Terminal degree
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A terminal degree is the generally accepted highest academic degree in a field of study. While an academic (or research) doctorate is considered the terminal degree in most academic fields of study, professions may consider specific professional degrees as the terminal degree, and some fields have, through custom, terminal degrees which are not doctorates.[1][2]
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[edit] Professional Degrees
In some fields, especially those linked to a profession (e.g. medicine, dentistry, law, architecture, pharmacy), a distinction is to be drawn between a first professional degree, an advanced professional degree, and a terminal academic degree. A first professional degree is generally required by law or custom to practice the profession without limitation. An advanced professional degree provides further training in a specialized area of the profession. A terminal academic degree is not a professional degree, rather, it is the research degree in the field. One or more degrees beyond the first professional degree may be helpful for advancement or (in the case of academic institutions) employment or tenure.
Some first professional degrees have the term Doctor in the title, but are not equivalent to academic doctorates, such as the Juris Doctor, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, Doctor of Pharmacy, Doctor of Dental Surgery, Doctor of Medicine, and Doctor of Osteopathy degrees.[3]
For example,
- in medicine, the first professional degree is a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (B.M., Ch.B.) or Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), degree depending on the country, while an advanced professional degree can be a Master of Science (e.g. Surgery), and the terminal academic research degree can be a Ph.D. in a medical science (e.g. Anatomy).
- in law, the first professional degree is a Bachelor of Laws, Bachelor of Civil Law or Juris Doctor degree, depending on the country. The advanced professional degree is the LL.M. (where the degree is taken in program geared to practitioners to develop or deepen a practice specialty, e.g., trial advocacy, taxation law, or intellectual property law). Generally, these types of LL.M. degrees do not have a thesis requirement, but may require a research paper. The terminal academic research degree is the J.S.D., LL.D. or Ph.D., depending on the university.
- in engineering, Bachelor of Engineering and Bachelor of Applied Science degrees are commonly awarded in the UK and Canada respectively, and the Bachelor of Science in an engineering field is awarded in the United States. The advanced professional degree usually awarded is the Master of Engineering, although some schools have the option of an Engineer's degree. The terminal academic research degree is the Ph.D. or DEng..
[edit] First Professional Degrees
- Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C. or D.C.M.)
- Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) or Doctor of Dental Medicine (D.M.D.), depending on the individual school attended
- Juris Doctor (J.D.), Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.), or Bachelor of Civil Law, depending on the country, U.S. university LL.M. or Master of Comparative Law (where the LL.M. or M.C.L. program is structured as a program for foreign law graduates) (terminal professional degrees in law)
- Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) or Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (B.M., Ch.B.), depending on the country
- Doctor of Osteopathy (D.O.)
- Bachelor of Nursing (B.N.)(or Master of Nursing M.N. depending on where studied)
- Doctor of Optometry (O.D.)
- Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.)
- Doctor of Podiatry (D.P. or Pod.D.)
- Doctor of Podiatric Medicine (D.P.M.)
- Master of Divinity (M.Div.)
- Master of Hebrew Letters (M.H.L.)
- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.)
[edit] Typical Advanced Professional Degrees
- Doctor of Divinity (D.D.)
- Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
- Master of Engineering (M.E.)
- Doctor of Laws (LL.D) (outside the U.S.)
- Master of Laws (where the degree is taken in program geared to practitioners to develop or deepen a practice specialty, e.g., trial advocacy, taxation law, intellectual property law).
- Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.)
- Master of Science (M.S.) (medicine, dentistry, pharmacy)
- Master of Business Administration (M.B.A)
[edit] Typical Terminal Academic Research Degrees
- Doctor of Arts (D.A.)
- Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)
- Doctor of Engineering (D.Eng.)
- Doctor of Laws (LL.D) (outside the U.S.)
- Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) (in the U.S., terminal academic research degree in law)
- Doctor of Management (D.M.)
- Doctor of Music (D.Mus.)
- Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.)
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Doctor of Professional Studies (D.P.S.)
- Doctor of Science (D.Sc.)
- Doctor of Theology (Th.D.)
- Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.)
- Master of Library and Information Science (M.L.I.S.) or Master of Library Science (M.L.S.)
- Master of Information Science, or Master of Information Systems (M.S.I.S.)
- Master of Information System Management (M.I.S.M.)
- Master of Social Work (M.S.W.)
- Master of Liberal Arts in Biotechnology (A.L.M.) (at Harvard University)
[edit] References
- ^ DePauw University Academic Handbook, Appendix 3: Terminal Degrees which lists some non-doctoral terminal degrees
- ^ American Library Association indicates that "The master's degree in library science from a library school program accredited by the American Library Association is the appropriate terminal professional degree for academic librarians."
- ^ http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-professional-studies.html "It is...important to recognize that first-professional degrees in these fields are first degrees, not graduate research degrees. Several of the degree titles in this group of subjects (below) incorporate the term 'Doctor,' but they are not research doctorates and not equivalent to the Ph.D. Master's degrees and research doctorates in these fields of study are awarded, but they have different names and students enroll in those programs after having earned a first-professional degree."
