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The professional doctorate in education: seeking a distinct identity in Brazil and abroad
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Keywords

Professional Doctorate
Graduate Education in Brazil
Graduate Education in the United States

Métricas

How to Cite

VERHINE, Robert Evan. The professional doctorate in education: seeking a distinct identity in Brazil and abroad. RBEC: Revista Brasileira de Educação Comparada, Campinas, SP, v. 7, n. 00, p. e025005, 2026. DOI: 10.20396/v1hxhm08. Disponível em: https://econtents.sbu.unicamp.br/inpec/index.php/rbec/article/view/20704. Acesso em: 12 mar. 2026.

Abstract

This article presents a comparative analysis of the professional doctorate in education in the United States and Brazil, highlighting the implications of the U.S. model—initially implemented in the 1920s—for the Brazilian context, where this type of program was formally established nearly a century later. In both countries, a longstanding challenge persists: to consolidate a distinct identity for the professional doctorate that clearly differentiates it from the academic doctorate and grants it the prestige necessary to achieve the expected social and educational impact. The article is structured into three main sections. The first two examine the Professional Doctorate in Education in the United States (Ed.D) and in Brazil (DPE), respectively. The final section offers recommendations for consolidating a distinct identity for the Brazilian DPE, focusing on faculty and student profiles, as well as defining activities and outputs.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Robert Verhine

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