Key Takeaways
A practice-focused doctorate can prepare you for leadership, applied research, and advanced practitioner roles without requiring a traditional dissertation.
A traditional dissertation can require intensive original research and a public defense, which can be a big undertaking for working adults with other priorities.
Online non-dissertation programs offer flexible formats and alternative final projects, making a doctorate more achievable for working professionals.
You can definitely earn a doctorate without having to write a dissertation, by enrolling in a professional degree program.
Professional degrees are designed for working professionals who want to excel in their careers, hold leadership positions, and practice licensed professions within fields such as law, medicine, and social sciences.
Even though these doctoral degrees don't have students write lengthy dissertations, they still require rigorous capstone projects or supervised clinical hours practicing in the field.
In this article, we'll get into the most common doctorates without dissertations, what they require, and who they're best suited for.
What Does a Doctorate Without a Dissertation Require Instead?
A dissertation is more theoretical than directly applicable to the workplace or career and takes the form of a large research paper and a public defense.
If a doctoral program doesn't require a dissertation, it will either replace it with a capstone project or clinical hours (for health and social-science service careers).
If you're in a capstone project program, you'll begin your project early and work on it throughout your education, rather than completing it when you finish classes. Like a dissertation, your capstone will require rigorous research, but it differs in its application. A capstone project focuses on applying your research to a real-world problem within your field and providing tangible solutions to that issue. At the end, you'll present your project to the faculty.
Spalding University's Ed.D. in leadership, for instance, has a rigorous capstone project during which students conduct research to solve a real-world problem while taking their final four classes. The project is around 50-70 pages, compared to the 100+ pages for a dissertation, and includes a 20-minute public presentation and Q&A rather than a public defense.
The second most common option is clinical supervised hours in the field for doctorates in licensure-leading fields, such as nursing, social work, and physical therapy. While you may not need to conduct research in these programs, they will often require hundreds of hours in the field.
Which Doctoral Degrees May Not Require a Dissertation?
Below are eight doctoral program types that typically don't require dissertations and examples of programs you can enter. You'll commonly find practicum hours and capstone projects as replacements for dissertations.
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
These programs are application-forward and teach you practical ways to use your education in leadership positions in K-12 and college administration, nonprofits, and educational organizations rather than in academia and research.
Featured ProgramSpalding University's Ed.D. in Leadership
Requirements: You need a master's degree, letters of recommendation, a resume, and a critique of a journal article. Residency and GRE are not required.
Dissertation alternative: Doctoral capstone project broken into five phases — literature review, methodologies, context/history/problem-to-be-solved, empirical findings, and analysis.
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
These programs are generally practice-focused and integrate practicum hours into your program, which replace the traditional dissertation.
Featured ProgramCapella University's DNP
Requirements: You need a master's degree, RN license and at least one year of RN experience. GRE and GMAT are not required.
Dissertation alternative: 1,000 practicum hours, real-world nursing experience in an eligible institution that can be improvement projects that bridge a gap in the practice.
Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
Best for students who want to apply business practices and leadership to their everyday work.
Featured ProgramBellevue University's DBA
Requirements: You need a graduate degree, a resume with at least five years of experience, and a 1,000-word statement.
Dissertation alternative: Research project that lasts throughout all your education on a real issue within your organization or field to be presented and published.
Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)
Best for students specializing in a specific demographic of patients within mental health or psychology, or specializing in practicing certain methodologies and treatments.
Featured ProgramThe Chicago School's Psy.D. Applied Clinical Psychology program
Requirements: You must have a Master's degree in a mental health field, a resume, two essays, and letters of recommendation
Dissertation alternative: Supervised 800-hour clinical experience in assessment and psychotherapy to improve collaboration and consultation in a clinical setting.
Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)
For students looking to practice physical therapy in a clinical setting. You must complete a DPT to become a licensed physical therapist.
Featured ProgramArcadia University's Hybrid DPT
Requirements: You need a bachelor's degree, prerequisites, completed inpatient and outpatient observation hours, three personal statements, two letters of recommendation, and an optional GRE
Dissertation alternative: On-campus immersion experiences in labs and physical therapy experience in health institutions.
Doctor of Public Health (DPH)
Best for students looking to lead within public health organizations and impact public policy.
Featured ProgramWalden University's DPH
Requirements: You need a bachelor's degree, prerequisites, completed inpatient and outpatient observation hours, three personal statements, two letters of recommendation, and an optional GRE
Dissertation alternative: Enroll in a capstone class for at least three quarters to work on a project on a practice or issue within the field
Doctor of Social Work (DSW)
For students who want to go into leadership or advanced practice roles within the social work or education field.
Featured ProgramUniversity of Kentucky's Online DSW
Requirements: You need a bachelor's degree, prerequisites, completed inpatient and outpatient observation hours, three personal statements, two letters of recommendation, and an optional GRE
Dissertation alternative: A capstone project in one of five concentration areas, examining its key social issues
Doctor of Public Administration (DPA)
For students pursuing careers in administration, politics, grant writing, government planning, and management.
Featured ProgramLiberty University's Online DPA
Requirements: You need a master's degree with at least a 3.0 GPA
Dissertation alternative: A four-course capstone project in your second and third years
Are Doctorates Without Dissertations Easier or Faster?
Doctorates without dissertations aren't exactly easier or faster. The alternatives, capstone projects and clinical supervised hours, can be just as intense depending on the requirements set by your program.
Capstone projects are the most similar to dissertations, requiring:
Sound research methods
First-hand data collection and analysis
Faculty involvement and mentorship
Presentation of your final findings
Every capstone project is different and depends on what issues you want to research and solve, which can take more time than others, especially if you need to pivot topics, heavily edit, have a lengthy data collection process, or have unexpected life events.
The fastest doctoral programs are about 2-3 years long, with the project being the biggest variable for how long you'll take.
Clinical hours work differently from projects and dissertations. Health-related and service professions that lead to licensure, often called professional degrees, like physical therapy, nursing, and social work, rely on you completing required clinical hours to qualify for practice. These can take place at designated healthcare facilities or even at your place of employment.
Who Should Consider a Doctorate Program Without a Traditional Dissertation?
Generally, there are two types of doctoral programs for different students: applied doctorates and academic/research doctorates. While both degree types are equally valued, each will prepare you for different types of work.
A traditional PhD follows the academic and research route that prepares students for careers in post-secondary education, research organizations, and theoretical roles. You'll be researching an issue within your field and writing a dissertation to consolidate your findings and present them to a board.
A professional degree (typically labeled "Doctor of …") is usually meant for students who want to directly apply their education in their field of work and use what they learn every day in business, health, public policy, law, and other professions. These doctorates prepare you for leadership and the highest qualifications in your area. You'll often develop hands-on capstone projects that solve real issues in your field or directly within your workplace, or do supervised clinical hours in health institutions.
See which category fits you best and determine where you want to take your career, either into academia or back into the field. Some students who pursue Ph.Ds don't take breaks between degrees and go straight from one degree to the next. In contrast, applied doctoral students usually spend a few years in their respective careers before applying. Some programs even require at least a few years of experience before applying for a doctoral program.
Frequently Asked Questions About Doctorates and Dissertations
Typically, no, though you may encounter ones where you complete a research project instead of a dissertation. One of the key parts of a "Doctor of Philosophy" is the research you conduct to analyze and disseminate in a large dissertation (paper) and defense.
