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* [[Minister (Christianity)|Minister]] (BD, STB, BDiv, MMin, MDiv, STL)
* [[Minister (Christianity)|Minister]] (BD, STB, BDiv, MMin, MDiv, STL)
* [[Physical therapy]] (BSPT, MSPT, DPT, or DPhysio)
* [[Physical therapy]] (BSPT, MSPT, DPT, or DPhysio)
* [[Clinical psychology|Psychologist]] (PhD, PsyD, ClinPsyD or Ed.S)
* [[Clinical psychology|Psychologist]] (PhD, PsyD, ClinPsyD or [[Educational Specialist|EdS]])
* [[Urban Planner]] (MCRP, MUP, MCP, or MURP)
* [[Urban Planner]] (MCRP, MUP, MCP, or MURP)
* [[Nurse]] (BSN, BSc)
* [[Nurse]] (BSN, BSc)

Revision as of 22:44, 1 June 2009

A terminal degree is generally accepted as the highest degree in a field of study. An earned[1] academic (or research) doctorate such as a Doctor of Philosophy is considered the terminal degree in most academic fields of study in some countries. A degree may be terminal with respect to professional degrees but not with respect to academic degrees. For example, the Juris Doctor is the highest professional degree in law, but not the highest academic degree in law. Academically, the order of progression is Juris Doctor followed by Master of Laws followed by Doctor of Juridical Science. Thus, the Juris Doctor is terminal among professional law degrees while the Doctor of Juridical Science is terminal among academic (or research) degrees.[2] Even among academic degrees, not all terminal degrees are doctorates. For example, the terminal academic degree in applied arts is usually the M.F.A. (Master of Fine Arts), and the terminal academic degree for a librarian is the M.L.S./M.L.I.S. (Master's degree in Library Science or Library and Information Sciences)[3].

In some countries an additional tier of degrees known as Higher Doctorates exist. Whilst the PhD is usually undertaken at the outset of an academic career, a Higher Doctorate is usually awarded to senior academics for their overall contribution to their field and assessed on the basis of their existing published works, not on specific study for the Higher Doctorate.

Research doctorate degrees

Main article: Doctor of Philosophy

In academic fields the typical terminal degree is the Ph.D., 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 often is followed by a preliminary or comprehensive examination and/or a series of cumulative examinations where 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 dissertation that in the social sciences and humanities is typically 250 to 450 pages in length. Dissertations generally consist of (i) a comprehensive literature review, (ii) an outline of methodology, and (iii) several chapters of scientific, social, historical, philosophical, or literary analysis. Typically, upon completion, the candidate undergoes an oral examination, sometimes public, by his or her supervisory committee with expertise in the given discipline.

Typical terminal academic research degrees

Professional degrees

Main article: First Professional degree

In some fields, especially those linked to a profession (e.g. medicine, nursing, dentistry, law, optometry, architecture, pharmacy, social work, religious ministry, engineering, accounting, education, etc.), 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 first professional degree is an academic degree designed to prepare the holder for a particular career or profession, fields where scholarly research and academic activity are not the work, but rather the practice of a profession. In many cases, the first professional degree is also the terminal degree because usually no further advanced degree is required for practice in that field even though more advanced professional degrees may exist.

Typical first professional

Advanced professional degrees

  • Education (EdM or MEd)
  • Divinity (DD or DMin)
  • Social Science (DSocSci)
  • Social Work (MSW, DSW or PhD)
  • Medicine (MD, DM, ) (advanced degree in countries that award a bachelor degree in medicine or surgery as first professional degree, usually awarded for outstanding research to a particular field of Medicine)
  • Dental Science (DDSc, Dr.Odont) (advanced degree in countries that award a bachelor degree in dental surgery as first professional degree, usually awarded for outstanding research to a particular field of Dentistry)
  • