Licentiate
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other degrees, see Academic degree
Licentiate is the title of a person who holds an academic degree called a license. It exists in various African, European and Latin American countries and represents different educational levels.
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[edit] Regional variations
[edit] Argentina
In Argentina, the licenciatura is a 4-5 year degree, generally equivalent to an M.Sc. in North American universities. In some cases it does not require the formal writing of a thesis, although almost invariably a quota of research is required.
[edit] Belgium
In Belgian universities, a person titled Licentiate (or Licentiaat in Dutch) holds the equivalent education of a master's degree. Students used to receive a license after 4 or 5 years of successful study. The first two years were known as kandidatuur (candidacy), meaning students were qualifying themselves for study at the licential level. This candidate-licentiate system is now being replaced by an American-style bachelor-master system. The Belgian licentiate was also equivalent to the doctorandus in the Netherlands. Study is very rigorous. Students in Belgian universities usually take more than 30 hours a week (as opposed to an average of 15 at American universities.) Thus, students are able to complete their (licentiate or master's) degrees in four or five years, as opposed to the usual six at American institutions.
[edit] Brazil
In Brazil, the licenciate is a 3-4 year degree that qualifies the graduate to teach primary and secondary education.
[edit] France
In French universities, a licenciate (licencié(e)) is the holder of a licence, which is a three-year degree, roughly equivalent to an Anglo-Saxon bachelor's degree. There are two kinds of licence: general and professional.
[edit] Portugal
In Portugal, the licentiate's degree (licenciatura) was a single university degree with a duration varying between 4 to 6-years, higher than the polytechnic 3-years bacharelato degree, but lower than the master's degree. However, although it was a single undergraduate degree awarded by universities, it conferred an automatic licensure for working in a particular profession and a full accreditation by the respective professional orders - ordens profissionais. The Portuguese polytechnic institutions used to award a single 3-year short cycle bacharelato (bachelor) degree that like the 4 to 6-years university licenciatura, was also an undergraduate degree but without neither the licenciatura's licensure for working in a particular profession nor an accreditation by the respective professional orders. After 1998, the polytechnic institutions were legally upgraded to award new licenciaturas bietápicas which were a 3-years bacharelato plus an additional optative 1 to 2-years cycle conferring a polytechnic licenciatura. The licenciatura diploma was also required for those applicants who wished to undertake master's and/or doctorate programs but admission were only allowed for licenciatura degree owners with grades over 13.5 (out of 20). Due to Europe's Bologna Process, since 2006 new licenciatura degrees were organized at both universities and polytechnics - they are now a first study cycle (3 years) offered by any institution of higher education, and are the only required condition for any applicant who wish to undertake the second study cycle which awards a master's degree. The process was not a mere formal administrative change because the curricula and the teaching methods of the new Bologna licenciatura and master's degrees are totally new.
It has been proposed that after the implementation of the Bologna process, some courses (like engineering) should be accredited only after the student finishes his second study cycle which confers the masters' degree (mestrado), and the first study cycle which confers the licenciatura is not sufficent to be an accredited engineer in Portugal or in Europe. On the other side, there are not licenciatura degrees in medicine because the shortest first study cycle in this field after "Bologna", is a 5-year masters' degree, so all medicine students are award at least a master diploma.
[edit] Spain
In Spain the Licenciado degree is the major University degree previous to doctoral studies. It will also be progressively changed for the 'Master' grade due to the Bologna Declaration on the European space for higher education.
[edit] Sweden
In Swedish and Finnish universities, Licentiate's degree equals completion of the coursework required for a doctorate and a dissertation formally equivalent to half of a doctoral dissertation, likened to a MPhil degree in the British system. The licentiate is particularly popular with students already involved in the working life, such that completing a full doctor's dissertation while working would be too difficult. The Licentiate's degree is called a filosofie licentiat in Swedish and filosofian lisensiaatti in Finnish (Licentiate of Philosophy), teologie licentiat and teologian lisensiaatti (Licentiate of Theology) etc, depending on the faculty. Furthermore, the requisite degree for a physician's license is lisensiaatti; there is no Master's degree. (The degree lääketieteen tohtori "Doctor of Medicine" is a traditional doctorate, the highest degree and the requisite degree for the professor's position.)
The Licentiate of Engineering (LicEng) is an intermediate postgraduate degree used only in a few countries, among them Sweden and Finland, and can be seen as an academic step halfway between a Master's and a PhD. In Swedish, it is called Teknologie Licentiat, usually abbreviated as Tekn. Lic. The Licentiate of Engineering corresponds to 80 academic credits, or nominally two years of full – time work, whereas a Swedish PhD amounts to 160 credits, or a nominal period of four years of full – time work (one credit equals one week of full – time studies). However, as a result of the differences in requirements and individual performance, the time to complete a Licentiate of Engineering degree varies. Normally, it should take around 2 ½ years, i.e. half of that of a PhD, if teaching and other departmental responsibilities are included.
[edit] Switzerland
In Switzerland most of the University degrees are called licentiate, but mostly used in its abbreviation lic. (coming from Latin licentiatus (m) or licentiata (f)). It is equivalent to a Master's degree and qualifies the holder for admission to doctoral studies. It will be progressively changed for the 'Master' grade, due to the Bologna Convention.
[edit] Domain variations
[edit] Heraldry
In Canada, anyone who complete the Level III Heraldic Proficiency Courses will be granted the right to use the post-nominal of LRHSC (Licentiate of the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada). This is awarded by the Royal Heraldry Society of Canada.
[edit] Medicine and surgery
In Britain, several medical degrees are called licentiates. These include:
- Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians (LRCP) (awarded by the Royal College of Physicians of London),
- Licentiate in Medicine and Surgery of the Society of Apothecaries (LMSSA), awarded by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London
- Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (LRCPE), awarded by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh
- Licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (LRCSE) awarded by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
- Licentiate of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow (LRCPSG), awarded by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow
Until 1999, these degrees were registerable with the General Medical Council, and allowed the bearer to practice medicine in the UK.
[edit] Theology
The Licentiate of Theology was a sub-degree or diploma-level qualification offered by a number of educational institutions.
[edit] Bologna Convention
In 2003, the European Union organized the Bologna convention on higher education - 'The Bologna process' - in order to create uniform standards across the EU in that field. The resulting conclusions called for all European universities to change their degree programs to an undergraduate degree and a master's degree.
