A PhD helps you advance your career and secure senior leadership positions. However, if you’re a busy working professional struggling to manage your family, work, and personal commitments, full-time enrollment with dissertation requirements might not be an option. Most PhDs take 3-7 years to complete, with lots of time spent on dissertations.
But what if you could study a PhD without dissertation requirements or lengthy durations?
Sure, online PhD programs offer more flexibility; however, you’ll still spend years studying.
Luckily, many schools offer 18-month doctorate without dissertation programs that you can complete in record time, often while studying online on your own schedule. Does that mean you can find the easiest PhD without dissertation requirements? Let’s find out.
Here are some of the top universities and no-dissertation PhD programs you can finish in just 18 months or a little more.
Top 18-month Doctorate without Dissertation Programs
We’ve separated our list of doctorate degrees without dissertation into a few categories: education, nursing, physical therapy, and business management.
Education
Walden University
PhD in Education (P-20 Education)
Walden University is known for offering research doctorates to African-American students and has many flexible options in various disciplines to extend education to everyone. This flexible PhD without dissertation requirements is a fabulous education program where you can design your study based on your interests.
- Courses: Leading the future of education, governance & politics of education, and learning experiences in supportive environments.
- Credits: 86
- Delivery: Online
- Tuition: $692 per quarter hour
- Financial aid: Grants, education assistance, and loans.
- Acceptance rate: 100%
- Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Nebraska Methodist College
Online Doctorate in Education & Leadership in Healthcare
Nebraska Methodist College is one of the country’s most famous allied healthcare colleges and offers more than 40 healthcare and education programs online and on-campus. You don’t need to complete a dissertation or submit GRE scores to apply for this doctoral degree online; no dissertation. You can also balance your studies with other parts of your life by choosing between part-time or full-time options.
- Courses: Information technology in healthcare & education, legal & ethical issues in organizations, and healthcare policy.
- Duration: 24 months
- Delivery: Online
- Cost per credit hour: $817
- Financial aid: Scholarships, grants, and loans.
- Acceptance rate: 92%
- Location: Omaha, Nebraska
Nova Southeastern University, College of Education & School of Criminal Justice
Nova Southeastern University is a nationally renowned private institution that embraces social mobility and diversity. The institution offers an EdD that doesn’t require a dissertation. Instead, you’ll need to complete a Strategic Research Project (SRP) amounting to 12 credits.
- Courses: Leadership, communication, & technology, legal & ethical issues in educational leadership, and leading an educational organization.
- Credits: 55
- Delivery: On-campus
- Tuition: $1,505 per credit
- Financial aid: Scholarships, employer assistance, and veteran benefits.
- Acceptance rate: 76%
- Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Nursing
Maryville University
Online Doctor of Nursing Practice
Maryville University is renowned for innovative and comprehensive education, using advanced technology to deliver distance learning programs across a range of disciplines. If you are a working nursing professional, this doctoral degree without dissertation requirements will qualify you to reach the highest levels of nursing leadership.
- Courses: Principles of epidemiology & biostatistics, ethics for advanced nursing practice, and professional role development.
- Credits: 33
- Duration: 20 months
- Delivery: Online
- Tuition: $813 per credit
- Financial aid: Scholarships, grants, and employer assistance.
- Acceptance rate: 95%
- Location: St. Louis, Missouri
Monmouth University
Monmouth University has a low student-faculty ratio and believes in immersive learning experiences beyond the classroom. This DNP doctoral program without dissertation requirements helps students analyze evidence to improve clinical policies and practices.
- Courses: Translating evidence to clinical practice, organizational leadership in healthcare, and health care economics and financial management.
- Credits: 36
- Delivery: Online
- Tuition: $1,348 per credit hour
- Financial aid: Scholarships, grants, and loans.
- Acceptance rate: 79%
- Location: West Long Branch, New Jersey
Bay Path University
Doctor of Nursing Practice – Family Nurse
Bay Path University is a non-profit institution that offers a range of opportunities for lifelong learning, especially for women. This DNP program seeks to prepare nursing professionals with modern evidence-based knowledge to handle advanced nursing practitioner roles, especially in the family health sphere. You can complete this online doctorate (no dissertation) at your own pace.
- Courses: Managing healthcare delivery systems, healthcare informatics, and biostatistics & epidemiology.
- Credits: 36
- Delivery: Online
- Tuition: $995 per credit
- Financial aid: Federal loans and private loans.
- Acceptance rate: 78%
- Location: Longmeadow, Massachusetts
Physical Therapy
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Medicine
Transitional Doctorate in Physical Therapy
The University of North Carolina is ranked #5 for research among public universities and has two Nobel laureates. This non-thesis PhD helps licensed physical therapists gain advanced knowledge and skills in their area of practice. Additionally, physical therapists earn a median salary of $91,010, making this program one of the highest-paid PhDs. Balance familial and work responsibilities easily as you complete this doctorate degree online (no dissertation).
- Courses: Advanced patient management, advanced neuromuscular intervention, and advanced practice issues.
