Terminal degree
A terminal degree is the highest-level
The two main types of terminal degrees are academic or professional.An academic doctorate such as the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is a terminal degree for expanding human knowledge through research and dissertation defense. A professional doctorate is a terminal degree for licensure in an occupation, such as the Doctor of Medicine (MD), Juris Doctor (JD), and Doctor of Engineering (EngD).[6]
The phrase "terminal degree" is used heavily in the
Not all terminal degrees are doctorates. For example, in professional practice fields there are often terminal master-level degrees, some which are called doctorates e.g.
Research degrees
In academic fields, the typical terminal degree is that of Doctor of Philosophy, although others also exist. The first phase of the Ph.D. consists of coursework in the student's field of study and requires one to three years to complete. This is often followed by a preliminary or comprehensive examination and/or a series of cumulative examinations, in which the emphasis is on breadth rather than depth of knowledge. Finally, another two to four years is usually required for the composition of a substantial and original contribution to human knowledge embodied in a written
Typical professional degrees, professional/clinical doctorates, and research doctorates
- Arts:
- Doctor of Arts (DA)
- Doctor of Music (DM or DMus)
- Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) (Usually awarded to performance majors in the musical arts)
- Doctor of Modern Languages(DML)
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D. or DPhil)
- Doctor of Professional Studies (DPS)
- Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
- Master of Arts (MA)
- Design:
- Master of Art and Design (MAD)[10]
- Master of Architecture (M.Arch)
- Doctor of Architecture (D.Arch)
- Doctor of Design (DDes)
- Master of Design (MDes)[11]
- Master of Landscape Architecture(MLArch and/or MLA)
- Master of City Planning(MPLAN, MCRP, MUP, MCP, MCD or MURP)
- Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
- Master of Graphic Design (MGraph)[12]
- Education:
- Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
- Educational Specialist(EdS)
- Healthcare:
- Doctor of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM)
- Doctor of Athletic Training (DAT)[13]
- Doctor of Behavioral Health (DBH)[14]
- Doctor of Chiropractic(DC)
- Doctor of Clinical Nutrition (DCN)
- Doctor of Dental Medicine(DDS or DMD)
- Doctor of Healthcare Administration (DHA)
- Doctor of Health Science (DHS, DHSc)
- Doctor of Medicine (MD)
- Doctor of Medical Physics (DMP)
- Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc)
- Doctor of Nurse Anesthesia Practice(DNAP)
- Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
- Doctor of Occupational Therapy (DOT or OTD)
- Doctor of Optometry(OD)
- Doctor of Osteopathy(DO)
- Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD)
- Doctor of Physical Therapy or Physiotherapy (DPT or DPhysio)
- Doctor of Podiatric Medicine(DPM)
- Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)
- Doctor of Public Health (DrPH, DPH)
- Doctor of Science (DSc)
- Doctor of Social Science (DSocSci)
- Doctor of Social Work (DSW)
- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine(DVM)
- Law:
- Doctor of Canon Law(JCD)
- Doctor of Jurisprudence(JD)
- Doctor of Juridical Science (JSD/SJD) (in the U.S.)
- Doctor of Laws(LLD)
- Management:
- Doctor of Business Administration (DBA, DrBA)
- Doctor of Management (DMgt, DM)
- Master of Public Affairs (MPA)
- Master of Project Management(MPM)
- Doctor of Public Administration (DPA)
- Doctor of Economic Development (DED)[15]
- Religion:
- Master of Divinity (M.Div.)
- Doctor of Divinity (D.D. or D.Div.)
- Doctor of Ministry (D.Min.)
- Master of Theology (Th.M. or Th.M)
- Master of Sacred Theology (S.T.M.)
- Doctor of Sacred Theology (S.T.D.)
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D. or D.Phil. or Phil.D.)
- Doctor of Theology (Th.D. or D.Th.)
- Science and Engineering:
- Doctor rerum naturalium (Dr. rer. nat.)
- Doctor of Computer Science (DSc.Comp, DCS, D.C.Sc.)
- Doctor of Engineering (Dr.-Ing./DEng/Dr. Eng./EngD)
- Doctor of Science (Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S.)
- Social Science:
- Doctor of Criminal Justice (DCJ) is a professional doctorate (terminal degree) that is awarded on the basis of advanced study and research in the field of criminal justice. Structurally, the Doctor of Criminal Justice differs from the Ph.D. in that the DCJ has, as noted above, at least a three year duration, with only one year equivalent on the dissertation, while an American Ph.D. in criminal justice would normally require a minimum of four years, with at least two years spent on the dissertation. The Doctor of Criminal Justice (DCJ) prepares the holder for research and academic positions. It also prepares the holder for professional positions in the American criminal justice system.
- Technology:
- Doctor of Information Technology (DIT)
- Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS, MLS, MSLS) (Given in the US, by an ALA accredited school or program.)
