NARIC guide on Higher Education Systems in the European Union

The Doctor of Philosophy degree (PhD or DPhil) is a research degree with few, if any, taught components.
The titles Master of Philosophy (MPhil) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD or DPhil) indicate that the degree was earned mainly
through research, and not following instruction.
Doctors have the right to use the title ‘doctor’ and to put PhD or DPhil, as the case may be, after their names. Their speciality
is not indicated in the name of the degree.
The PhD normally requires at least three years of full-time original research — after completing a good first degree — at a
higher education institution (usually a university), under the supervision of a senior academic.
To be admitted, candidates have to show evidence of their capacity to undertake individual research and see the work through.
If they do not have a research Master’s degree already, they may be asked to undertake one. Research begun on the Master’s
is often continued and expanded for the PhD.
In consultation with a supervisor, they have to determine the topic to be researched. The work will involve a review of the
relevant literature and, in the experimental science field, some experimentation to test a hypothesis. When data have been
analysed and the thesis written up and submitted the student will be called upon to defend it before an examining board.
Neither the Master’s nor the doctorate are graded, although a Master’s can be awarded with distinction. Some time limitations
may be imposed by the university regulations, within which the degree has to be completed.
Higher doctorates are awarded to candidates who have distinguished themselves by original research in their fields.
Honorary Doctorates
In addition to the earned Master’s and doctorate, universities also award honorary senior doctorates (Doctor of Science,
DSc/Doctor of Letters, DLitt) to more mature and established workers who have made recognised contributions to public
knowledge.
For examples of doctorates see Appendices VI and VII.
II.3.3. Academic recognition of final qualifications in higher education for purposes
of further study
The processes of academic recognition, however esoteric they may appear to an uninformed outsider, are well established and
clear-cut. The principle that underlies the distinction between general and course requirements at the point of entry to higher
education continues to apply throughout the hierarchy of degrees. A first degree does not automatically entitle the holder to
enter a Master’s course, nor does the possession of a Master’s degree necessarily qualify the holder for doctorate work.
In each case further evidence will normally be required of the candidate’s fitness for the higher degree course. This evidence
may take the form of the class obtained in a good honours degree, a postgraduate diploma or a Master’s dissertation with a
research basis.
The department of the higher education institution concerned acts autonomously in taking each individual decision; while it is
likely to insist on the quality of the candidate’s academic achievements, it will also take into account his/her professional
experience and personal maturity.