 The U.S. Department of Education and the National Science Foundation recognize numerous non-professional, research-oriented doctoral degrees (such as the Doctor of Liberal Studies) that require a dissertation or corresponding project as equivalent to the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) and does not discriminate between them.Through the required foundational courses in the humanities, specifically philosophy, theology, history, art, literature, and the social sciences, the Doctor of Liberal Studies establishes the intellectual and scholarly context needed to carry out serious interdisciplinary study and research in ethics and crucial issues in contemporary thought.Graduates of the program typically return to their established career domains, including national security, journalism, health care, education, law and other areas.