at some, the Higher doctorate in Law - see Doctor of Law#South Africa
Sri Lanka
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD or DPhil) Doctor of Science (DSc) Doctor of Laws (LLD) Doctor of Letters (DLitt) Doctor of Medicine (MD) Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
United Kingdom