Perceived Professional Discrimination against the EdD Psychologist

Abstract

Informal observations have hinted at a persistent tendency for both academic and professional hiring authorities to discriminate against individuals who hold the EdD rather than the PhD. The present investigation used a mail questionnaire to evaluate the extent of professional prejudice experienced by EdDs in psychology and found that of 69 usable returns out of 158, 39% had experienced discrimination associated with their degrees. There was a significant difference in fathers' occupations for those who had and had not experienced discrimination, but the two groups showed no differences on sex, age, or salary; and there were no distinctions on the basis of undergraduate major or the proportion who earned their doctorates from universities having highly rated psychology departments. Types of discrimination are described, a suggested explanation of the status difference is offered and a recommendation is made for further research and more discussion of this matter.