In the United States and some other countries, there are also some types of vocational, technical, or professional degrees that include doctor in their name and are, in some of those countries, classified as doctorates. Professional doctorates historically came about to meet the needs of practitioners in a variety of disciplines. However, the necessity of these degrees may vary greatly across disciplines, making their significance unclear.
The doctorate of philosophy developed in Germany in the 17th century (likely c. 1652).The term “philosophy” does not refer solely to the field or academic discipline of philosophy, but is used in a broader sense in accordance with its original Greek meaning, which is “love of wisdom”.