- Credits: 27
- Delivery: Online
- Tuition: $902 per credit
- Financial aid: Scholarships, loans, and employee benefits.
- Acceptance rate: 25%
- Location: North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Gannon University
Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate
Gannon University is a private Christian institution with a low student-faculty ratio that offers various online programs. This is one of few occupational therapy doctorate degrees without dissertations that help physical therapy professionals translate knowledge from cross-disciplinary theories and research into practice, enabling them to grow beyond a therapist-clinician role.
- Courses: Applied research in clinical practice, advanced leadership & ethics, and entrepreneurship for the IT professional.
- Credits: 34
- Duration: 2 years
- Delivery: Online
- Tuition: $770 per credit
- Financial aid: Scholarships, grants, loans, and veteran benefits.
- Acceptance rate: 79%
- Location: Erie, Pennsylvania
Business Management
Capella University
Doctor of Business Administration in Strategy & Innovation
Capella University is a private institution that strives to extend education to all by offering programs that fit with busy routines. As a result, many of its programs are highly flexible, allowing you to finish at your own pace. The institution also makes it easy to manage study costs by only requiring payment for 12 weeks instead of per credit. This doctorate without dissertation offers two streams: the GuidedPath, where you have a pre-fixed curriculum structure, and FlexPath, where you can modify the structure and complete the program according to your pace and convenience.
- Courses: Effective organizational leadership, strategic decision making, and teaching business in higher education.
- Credits: 45
- Delivery: Online
- Tuition: $545 – $810
- Financial aid: Grants, scholarships, loans, and military benefits.
- Acceptance rate: 100%
- Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Liberty University
Online Doctor of Business Administration
Liberty University has been named one of the top 5 online universities and is known for its quality, accessibility, and affordability. This flexible DBA program allows you to specialize in one of a range of business areas, from international business to healthcare management. No dissertation is required for this doctorate degree online.
- Courses: Strategic allocation of financial resources, marketing for competitive advantage, and quantitative research methods.
- Credits: 60
- Delivery: Online
- Tuition: $595 per credit
- Financial aid: Scholarships, grants, loans, and military benefits.
- Acceptance rate: 50%
- Location: Lynchburg, Virginia
What Is a Dissertation and How Does it Work?
A dissertation, sometimes called a thesis, involves conducting research before writing a final report to summarize the research’s findings. It is a fundamental requirement of many graduate programs, especially doctorates, and allows students to develop advanced research, writing, and analytical skills. If a panel approves your dissertation, it will become a part of the field’s current body of knowledge.
The student may choose the topic independently or in consultation with an advisor. In some cases, students can collaborate with faculty members to conduct research. Once complete, the university evaluates the dissertation, and their assessment often decides whether the candidate achieves their PhD.
Why Do So Many Programs Require Dissertations?
A dissertation is usually the most involved and longest-running assignment you need to complete as part of a graduate program. Many schools include a dissertation in the program to develop and test students’ research abilities and set them up for careers in academia.
However, some universities offer graduate programs that don’t require a dissertation. Instead, these programs involve additional research-oriented courses for the students to make up their credits.
Ranking Methodology for 18-month Doctorate without Dissertation Programs
We put together the above list of universities and doctorate programs across various disciplines based on their requirements for a dissertation and the total duration of the program. Of course, we gave preference to 18-month programs, but we also included some slightly longer programs.
Most programs don’t require any dissertation at all, while some require fair research activity for satisfactory completion. We ranked the programs based on accessibility, delivery mode, courses, faculty, and school reputation.
Key Takeaways
While most doctorate programs include a mandatory dissertation, several universities now offer no-dissertation programs. These are ideal for working students who may not be able to attend full-time, on-campus programs involving extensive research that can take years to complete.
But you might wonder whether an 18-month doctorate without dissertation status is still valuable. The good news is that it is — a doctorate without a dissertation is nonetheless a respected advanced degree that can significantly boost your career and secure well-paid, senior positions in the field of your choice.
Looking for other ways to speed up your post-graduate education?
Explore the Best 1-Year PhD Online Programs!
Frequently Asked Questions
-
Can You Get a Doctorate Without Doing a Dissertation?
Yes. Many universities offer doctorate programs that don’t require a dissertation at all. Review the ones we’ve listed in this article for more information.
-
What Is a Doctorate Without a Dissertation Called?
There’s no particular term for doctorates without dissertations. Instead, they’re simply known as PhDs, EdDs, DNPs, or doctorate degrees. However, some institutions call them “no-dissertation programs” on their official websites.
-
Is a Dissertation Required for a PhD?
At many universities, a dissertation is an important and indispensable part of a PhD curriculum. However, some universities offer doctorate programs that don’t require a dissertation or thesis for completion. This can be a good option if you’re uninterested in research, don’t wish to work in academia, or are looking for an accelerated option.
Lisa is a full-time writer specializing in career advice, further education, and personal development. She works from all over the world, and when not writing you'll find her hiking, practicing yoga, or enjoying a glass of Malbec.
