Doctoral Frequently Asked Questions

DBA and Ed.D. Tuition *Assumes no transfer credits and that student enrolls in an average of 16 credits per year. Does not include cost of any applicable dissertation continution courses. Ph.D. Tuition *Assumes no transfer credits and that student enrolls in an average of 16 credits per year. Does not include cost of dissertation continution courses, the number of which vary based on dissertation completion date.

To date, Trident University does not offer scholarships or fellowships for doctoral students. However, we have written recommendations for students supporting scholarships or fellowships that may apply to doctoral studies.

There are several types of students who enroll into the Ed.D. program: elementary or secondary administrators or teachers, post-secondary administrator or professional staff, or employees who work in non-traditional educational settings.

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There are several types of students who enroll into the Ph.D. program:  people who want to teach at a University, people who will receive a promotion at work if they earn a doctoral degree, consultants who would like to have a doctorate degree to expend their job opportunities, and individuals who want to further their skills in research.  

The Ed.D. and Ph.D. EL are generally designed to prepare students for academic careers, either in leadership positions or research or both. The Ed.D. degree is based on research in addition to its application in professional practice and provides an outstanding alternative to traditional research-based Ph.D. programs.  The Ed.D. program is designed for practicing professionals, who already have established themselves as leaders in their field.  The Ed.D. program emphasizes the completion of research that is practitioner-oriented, students develop the skills necessary to lead and implement improvements at their work site through the application of their findings.  The Ph.D. program emphasizes the development of educational theory through research that generates new, or reformulates existing, knowledge.is a traditional research-based degree, which also will help to establish students as leaders in the fields of education.  A student who may want to pursue a more traditional academic career path (teaching and research within higher education) should choose a Ph.D. program.

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The DBA and Ph.D. BA are generally designed to prepare students for academic careers, either in teaching or research or both. Both entail rigorous courses of study with a heavy emphasis on research. The main difference between the two degrees is the DBA focuses on the application of theory and the Ph.D. BA focuses on the development of new theory in business fields.  

All Ed.D. students will complete a three article dissertation with the intention of publishing their work in professional journals.  The completed dissertation is also published at ProQuest.

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Trident highly recommends that you publish your Ph.D. dissertation in peer-reviewed journals and/or conferences; although you are not required to. Sometimes there are cases where students want to publish their work but due to propriety issues they are not allowed to. While these cases are relatively rare, we recommend that you find out if there are any limitations on publication once you start your research.  

Trident University International Career Services Center provides assistance in career planning, job search, self-assessment, and career transition/advancement assistance to enable our diverse student body to employ the skills and knowledge gained through the education experience at Trident University.  

The Ed.D. degree prepares graduates for administrative positions in education and human services field, such as higher education administrators, community college leaders, superintendent of schools, human resource directors, and/or principals.

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Students who obtain a Ph.D. in Business Administration could market themselves to universities, consultation agencies/institutions, and many careers that require high-level education.

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Students who obtain a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership could pursue careers such as: adjunct faculty or full time faculty at a college/university, teachers or administrative positions in PK-12, government sector, or educational training centers.

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Students completing the Ph.D. in Health Sciences program are more likely to be accepted to a faculty position at the university level or accept a position that requires research skills and a fairly strong understanding of data analysis.