diff --git a/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/Dataset.java b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/Dataset.java
index 96fa3a0bef3..ef2f39620e9 100644
--- a/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/Dataset.java
+++ b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/Dataset.java
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package edu.harvard.iq.dataverse;
 
 import edu.harvard.iq.dataverse.dataset.DatasetThumbnail;
+import edu.harvard.iq.dataverse.dataset.DatasetType;
 import edu.harvard.iq.dataverse.dataset.DatasetUtil;
 import edu.harvard.iq.dataverse.harvest.client.HarvestingClient;
 import edu.harvard.iq.dataverse.license.License;
@@ -38,7 +39,6 @@
 import edu.harvard.iq.dataverse.storageuse.StorageUse;
 import edu.harvard.iq.dataverse.util.StringUtil;
 import edu.harvard.iq.dataverse.util.SystemConfig;
-import jakarta.persistence.Transient;
 
 /**
  *
@@ -129,8 +129,9 @@ public class Dataset extends DvObjectContainer {
      */
     private boolean useGenericThumbnail;
 
-    @Transient
-    private String datasetType;
+    @OneToOne(cascade = {CascadeType.MERGE, CascadeType.PERSIST})
+    @JoinColumn(name = "datasettype_id", nullable = true)
+    private DatasetType datasetType;
 
     @OneToOne(cascade = {CascadeType.MERGE, CascadeType.PERSIST})
     @JoinColumn(name = "guestbook_id", unique = false, nullable = true, insertable = true, updatable = true)
@@ -741,11 +742,11 @@ public void setUseGenericThumbnail(boolean useGenericThumbnail) {
         this.useGenericThumbnail = useGenericThumbnail;
     }
 
-    public String getDatasetType() {
+    public DatasetType getDatasetType() {
         return datasetType;
     }
 
-    public void setDatasetType(String datasetType) {
+    public void setDatasetType(DatasetType datasetType) {
         this.datasetType = datasetType;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/dataset/DatasetType.java b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/dataset/DatasetType.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..0d47d6a5885
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/dataset/DatasetType.java
@@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
+package edu.harvard.iq.dataverse.dataset;
+
+import jakarta.persistence.Column;
+import jakarta.persistence.Entity;
+import jakarta.persistence.EnumType;
+import jakarta.persistence.Enumerated;
+import jakarta.persistence.GeneratedValue;
+import jakarta.persistence.GenerationType;
+import jakarta.persistence.Id;
+import java.io.Serializable;
+import java.util.Arrays;
+
+@Entity
+public class DatasetType implements Serializable {
+
+    @Id
+    @GeneratedValue(strategy = GenerationType.IDENTITY)
+    private Long id;
+
+    @Column(nullable = false)
+    @Enumerated(EnumType.STRING)
+    private Type baseType;
+
+    /**
+     * This default constructor is only here to prevent this error at
+     * deployment:
+     *
+     * Exception Description: The instance creation method
+     * [...DatasetType.<Default Constructor>], with no parameters, does not
+     * exist, or is not accessible
+     *
+     * Don't use it.
+     */
+    @Deprecated
+    public DatasetType() {
+    }
+
+    public DatasetType(Type baseType) {
+        this.baseType = baseType;
+    }
+
+    public enum Type {
+
+        DATASET("dataset"),
+        SOFTWARE("software"),
+        WORKFLOW("workflow");
+
+        private final String text;
+
+        private Type(final String text) {
+            this.text = text;
+        }
+
+        public static Type fromString(String text) {
+            if (text != null) {
+                for (Type type : Type.values()) {
+                    if (text.equals(type.text)) {
+                        return type;
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Type must be one of these values: " + Arrays.asList(Type.values()) + ".");
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public String toString() {
+            return text;
+        }
+    }
+
+    public Type getBaseType() {
+        return baseType;
+    }
+
+    public void setBaseType(Type baseType) {
+        this.baseType = baseType;
+    }
+
+}
diff --git a/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/dataverse/DataverseUtil.java b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/dataverse/DataverseUtil.java
index 0fac22ef480..f13f73f2dc8 100644
--- a/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/dataverse/DataverseUtil.java
+++ b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/dataverse/DataverseUtil.java
@@ -125,13 +125,12 @@ public static void checkMetadataLangauge(Dataset ds, Dataverse owner, Map<String
 