Professional degrees
A professional degree is a degree that is required, often by law as in the case of medical and other clinical professions, that must be earned first before the holder of the degree can practice in the profession. A
Typical professional degree
- Business:
- Accountant (MAcc, MAcy, MSAcy)
- Business Administration (MBA)[16]
- Design:
- Architect (B.Arch, M.Arch, D.Arch)
- Architectural Engineer(B.A.E, M.A.E)
- Landscape Architect (BLA, MLA)
- Urban Planning(MPLAN, MCRP, MUP, MCP, MCD, MURP)
- Interior Architecture(BS, BFA, MFA, MID, MA, MS)
- Education or a bachelor's usable for teaching (BEd, BA, BME, BSE, BSocSc, BSc)
- Engineer (BE, BEng, MEng, BSE, BScEng, BASc)[17]
- Healthcare:
- Acupuncturist(MAcOM, DAcOM)
- Advanced Practice Nurse(DNP, DNAP, DNS, DNSc)
- Audiologist(MS, AuD)
- Chiropractor(DC)
- Health Administrator (MHA)
- School Counselor(M.A., M.S., M.Ed., M.Coun. [also M.C.], or Ph.D.)
- Mental Health Counselor(M.A., M.S., M.Ed., M.Coun. [also M.C.], or Ph.D.)
- Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS, CLS, MT)
- Dentist (DMD, BDent, DDS, BDS, BDSc, BChD, CD, Cand.Odont., Dr.Med.Dent.)
- Midwife (BMid, BScMid)
- Nurse (BSN, MSN)
- Occupational Therapist (OTD, DrOT, MSOT, MA, MOT)
- Optometrist(OD, B.Optom)
- Pharmacist (BPharm, BScPhm, PharmB, MPharm, Pharm.D.)
- Physical Therapist (DPT, DPhysio, MPT, MSPT, MPhysio, BSPT, BPT, BPhysio)
- Physician or Surgeon (M.D., D.O., MBBS, MDCM, MBChB, BMed, Dr.Med, Dr.MuD, Cand.med).
- Physician Associate(MPAS, MPS, MS, PGDip)
- Podiatrist (DPM, DP, PodD, BPod, PodB)
- EdS)
- Public Health (MPH)
- Radiation Therapist (BSc, BRad)
- Radiographer (BSc, BMRSc, BRad)
- Respiratory Therapist(MSRC, BSRT)
- Scientist (BSc, BS)
- Social Worker (BSW, BA, BSc)
- Speech and Language Therapist(MA, MS)
- Veterinarian (DVM, VMD, BVS, BVSc, BVMS)
- Lawyer (LL.B., J.D.)
- Minister (M.Div.)
Advanced professional degrees
- Education (MEd, MAT, MT, EdS)[18]
- Engineering (MEng, MASc, MMSc, PD[19])
- Healthcare:
- Acupuncture (DAcOM)
- Advanced Practice Registered Nurse(APRN: CRNA, NP, CNM, CNS) (DNP, DNAP, DNS, DNSc)
- Biotechnology (ALM)
- Dental Science (DDSc, Dr.Odont) (advanced degree in countries that award a bachelor's degree in dental surgery as first professional degree, usually awarded for outstanding research to a particular field of Dentistry)
- Dentistry(MDS, MSD, MDSc, or DClinDent) (these are usually granted at the culmination of a specialty training program in dentistry in those programs that also require research and a thesis to be completed)
- Medicine (MD/DO) (advanced degree in countries that award a bachelor's degree in medicine or surgery as first professional degree, usually awarded for outstanding research to a particular field of Medicine)
- Midwifery (MMid, MScMid)
- Nursing Practice (DNP)
- Surgery (MS, MSurg, MCh, ChM, or MChir) (Usually granted after completion of surgery training program in conjunction with a research thesis)
- Physician Associate(DMSc)
- PsyD)
- Social Science(PhD, DPhil)
- Social Work(MSW, DSW, ProfD or PhD)
- PhD)
- Ministry (DMin)
- Public Policy (MPP)
- Public Administration (MPA)
See also
- Professional degree
- Professional school
References
- ^ "Graduate Degrees - American Graduate Education". www.americangraduateeducation.com.
- ^ "What Is the Difference Between a Terminal Degree & a Research Degree?". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
- ^ "Terminal Master's Degree Programs in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences" (PDF). Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
- ^ "Qualifications for Tenure Track Hire Policy". San Francisco State University. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
- ^ "Presidential Diversity Research Grant". Binghamton University. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
- ^ American Bar Association. "Law School Accreditation Council Statements" (PDF). American Bar Association. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
- ^ "What Is the Difference Between a Terminal Degree & a Research Degree?". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
- ^ "NAAB". National Architectural Accrediting Board.
- ^ "What is an MBA? Is an MBA a Terminal Degree?". University of Alabama at Birmingham. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
- ^ "Standards and Guidelines". College Arts Association. The College Art Association. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
- ^ "Standards and Guidelines". College Arts Association. The College Art Association. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
- ^ "Standards and Guidelines". College Arts Association. The College Art Association. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
- ^ "Education Overview". 19 March 2015.
- ^ "Doctor of Behavioral Health (DBH)".
- ^ "Doctor of Economic Development (DED) | NMSU College of Business | New Mexico State University". business.nmsu.edu. Archived from the original on 2015-01-25.
- ^ MBA represents a professional designation in the field of Management
- ^ "The National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying".
- ^ "MT :: Master of Teaching, CTL, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto". Oise.utoronto.ca. Retrieved 2010-07-08.
- ^ "CVN - Columbia Video Network". Cvn.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2010-07-08.