The Doctor of Technology is a degree normally conferred upon candidates after having completed a course of study in technology and a project of lengthy duration in a technologically related field. Like other doctorates, it is usually an academic degree at the highest level; the degree may rank below, alongside, or above the Ph.D. depending on the specifics of the national system within which it is awarded. While the details of the degree vary, a doctor of technology program usually enables graduates to obtain an advanced level of knowledge in specialist fields and aims to produce graduates capable of advancing knowledge within their industry. The degree focuses on developing practical solutions in the workplace, critical analysis, synthesis, and innovation.
As a substantive degree
In South Africa, the Doctor of Technology or Doctor Technologiae is equivalent to other research doctorates at level 10 of the South African National Qualifications Framework. It is normally awarded by universities of technology and can be awarded in a wide variety of fields, not just technology. In the United States, the Doctor of Industrial Technology degree was recognized by the National Science Foundation as equivalent to the Ph.D. degree until 2008, when it was determined that it had moved to a more professional orientation and no longer met the NSF criteria for a research doctorate. In Finland, the degree tekniikan tohtori or teknologie doktor, D.Sc. ) is comparable to a Finnish filosofian tohtori. In Sweden the situation is the same and the degrees are called teknologie doktor or teknisk doktor and are translated to Ph.D. in English. The same can be stated for Austria, where universities of technology grant the title of "Dr.techn." or "Doctor scientiae technicorum" as an equivalent to the Ph.D.
Honorary degrees
The Doctor of Technology degree may also be awarded as an honorary degree, that is, given to individuals who have made extensive contributions to a particular field and not necessarily for specific academic accomplishments. It is usual to signify this by adding for honoris causa after D.Tech. or to refer to the award as Hon.D.Tech or Hon DTech. Robert Gordon University is one example of an establishment which awards such a degree. At the British Columbia Institute of Technology, the Doctor of Technology is also an honorary degree.
