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{{Short description|Academic degree for qualification to work in a specific profession}}
A '''professional degree''', formerly known in the US as a '''first professional degree''', is a degree that prepares someone to work in a particular profession, practice, or industry sector often meeting the academic requirements for [[Social:Licensure|licensure]] or [[Accreditation|accreditation]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gla.ac.uk/undergraduate/choosingyourdegree/professional/ |publisher=[[Organization:University of Glasgow|University of Glasgow]] |quote= These degrees follow a set curriculum to meet the requirements of the relevant professional organisation so that you’re fully prepared to enter your chosen profession after you graduate. |title= Professional Degree Programmes |access-date= 3 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.studyinaustralia.gov.au/Dictionary.aspx?FirstLetter=p|website=Study in Australia|publisher=Government of Australia|quote=A Professional Degree is an academic degree that prepares the holder for a particular profession.|title=Glossary|access-date=3 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zb9BhR2ulfEC&pg=PA132|quote=Degree, professional. A degree signifying the completion of an academic curriculum pertaining to a professional field; for example: JD, MD. |page=132 |title= The Greenwood Dictionary of Education: Second Edition |author1=John W. Collins |author2=Nancy Patricia O'Brien|date =31 July 2011 |publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9780313379307 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title= OnTransfer - Glossary |year= 2016 |url=https://www.ontransfer.ca/index_en.php?page=glossary#letter_p |quote=A Professional Degree meets the accreditation standards of a particular professional association or college<br/>Professional degrees may require some undergraduate study prior to admission to the program and generally include an internship or other work experience |website=ONTransfer |publisher= Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer |access-date= 3 October 2016}}</ref> Professional degrees may be either graduate or undergraduate entry, depending on the profession concerned and the country, and may be classified as bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degrees. For a variety of reasons, professional degrees may bear the name of a different level of qualification from their classification in qualifications, e.g., some UK professional degrees are named bachelor's but are at master's level, while some Australian and Canadian professional degrees have the name "doctor" but are classified as master's or bachelor's degrees.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cmec.ca/Publications/Lists/Publications/Attachments/95/QA-Statement-2007.en.pdf|title= Canadian Degree Qualifications Framework|work=Ministerial Statement on Quality Assurance of Degree Education in Canada|publisher=Council of Ministers of Education, Canada| quote=Though considered to be bachelor's programs in academic standing, some professional programs yield degrees with other nomenclature. Examples: D.D.S. (Dental Surgery), M.D. (Medicine), LL.B., or J.D. (Juris Doctor)|access-date=3 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aqf.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/AQF-qualification-titles-PDF-2B3-1b.pdf|title=AQF qualification titles|publisher=Australian Qualifications Framework Council|access-date=3 October 2016|date=June 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161213104206/http://www.aqf.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/aqf-qualification-titles-pdf-2b3-1b.pdf|archive-date=13 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.qaa.ac.uk/publications/information-and-guidance/publication?PubID=2843|title=The Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications of UK Degree-Awarding Bodies|publisher=QAA|date=November 2014|access-date=2016-10-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161013061809/http://www.qaa.ac.uk/publications/information-and-guidance/publication?PubID=2843#.V9wSNZMrIdV|archive-date=2016-10-13|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==History==

===History of professional degrees in Europe===
The first doctorates were awarded in the mid twelfth century to recognise teachers (doctors) in mediaeval universities, either in civil law at the [[Organization:University of Bologna|University of Bologna]]<ref name=cathen>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05072b.htm|title=Doctor|author=Pace, E. |year=1909|encyclopedia=Catholic Encyclopaedia|via=New Advent|publisher=Robert Appleton Company}}</ref> or in theology at the [[Organization:University of Paris|University of Paris]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Changing doctoral degrees: an international perspective|author=Keith Allan Noble|publisher=Society for Research into Higher Education|date=1994 |page=8|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R4OdAAAAMAAJ|isbn=9780335192137}}</ref> These were followed shortly afterwards by doctorates in canon law, and then in the thirteenth century by doctorates in medicine, grammar, logic and philosophy. These mediaeval doctorates remained, however, essentially teaching qualifications, with their major importance being the ''ius ubique docendi'' – the right to teach anywhere.<ref name=cathen/>

