Ph.D.

[ pee-eych-dee ]

abbreviation for

, plural Ph.D.s

1. the highest degree, a doctorate, awarded by a graduate school in a field of academic study, usually to a person who has completed at least three years of graduate study and a dissertation approved by a committee of professors.
2. a person who has been awarded this degree.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Ph.D.¹

First recorded in 1870–75; from Latin Philosophiae Doctor

Example Sentences

In 1950, Serna earned his Ph.D. from the University of Havana, where he had befriended a classmate named Fidel Castro.

From The Daily Beast

He eventually earned a Ph.D. in psychology and worked in various universities, though never for very long.

From The Daily Beast

Borlaug studied forestry, and then obtained a Ph.D. in plant pathology.

From The Daily Beast

Tuchman, of course, never earned a Ph.D.; nor was she ever affiliated with a university history department.

From The Daily Beast

She never earned a Ph.D. or taught in a university history department.

From The Daily Beast

He was educated at Gttingen, where he obtained the degree of Ph.D.

From Project Gutenberg

For this and his other graduate work his university later conferred upon him the degree of Ph.D.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• alum
• alumna
• alumnus
• doctor
• grad
• recipient