Doctor of Philosophy

The Doctor of Philosophy, (PhD, Ph.D., DPhil or D.Phil.) is a degree which a person gets from a university by finishing a doctorate program. In many areas of study, the PhD / DPhil is the highest degree that a person can earn. This is called the "terminal degree". There are PhD / DPhil degrees for many different fields. Examples of these include PhDs / DPhils in literature, philosophy, history, science, mathematics and engineering. Some PhD / DPhil degrees have existed for hundreds of years, such as a PhD / DPhil in Canon Law. Other PhD / DPhil degrees were developed in the 1970s and 1980s, such as the PhD / DPhil in computer science.