====History of professional degrees in the United Kingdom====

The first university medical school to be established in the United Kingdom was at the [[Organization:University of Edinburgh|University of Edinburgh]] in 1726, followed in 1744 by the [[Organization:University of Glasgow|University of Glasgow]]. In 1817, Glasgow became the first British university to offer a separate degree in surgery, the Master of Surgery. However, other Scottish universities – [[Organization:University of St Andrews|St Andrews]] and the two universities in Aberdeen – also offered medical degrees, often ''in absentia'' and without examination, despite not having medical schools.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=afYzWG1FLroC&pg=PA251|work=The History of Medical Education: An International Symposium|author=L. R. C. Agnew|editor=Charles Donald O'Malley|publisher=University of California Press|date=1970|title=Scottish Medical Education|pages=251–262|isbn=9780520015784}}</ref> In England, the two universities (Oxford and Cambridge) were only sporadically interested in medical teaching, which was mainly carried out in the London hospitals.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=afYzWG1FLroC&pg=PA235 |work= The History of Medical Education: An International Symposium |author= F.N.L. Poynter |editor= Charles Donald O'Malley |publisher=University of California Press |date=1970 |title= Medical Education in England from 1600 |pages= 235–250|isbn= 9780520015784 }}</ref> It was not until the establishment of the University of London in 1836, however, that students at the hospital medical schools could earn degrees. Following the passing of the Medical Act 1858 and the establishment of the General Medical Council, Scottish graduates gained the right to practice in England and degrees in both medicine and surgery became the norm. The Scottish practice of awarding the [[Medicine:Doctor of Medicine|Doctor of Medicine]] (M.D.) as a first degree was abolished by the university commissioners appointed under the [[Social:Ancient university governance in Scotland#The Universities (Scotland) Acts|Universities (Scotland) Act 1858]], it being replaced by the Bachelor of Medicine and Master of Surgery (MS), with the MD becoming a higher degree as in England. The commissioners under the [[Social:Ancient university governance in Scotland#The Universities (Scotland) Acts|Universities (Scotland) Act 1889]] completed the reform by replacing the MS with the Bachelor of Surgery, the MS joining the MD as a higher degree and the initial professional qualification taking on its modern form as the double Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, degree.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FDpAAAAAYAAJ&pg=PR16|title=General Report of the Commissioners Under the Universities (Scotland) Act, 1889|page=xvi|last1=Commission|first1=Scottish Universities|year=1900}}</ref>

The first university in England to offer training in theology for those intending to become priests in the Church of England was the University of Durham in 1833, following the lead of colleges such as St Bees Theological College and St David's College, Lampeter. The Licence in Theology could be taken as either a one year graduate course, following on from a BA, or a three-year undergraduate course.<ref>{{cite book|title=Nineteenth-century Anglican Theological Training: The Redbrick Challenge|page=24|author=David A. Dowland|publisher=Clarendon Press|date=1997|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7BXjYdOs2VYC&pg=PA24|isbn=9780198269298}}</ref> Shortly after, in 1837, Durham also became the first British university to teach engineering (although the course closed after a few years), followed only a few months later by [[Organization:King's College London|King's College London]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6Zp0iSrtvmMC&pg=RA1-PR11-IA8|page=3|title=Education of Students in Civil Engineering and Mining in the University of Durham|date=July 1838|work=The London and Edinburgh Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science|quote=The University of Durham is the first public body which had attempted to supply this deficiency in the system of education pursued in this country}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://universityhistories.com/2016/08/12/durham-university-last-of-the-ancient-universities-and-first-of-the-new-1831-1871/|title=DURHAM UNIVERSITY: LAST OF THE ANCIENT UNIVERSITIES AND FIRST OF THE NEW (1831-1871)|date=12 August 2016|author=Matthew Andrews |website=University Histories|publisher=University of Manchester}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rFwwAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA705|title=The Athanaeum|pages=705–707|date=29 September 1838}}</ref>

Anglican theological colleges partnered with local universities to offer professional degrees in theology and ministry during the twentieth century. Since 2014, however, the Common Award degrees, validated by Durham, have offered a more unified training across the theological colleges.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.churchofengland.org/clergy-office-holders/ministry/ministerial-education-and-development/common-awards-in-theology,-ministry-and-mission/about-the-common-awards.aspx|title=About the Common Awards|publisher=The Church of England|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313123022/https://www.churchofengland.org/clergy-office-holders/ministry/ministerial-education-and-development/common-awards-in-theology,-ministry-and-mission/about-the-common-awards.aspx|archive-date=13 March 2016}}</ref> Some colleges continue to offer other degrees in addition to the Common Awards, such as the Cambridge Bachelor of Theology at the Cambridge Theological Federation

Legal studies in England were mainly confined to the Inns of Court until the late nineteenth century. The only undergraduate course was at Cambridge and concentrated on Roman civil law rather than English common law; in terms of employment, that the bishops accepted it as equivalent to a B.A. for ordination was more useful than the legal training it provided, and it was generally seen as an easy option for those who couldn't cope with the mathematics on the B.A. course.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VoMPRz8nYQEC&pg=187|title=A History of the University of Cambridge:, Volume 3; Volumes 1750-1870|pages=187–190|author=Peter Searby|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9780521350600|year=1988}}</ref> Cambridge reformed its course in 1858, and London established an undergraduate course a few years later. However, it has only been since the 1960s that law schools have taken on a leading role in training lawyers and truly established professional degrees.<ref name=Langbein1996>{{cite web|url=https://www.law.yale.edu/system/files/documents/pdf/Faculty/Langbein_Scholarly_and_Professional_Objectives_in_Legal_Education.pdf|author=John H. Langbein|title=Scholarly and Professional Objectives in Legal Education: American Trends and English Comparisons|work= Pressing Problems in the Law, Volume 2: What are Law Schools For?|publisher= Oxford University Press|year= 1996}}</ref>