     public static void checkDatasetType(Dataset ds, boolean enabled) {
         logger.info("called checkDatasetType...");
-        String datasetType = ds.getDatasetType();
+        String datasetType = ds.getDatasetType().getBaseType().name();
         logger.info("datasetType: " + datasetType);
         if (datasetType != null) {
             if (!enabled) {
                 throw new BadRequestException("The dataset types feature is not enabled but a type was sent: " + datasetType);
             }
-            // TODO: check for valid types.
             logger.info("The dataset type sent was: " + datasetType);
         }
     }
diff --git a/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/util/json/JsonParser.java b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/util/json/JsonParser.java
index 587fdc536a3..f534317ae61 100644
--- a/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/util/json/JsonParser.java
+++ b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/util/json/JsonParser.java
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 import edu.harvard.iq.dataverse.authorization.groups.impl.ipaddress.ip.IpAddress;
 import edu.harvard.iq.dataverse.authorization.groups.impl.ipaddress.ip.IpAddressRange;
 import edu.harvard.iq.dataverse.authorization.groups.impl.maildomain.MailDomainGroup;
+import edu.harvard.iq.dataverse.dataset.DatasetType;
 import edu.harvard.iq.dataverse.datasetutility.OptionalFileParams;
 import edu.harvard.iq.dataverse.harvest.client.HarvestingClient;
 import edu.harvard.iq.dataverse.license.License;
@@ -331,7 +332,7 @@ public Dataset parseDataset(JsonObject obj) throws JsonParseException {
         String datasetType = obj.getString("datasetType",null);
         logger.info("datasetType: " + datasetType);
         if (datasetType != null) {
-            dataset.setDatasetType(datasetType);
+            dataset.setDatasetType(new DatasetType(DatasetType.Type.fromString(datasetType)));
         }
 
         DatasetVersion dsv = new DatasetVersion(); 
diff --git a/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/util/json/JsonPrinter.java b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/util/json/JsonPrinter.java
index c72dfc1d127..3d27224692d 100644
--- a/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/util/json/JsonPrinter.java
+++ b/src/main/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/util/json/JsonPrinter.java
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 import edu.harvard.iq.dataverse.authorization.users.User;
 import edu.harvard.iq.dataverse.branding.BrandingUtil;
 import edu.harvard.iq.dataverse.dataaccess.DataAccess;
+import edu.harvard.iq.dataverse.dataset.DatasetType;
 import edu.harvard.iq.dataverse.dataset.DatasetUtil;
 import edu.harvard.iq.dataverse.datavariable.CategoryMetadata;
 import edu.harvard.iq.dataverse.datavariable.DataVariable;
@@ -406,6 +407,10 @@ public static JsonObjectBuilder json(Dataset ds, Boolean returnOwners) {
         if (returnOwners){
             bld.add("isPartOf", getOwnersFromDvObject(ds));
         }
+        DatasetType datasetType = ds.getDatasetType();
+        if (datasetType != null) {
+            bld.add("datasetType", datasetType.getBaseType().toString());
+        }
         return bld;
     }
 
diff --git a/src/test/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/api/DatasetTypesIT.java b/src/test/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/api/DatasetTypesIT.java
index 29ce73a7285..bb3ec1e94ba 100644
--- a/src/test/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/api/DatasetTypesIT.java
+++ b/src/test/java/edu/harvard/iq/dataverse/api/DatasetTypesIT.java
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@
 import io.restassured.response.Response;
 import static jakarta.ws.rs.core.Response.Status.CREATED;
 import static jakarta.ws.rs.core.Response.Status.OK;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions;
+import static org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.assertEquals;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.BeforeAll;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Disabled;
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
@@ -28,20 +30,23 @@ public void testCreateSoftwareDatasetNative() {
         String dataverseAlias = UtilIT.getAliasFromResponse(createDataverse);
         Integer dataverseId = UtilIT.getDataverseIdFromResponse(createDataverse);
 
-//        String datasetJsonPath = "doc/sphinx-guides/source/_static/api/dataset-create-software.json";
         String jsonIn = UtilIT.getDatasetJson("doc/sphinx-guides/source/_static/api/dataset-create-software.json");
-//        System.out.println("native: " + datasetJsonPath);
 
         Response createSoftware = UtilIT.createDataset(dataverseAlias, jsonIn, apiToken);
         createSoftware.prettyPrint();
         createSoftware.then().assertThat()
                 .statusCode(CREATED.getStatusCode());
-        
-        //TODO: try sending "junk" instead of "software".
 
+        //TODO: try sending "junk" instead of "software".
         Integer datasetId = UtilIT.getDatasetIdFromResponse(createSoftware);
         String datasetPid = JsonPath.from(createSoftware.getBody().asString()).getString("data.persistentId");
 
+        Response getDatasetJson = UtilIT.nativeGet(datasetId, apiToken);
+        getDatasetJson.prettyPrint();
+        getDatasetJson.then().assertThat().statusCode(OK.getStatusCode());
+        String dataseType = JsonPath.from(getDatasetJson.getBody().asString()).getString("data.datasetType");
+        System.out.println("datasetType: " + dataseType);
+        assertEquals("software", dataseType);
     }
 
     @Disabled