DBA

A Doctor of Business Administration degree is the highest academic level education an individual can achieve in the business administration discipline. It often requires a great deal of coursework beyond the master's level, and before completing a DBA, you must write your dissertation, which is a long assignment that is presented to the doctoral review committee for approval. The DBA takes a practical approach and studies contemporary business issues, Education Portal reports.

Ph.D.

Ph.D. stands for Doctor of Philosophy. This does not mean that philosophy is the only field of study a Ph.D. covers; it means that you are taking a philosophical approach to learning a field. When you earn a Ph.D., you are mastering a subject and extending your knowledge into the subject. Universities set their own guidelines and standards for what a student must do to prove that he has mastered a subject and earn a Ph.D., Ph.D. Project reports. You can earn a Ph.D. in many subject areas, such as criminal justice, nursing, social work, law, computer science, psychology, economics and business, Ph.D. Degrees reports.

Similarities

If you earn a DBA or a Ph.D., you are considered an expert in a field and a master of a subject. To earn a DBA or Ph.D., you must complete a dissertation project that must be approved by the doctoral review committee. Both programs take about four years to complete and are doctoral degrees. Entrance into both the DBA and Ph.D. programs is competitive.

Differences

While you can only earn a DBA in Business Administration, you can earn a Ph.D. in a variety of subjects. A business Ph.D. focuses on theoretical issues while a DBA focuses on contemporary business issues, Education Portal reports. Finally, if you earn a DBA, you are strictly a Doctor of Business Administration. But, if you earn a Ph.D., you are a Doctor of Philosophy of business or another field.