In the latter part of the twentieth century, many chartered bodies introduced educational requirements for their [[Social:Chartered (professional)|chartered professional]] statuses, most notably the Engineering Council requirements for Chartered Engineer. This led to the accreditation of degrees by the relevant professional bodies and, in the case of engineering, to the [[Social:Washington Accord (credentials)|Washington Accord]] – an international agreement between engineering regulatory bodies to recognise professional degrees accredited in each country – signed originally in 1989 by the UK, US, Australia, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand, and since expanded to include many other countries.<ref name="Washington Accord">{{cite web|url=http://www.ieagreements.org/Washington-Accord/|title=The Washington Accord|publisher=International Engineering Alliance|access-date=6 October 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161009140626/http://www.ieagreements.org/Washington-Accord/|archive-date=9 October 2016}}</ref> In the twenty-first century, the standard professional degree for many science and engineering fields was raised from bachelor's to master's level, including for qualification as a [[Physics:Chartered Physicist|Chartered Physicist]] (from 2001), [[Social:Chartered Scientist|Chartered Scientist]] (from 2004) and Chartered Engineer (from 2012).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iop.org/about/royal_charter/file_38390.pdf| title=Charter and Bylaws|access-date=26 June 2016|publisher=Institute of Physics|pages=9–10|
quote=<br/>7. Every person who at the twenty-eighth day of February 2001 was a Corporate Member of the Institute shall be entitled to use the title Chartered Physicist and the abbreviation CPhys according to regulations prescribed by the Council. Every person admitted to any of the corporate classes of membership after the twenty-eighth day of February 2001 who shall:<br/>7.1 have been educated as a physicist and have obtained an Integrated Master's degree recognised by the Council for the purpose of this Clause of this Bylaw and have had experience in responsible work including a structured training course which demands a knowledge of physics or its applications as shall satisfy the Council<br/>or<br/>7.2 have attained professional competence to an equivalent standard demonstrated through a combination of academic qualification, training and experience as shall satisfy the Council<br/>shall be entitled to use the title 'Chartered Physicist' and the abbreviation CPhys according to regulations prescribed by the Council.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nspe.org/resources/blogs/pe-licensing-blog/uk-raises-engineering-education-bar-chartered-engineers|title=UK Raises the Engineering Education Bar for Chartered Engineers|author=Craig Musselman|publisher=National Society of Professional Engineers|date=11 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150217022033/http://www.nspe.org/resources/blogs/pe-licensing-blog/uk-raises-engineering-education-bar-chartered-engineers|archive-date=17 February 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.science.org/content/article/becoming-chartered-scientist|title=Becoming a Chartered Scientist|journal=Science|date=27 November 2013|access-date=18 June 2016}}</ref>

===History of professional degrees in the United States===
The Bachelor of Medicine, or M.B., was the first medical degree to be granted in the United States and Canada. The first medical schools that granted the M.B. degree were at the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University. Columbia University was the first American university to grant the M.D. degree in 1770, although, as in England, this followed the M.B. (which was the qualifying degree) and required completion of a thesis.<ref>{{cite journal|title= The Kissam Family: Its Importance in New York Medicine|author=Paul Cushman Jr.|page=691| volume= 45|issue=7|date=July 1969|journal=Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine|pmc=1750435|pmid=4895796}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://ps.columbia.edu/about-ps/history-college-physicians-and-surgeons|title=History of the College of Physicians and Surgeons|publisher=Columbia University|access-date=7 October 2016|quote=King's College organized a medical faculty in 1767 and was the first institution in the North American Colonies to confer the degree of Doctor of Medicine. The first graduates in medicine from the College were Robert Tucker and Samuel Kissarn, who received the degree of Bachelor of Medicine in May 1769, and that of Doctor of Medicine in May 1770 and May 1771, respectively.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.columbia.edu/about_columbia/history.html |title=History &#124; Columbia University in the City of New York |publisher=Columbia.edu |access-date=2013-07-02}}</ref> Professional societies started licensing doctors from the 1760s, and in the early nineteenth century started setting up their own medical schools, known as  proprietary medical colleges, the first being the medical college of the Medical Society of the County of New York, which opened March 12, 1807. These eliminated the general education and long lecture terms of the university schools, making them much more popular. Without effective regulation, abuses arose, and national conventions in 1846 and 1847 led to the establishment of the American Medical Association. This new body set the first nationwide standards for M.D. degrees, requiring that students had a liberal education in arts and sciences as part of their degree, that they had served an apprenticeship before starting the course, and that the course lasted three years.<ref name=Medline>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/001936.htm|title=Doctor of medicine profession (MD)|encyclopedia=Medical Encyclopedia|publisher=MedlinePlus|access-date=7 October 2016}}</ref>

