The doctorate has long been associated with advancement in one's field, not only within academic work but also within one's profession. But the doctorate had the weakness of trying to serve two ends, teaching and research, ends not always distinguished clearly by graduate schools. As the twentieth century continued, the idea of professionalism would add a third need, and professional doctorates would take on new precedence. The field of education has two doctoral degrees, one generally reserved for the practitioner, the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), and the other for the researcher, the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). While they each serve different purposes, they are often conflated, and there have been, historically and currently, an ongoing calls to distinguish the degrees from one another. In this article the authors address the doctoral distinction, and the battle of balance between research and practice.