Online Doctoral Degree Programs in Technology & IT

Doctoral program requirements vary by school and degree type. Generally, the Ph.D. is a more traditional approach that leads to academic roles in higher education and original scholarly research. In addition to coursework and a qualifying exam, students complete a doctoral dissertation. Some technology degrees online arrange for a local supervised teaching practicum, while some schools allow the student's research interests to influence the curriculum.

The D.Tech., by contrast, is a practitioner degree that prepares IT professionals for management and lead research or IT analyst roles. The curriculum combines coursework with an applied research project and, often, an IT internship.

Online doctoral degrees in IT, such as information systems management, offer a foundation in technology as well as the opportunity to specialize. Coursework varies, as shown in the Curricula Recommendations from the Association of Computing Machinery, or ACM. IT specialties may focus on a particular technology or topic, such as information security or network architecture. Doctoral students may also explore IT in a specific industry, such as health care or manufacturing.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects job opportunities in the IT industry -- computer systems design, for example, should see much faster than average growth from 2008 to 2018. With your choice of advanced technology degrees online, you could seek a tech leadership role in either the private sector or in academics.