The M.D. was thus the first entry-level professional degree to be awarded as a purely trade school "doctor" degree in the United States, before the first European-style doctorate, the Ph.D., was awarded by an American institution in 1861,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://guides.library.yale.edu/c.php?g=296074&p=1976335|title=Yale History Timeline: 1860 - 1869|access-date=7 October 2016|publisher=Yale University Library}}</ref> although the M.D. was not established as a post-baccalaureate degree until much later.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bdBXMiac6l0C&pg=PA304|quote=In 1891 the program leading to an M.D. was three years in length and required no college preparation|title=Stand, Columbia: A History of Columbia University|author=Robert McCaughey|publisher=Columbia University Press|date=June 19, 2012|isbn=9780231503556}}</ref> The President of [[Organization:Yale University|Yale]], Arthur Twining Hadley, stated in the early 20th century that: "However convenient it might be to insist on the possession of a bachelor's degree by all pupils in the schools of law or medicine, I feel that it would be a violation of our duty to these professions to hedge ourselves about by any such artificial limitations."<ref>{{cite journal|jstor=1632910|journal=Science| title=On the Granting of the M.D. Degree
|author=Edwin Linton
|volume= 22| issue= 574 |date=29 December 1905 |pages= 875–876|doi=10.1126/science.22.574.875|pmid=17778331|bibcode=1905Sci....22..875L|url=https://zenodo.org/record/1854683}}</ref> This changed (for medicine) after Abraham Flexner's damning report into the state of medical education in 1910: by 1930 almost all medical schools required a previous liberal arts degree before starting the M.D. course.<ref name=Medline/>

Law degrees were introduced in the US by the College of William & Mary in 1792, with its "Batchellor of Law" (sic) (L.B.) degree. This was followed by the "Graduate of Law" at the University of Virginia in 1829, which became the first American LL.B. in 1840. The J.D. was introduced by the University of Chicago in 1902, with the same curriculum as the LL.B. but requiring a previous B.A. or B.S. for entry. The J.D. spread, but encountered opposition, and Harvard, which imposed graduate entry as a requirement for its LL.B. course in 1909, and Yale used the name for their post-LL.B. degree, elsewhere called the LL.M. By the 1930s, when most law schools had shifted to graduate entry, the standard degree was once again the LL.B. The second shift to the J.D., again without a change of curriculum, came in the 1960s, with all [[Organization:American Bar Association|American Bar Association]]–accredited professional degrees adopting the nomenclature by 1971.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mobar.org/uploadedFiles/Home/Publications/Precedent/2013/Winter/doctors.pdf|title=HOW DID LAWYERS BECOME "DOCTORS"? FROM THE LL.B. TO THE J.D.|author=David Perry|work=New York State Bar Association Journal|publisher=New York State Bar Association|date=June 2012|volume= 84|issue= 5}}</ref>

In the late twentieth and early twenty-first century, other professions, particularly in clinical fields, transitioned their professional degrees to doctorates, following the example of the M.D. and J.D. The Master of Public Health (M.P.H. degree) and the Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.) are multi-disciplinary professional degrees awarded for studies in areas related to public health. The M.P.H. degree focuses on public health practice, as opposed to research or teaching. In the 1990s there was also some debate in the architectural community about renaming the professional degree in architecture a "doctorate".<ref>{{cite journal|author=Joanna Lombard|url=https://www.acsa-arch.org/proceedings/Annual%20Meeting%20Proceedings/ACSA.AM.85/ACSA.AM.85.137.pdf |title=LL.B. to J.D. and the Professional Degree in Architecture|journal=Proceedings of the 85th ACSA Annual Meeting, Architecture: Material and Imagined and Technology Conference|year=1997|pages=585–591}}</ref> The spread of professional doctorates raised concerns about the standards of the new degrees, particularly in cases such as physical therapy, where the standard set by the American Physical Therapy Association for the doctorate is the same as that for the master's degree. Critics have claimed that these degrees should not be called doctorates, pointing out that a Ph.D. takes an average of twelve years from the start of college, compared to five and a half to eight years for professional doctorates, while defenders of the new professional doctorates have said the point of comparison should be the M.D. and J.D., not the Ph.D.<ref name=creep>{{cite web |url=http://www.csun.edu/pubrels/clips/June07/06-18-07M.pdf |title=Credential Creep |work=The Chronicle of Higher Education |date=2007-06-27 |access-date=2012-02-19}}</ref>

==Professional degrees by country==

===United States===
Among the professional degrees in the United States, one particular form was the graduate-entry first-professional degree, often denominated as a doctorate. The US Department of Education defined these as: "A first-professional degree was an award that required completion of a program that met all of the following criteria: (1) completion of the academic requirements to begin practice in the profession; (2) at least two years of college work prior to entering the program; and (3) a total of at least six academic years of college work to complete the degree program, including prior required college work plus the length of the professional program itself."<ref name="NCES Glossary">{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829040125/https:/surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds/VisGlossaryPopup.aspx?idlink=235|website=National Center for Education Statistics|title= First-professional |access-date=28 August 2017}}</ref> The use of the term "first-professional" was discontinued by the Department of Education as of 2010–11, when new post-baccalaureate award categories were introduced.<ref name="IPEDS reclassification">{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140727091222/http://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/factsheets/fct_ipeds_new_award_levels.asp|archive-date=27 July 2014|publisher=Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System|url=https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/factsheets/fct_ipeds_new_award_levels.asp|title= MAPPING OLD POST-BACCALAUREATE AWARD LEVELS WITH NEW AWARD LEVELS}}</ref> Prior to this, first-professional degrees (so defined) were awarded in the following ten '''fields''':<ref name="NCES Glossary"/>

<!--This is a list of degrees formerly recognised by IPEDS as first professional degrees NOT a list of current professional doctorates-->
<!--Do NOT add to this list unless the quoted source is found to be inaccurate, at which time, the new authoritative source should be referenced-->
*[[Unsolved:Chiropractic|Chiropractic]] (D.C. or D.C.M.) 		
*[[Medicine:Dentistry|Dentistry]] (D.D.S. or D.M.D.) 	
*[[Social:Law degree|Law]] (LL.B. or J.D.) 
*[[Medicine:Doctor of Medicine|Medicine]] (M.D.) 		
*[[Medicine:Optometry|Optometry]] (O.D.) 		
*Osteopathic medicine (D.O.) 	
*[[Chemistry:Pharmacy|Pharmacy]] (Pharm.D.) 		
*Podiatry (Pod.D. or D.P.) or Podiatric medicine (D.P.M.) 	
*[[Religion:Theology|Theology]] (M. Div., M.H.L., B.D.,  or Ord. and M.H.L./Rav.)
*[[Medicine:Veterinary medicine|Veterinary medicine]] (D.V.M.) 
<!--This is a list of degrees formerly recognised by IPEDS as first professional degrees NOT a list of current professional doctorates-->

Since 2011, the classification "doctor's degree - professional practice" has been used for "[a] doctor's degree that is conferred upon completion of a program providing the knowledge and skills for the recognition, credential, or license required for professional practice." As with the "first professional degree", this classification also requires that the total time in higher education is at least six years, although the requirement for at least two years of college-level study prior to entering the program was removed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds/VisGlossaryPopup.aspx?idlink=942|website=National Center for Education Statistics|title= Doctor's degree-professional practice |access-date=28 August 2017}}</ref> The Department of Education does not define which fields professional doctorates may be awarded in, unlike with the "first professional degree". Besides professional doctorates, other professional degrees can exist that use the title of bachelor or master, e.g., B.Arch. and M.Arch. in architecture.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.naab.org/architecture-programs/|title=Architecture Programs|publisher=National Architecture Accreditation Board|access-date=7 October 2016}}</ref> In particular, first professional degrees in theology, which did not use the title of doctor, were reclassified as master's degrees in 2011 - including the B.D.<ref name="IPEDS reclassification"/>

A distinction is drawn in the US between professional doctorates and "doctor's degree - research/scholarship", with the latter being "[a] Ph.D. or other doctor's degree that requires advanced work beyond the master's level, including the preparation and defense of a dissertation based on original research, or the planning and execution of an original project demonstrating substantial artistic or scholarly achievement."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds/VisGlossaryPopup.aspx?idlink=941|website=National Center for Education Statistics|title= Doctor's degree-research/scholarship |access-date=28 August 2017}}</ref> Internationally, US professional doctorates (which, unlike research doctorates, are not defined as requiring work beyond the master's level) are not generally considered to be doctoral level qualifications.<ref>{{Cite journal |url=http://erc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/document/file/erc_policy_phd_and_equivalent_degrees.pdf |title=PhD and Equivalent Doctoral Degrees: The ERC Policy |publisher= European Research Council|quote=First-professional degrees will not be considered in themselves as PhD-equivalent, even if recipients carry the title "Doctor".|access-date=2013-05-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131106105821/http://erc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/document/file/erc_policy_phd_and_equivalent_degrees.pdf|archive-date=2013-11-06 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://internacional.ipvc.pt/sites/default/files/Reconhecimento%2520de%2520qualifica%25C3%25A7oes_EN.pdf|title=Recognition of Qualifications|page=49|access-date=18 September 2016|publisher=NARIC Portugal|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180711103735/http://internacional.ipvc.pt/sites/default/files/Reconhecimento%20de%20qualifica%C3%A7oes_EN.pdf|archive-date=11 July 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.epnuffic.nl/en/publications/find-a-publication/education-system-united-states.pdf|publisher=NUFFIC|page=3|title=The American education system described and compared with the Dutch system|access-date=18 September 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eua.be/eua/jsp/en/upload/Review%2520of%2520Professional%2520Doctorates_Ireland2006.1164040107604.pdf|publisher=National Qualifications Authority of Ireland|page=3|title=Review of Professional Doctorates|date=October 2006|quote=The ‘1st professional degree’ is a  first degree, not a graduate degree even though it incorporates the word ‘doctor’ in the title|access-date=18 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170110103934/http://www.eua.be/eua/jsp/en/upload/Review%2520of%2520Professional%2520Doctorates_Ireland2006.1164040107604.pdf|archive-date=10 January 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/ISCEDMappings/Documents/North%20America%20and%20Western%20Europe/USA_ISCED_mapping.xls|title=ISCED 1997 Mappings - United States|publisher=[[Organization:UNESCO|UNESCO]]|access-date=5 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uis.unesco.org/Education/ISCEDMappings/Documents/ISCED%202011%20Mappings/ISCED_2011_Mapping_EN_USA.xlsx|title=ISCED 2011 Mappings - United States|publisher=[[Organization:UNESCO|UNESCO]]|access-date=5 October 2016}}</ref> The classification of "Doctor's degree - other" also exists for doctorates that do not meet the definition of either professional doctorates or research doctorates.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://surveys.nces.ed.gov/ipeds/VisGlossaryPopup.aspx?idlink=943|website=National Center for Education Statistics|title= Doctor's degree-other |access-date=28 August 2017}}</ref>

The US Census Bureau uses the classification "professional degree beyond bachelor's degree" as one of the possible answers to "What is the highest degree or level of school this person has completed?" in the American Community Survey, with examples of M.D., D.D.S., D.V.M., LL.B., and J.D. This sits between "master's degree" and "doctorate degree" (with the examples for a doctorate being Ph.D. and Ed.D.).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/topics/education/educational-attainment/about.html|title=Educational Attainment|work=US Census Bureau|access-date=4 August 2019}}</ref>

Some professional fields offer degrees beyond the professional doctorate or other degree required for qualification, sometimes termed post-professional degrees. Higher professional degrees may also be offered in fields that do not have specific academic requirements for entry, such as Fine Arts. These degrees may be at master's or doctorate levels.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ncarb.org/Experience-Through-Internships/IDP2-Experience-Settings/IDP2-Supplemental-Experience-Elective/Post-Professional-Degrees-Overview/Post-Professional-Degree-Programs.aspx|title=Advanced Degree Programs|publisher=National Council of Architectural Registration Boards|access-date=9 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jefferson.edu/university/health-professions/departments/occupational-therapy/degrees-programs/doctorate-programs/post-professional.html|title=Post-Professional Doctorate|publisher=[[Organization:Thomas Jefferson University|Thomas Jefferson University]]|access-date=9 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://gradschool.cornell.edu/requirements/academic-requirements/professional-degrees|title=Professional Degrees|publisher=[[Organization:Cornell University|Cornell University]]|access-date=9 October 2016}}</ref>

=== Canada===

Professional degrees are considered undergraduate degrees in Canada and are recognized by Statistics Canada as degrees that lead to entry-to-practice professions. They generally require first, an undergraduate degree, prior to admission, however, some professional degrees may be direct entry after secondary schooling education such as social work, nursing, midwifery and education. Professional degrees are considered competitive for entry with academic rigor.

*[[Medicine:Doctor of Medicine|Medicine]] (M.D.) 		
*[[Medicine:Optometry|Optometry]] (O.D.) 		
*[[Chemistry:Pharmacy|Pharmacy]] (Pharm.D.) or (BPharm)	
*[[Medicine:Dentistry|Dentistry]] (D.D.S.) or (D.M.D.)		
*Chiropody/Podiatry (D.Ch) or Podiatric medicine (D.P.M.) 	
*[[Medicine:Veterinary medicine|Veterinary medicine]] (D.V.M.) 
*[[Philosophy:Law|Law]] (J.D) or (LL.B.) or (B.C.L.)
*Midwifery (B.H.Sc.)
*[[Medicine:Nursing|Nursing]] (B.Sc.N.) or (B.N.)
*Social Work (B.S.W.)
*Education (B.Ed.)
*[[Engineering:Engineering|Engineering]] (B.Eng) or (B.A.Sc.)

=== United Kingdom===

Professional degrees in the UK are accredited by professional, statutory and regulatory bodies, which work with the Quality Assurance Agency on defining benchmark statements for their subjects.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.qaa.ac.uk/partners/professional-bodies|title=Professional, statutory and regulatory bodies (PSRBs)|publisher=Quality Assurance Agency|access-date=8 October 2016}}</ref> Specific benchmark statements have also been produced for professional qualifications in Scotland.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.qaa.ac.uk/assuring-standards-and-quality/the-quality-code/subject-benchmark-statements/professions-in-scotland|title=Professions in Scotland|publisher=Quality Assurance Agency|access-date=8 October 2016}}</ref>

Many professional degrees span teaching at bachelor's and master's level, leading to a master's level award:

This includes older degrees that retain the names of bachelor's degrees for historic reasons, e.g., the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (M.B.B.S.; M.B., Ch.B.; etc.), Bachelor of Dental Surgery (B.D.S.), and [[Social:Bachelor of Veterinary Science|Bachelor of Veterinary Science]] (B.V.S.), and newer integrated master's degrees such as the Master of Engineering (M.Eng.), Master of Optometry (M.Optom), or Master of Pharmacy (M.Pharm.).<ref name="QAA Master's">{{cite web|url=http://www.qaa.ac.uk/publications/information-and-guidance/publication?PubID=2977#.V_nHc2UXZSA|title=Master's Degree Characteristics Statement|date=September 2015|access-date=8 October 2016|publisher=Quality Assurance Agency}}</ref><ref name="targetjobs">{{cite web|url=https://targetjobs.co.uk/career-sectors/engineering/282495-becoming-a-chartered-or-incorporated-engineer-after-starting-a-graduate-job|title=Becoming a chartered or incorporated engineer after starting a graduate job|publisher=Target Jobs|access-date=9 October 2016}}</ref> In some subjects, qualification can be via separate bachelor's and master's degrees, e.g., a Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) followed by a Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Engineering,<ref name="targetjobs" /> or a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Architecture followed by a year of professional experience, then a two-year Master of Architecture (M.Arch.).<ref name="RIBA">{{cite web|url=https://www.architecture.com/Files/RIBAProfessionalServices/Education/CareersInArchitecture/ThinkArchitecture.pdf|title=Think Architecture|publisher=Royal Institute of British Architects|access-date=9 October 2016}}</ref> In some subjects the normal professional degree is a bachelor's degree, e.g., the [[Social:Bachelor of Laws|Bachelor of Laws]] (LL.B.) or B.A. in Law (for both solicitors and barristers)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sra.org.uk/students/courses/qualifying-law-degree-providers.page|title=Qualifying law degree providers|publisher=Solicitors Regulation Authority|access-date=9 October 2016}}</ref> or a B.Sc. in Surveying.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rics.org/uk/join/student/from-student-to-surveyor/school-student/|title=School student|date=17 Apr 2012|publisher=Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors|access-date=8 October 2016}}</ref> or a B.Sc. in Accountancy.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://careers.icaew.com/find-your-route/training-as-a-graduate|title=Training as a graduate|publisher=Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales|access-date=11 December 2023}}</ref> Some professional bodies also offer different levels of professional recognition, e.g., a master's degree is needed for Chartered Engineers or [[Social:Chartered Scientist|Chartered Scientist]]s but a bachelor's degree for Incorporated Engineers and a bachelor's or foundation degree for [[Chemistry:Registered Scientist|Registered Scientist]]s.<ref name="targetjobs" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rsc.org/careers/cpd/practising-scientists/|publisher=[[Organization:Royal Society of Chemistry|Royal Society of Chemistry]]|title=Professional recognition for practising scientists|access-date=9 October 2016}}</ref>

It is common for professional qualification in the UK to require professional experience in addition to academic qualification. For Architecture, the standard route has a year of experience between the bachelor's and master's stages and a further year after the master's before the final examination;<ref name="RIBA" /> becoming a Chartered Engineer requires post-degree Initial Professional Development that typically takes four to six years;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://targetpostgrad.com/subjects/built-environment/getting-from-masters-to-chartered-engineer-status|title=Getting from masters to chartered engineer status|access-date=9 October 2016|publisher=TARGETpostgrad}}</ref> becoming a General Practitioner requires five years of study beyond the M.B.B.S., while qualifying as a Consultant takes seven to nine more years.<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131024103014/http://bma.org.uk/-/media/Files/Word%20files/News%20views%20analysis/pressbriefing_medical%20training%20uk.doc|url=http://bma.org.uk/-/media/Files/Word%20files/News%20views%20analysis/pressbriefing_medical%20training%20uk.doc|archive-date=24 October 2013|title=Medical training in the UK|publisher=British Medical Association}}</ref> Although initial registration as a medical doctor occurs after the initial four-to-six-year primary medical qualification (e.g., M.B.B.S.).

In addition to initial professional degrees, some professional master's degrees and most professional doctorates, e.g., the [[Social:Master of Business Administration|Master of Business Administration]] (M.B.A.), [[Social:Doctor of Education|Doctor of Education]] (Ed.D.), [[Engineering:Doctor of Engineering|Doctor of Engineering]] (Eng.D.) and Doctor of Agriculture (D.Ag.), are offered for those already established in professions. UK professional doctorates are research degrees at the same level as Ph.D.'s, normally including teaching at doctoral level but still assessed by a doctoral research thesis or equivalent.<ref name="QAA Master's"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.qaa.ac.uk/publications/information-and-guidance/publication?PubID=2975#.V_nHa2UXZSA|title=Doctoral Degree Characteristics Statement|date=September 2015|access-date=8 October 2016|publisher=Quality Assurance Agency|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119235547/http://www.qaa.ac.uk/publications/information-and-guidance/publication?PubID=2975#.V_nHa2UXZSA|archive-date=19 January 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Some professional degrees are designed specifically for trainees or members within a particular organisation, rather than being available via general enrollment. Examples of these include the Church of England's Common Awards with [[Organization:Durham University|Durham University]] and the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants' B.Sc. in Applied Accounting with [[Organization:Oxford Brookes University|Oxford Brookes University]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.churchofengland.org/clergy-office-holders/ministry/ministerial-education-and-development/common-awards-in-theology,-ministry-and-mission.aspx|title=About the Common Awards|publisher=Church of England|access-date=8 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.accaglobal.com/gb/en/student/exam-entry-and-administration/oxford-brookes-bsc-hons-in-applied-accounting.html|publisher=Association of Chartered Certified Accountants|title=DEGREE IN APPLIED ACCOUNTING|access-date=8 October 2016}}</ref>

==International equivalence==

===In medicine===

In medicine, individual countries specify rules for recognising foreign qualifications; in the US, for example, this is carried out by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) and in the UK by the General Medical Council (GMC).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ecfmg.org/forms/certfact.pdf|title=Certification Factsheet|publisher=ECFMG|access-date=9 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.gmc-uk.org/doctors/registration_applications/acceptable_primary_medical_qualification.asp|title=Acceptable overseas medical qualifications|publisher=GMC|access-date=9 October 2016}}</ref> The Australian Medical Council, US ECFMG, UK GMC, Medical Council of Canada, Danish Health and Medicines Authority, and Korean Institute of Medical Education and Evaluation jointly sponsor the [[Organization:World Directory of Medical Schools|World Directory of Medical Schools]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wdoms.org/sponsors/|title=Sponsors|publisher=World Federation for Medical Education and the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical Education and Research|access-date=9 October 2016}}</ref> At least one state in the US, Wisconsin, permits foreign graduates to use the title "MD" if licensed to practice in the US.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wisconsinmedicalsociety.org/_WMS/legislation/_files/pdf/compendium/practice97-112.pdf |archive-date=16 February 2008|title=Practice, Organization and Interprofessional Issues|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080216111845/http://wisconsinmedicalsociety.org/_WMS/legislation/_files/pdf/compendium/practice97-112.pdf |work= Wisconsin Medical Society Policy Compendium 2007|page=108|id=PHY-007 Use of the MD Title}}</ref> The state of New York grants an M.D. degree to graduates of approved foreign medical schools upon application and payment of a fee.<ref> https://www.op.nysed.gov/professions/physicians/conferral-md-degree New York State Education Department Office of the Professions. Conferral of M.D. Degree. Retrieved 6 August 2023. </ref>

===In engineering===

In engineering, the [[Social:Washington Accord (credentials)|Washington Accord]] (1989) recognised that the academic training (i.e., professional degrees) for full professional status (Professional Engineer, Chartered Engineer, European Engineer, etc.) is equivalent in the signatory countries.<ref name="Washington Accord"/> Similarly the Sydney Accord (2001) recognises similar academic training between signatories for Engineering Technologists, Incorporated Engineers, etc. and the [[Social:Dublin Accord|Dublin Accord]] (2002) for Engineering Technicians.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ieagreements.org/sydney/|title=Sydney Accord|publisher=International Engineering Alliance|access-date=9 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ieagreements.org/Dublin/|title=Dublin Accord|publisher=International Engineering Alliance|access-date=9 October 2016}}</ref> For computing and information technology, the [[Social:Seoul Accord|Seoul Accord]] (2008) recognises similar academic training on accredited courses for computing and information technology professionals in the signatory countries.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.seoulaccord.org/about.php?id=91|title=About the Seoul Accord|publisher=Seoul Accord Secretariat|access-date=9 October 2016}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Social:Terminal degree|Terminal degree]]
*[[Social:Postgraduate education|Postgraduate education]]
*[[Social:Licensure|Licensure]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}70.[https://dpm.ifas.ufl.edu/academics/admissions/ Doctor of Plant Medicine]

71.[https://www.audiologist.org/prospective-students/aud-programs Doctor of Audiologist]

72.Doctor of Naturopathy[https://nunm.edu/programs/nd/]

73.Doctor of Traditional Korean Medicine [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7260587/]

74.Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine [https://muih.edu/academics/acupuncture/doctor-of-acupuncture/]


[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7260587/]{{Clear}}
{{Academic degrees}}

[[Category:Qualifications]]
[[Category:Professional titles and certifications]]
[[Category:Academic degrees]]

da:Bachelor#Professionsbachelor

{{Sourceattribution|Professional degree}}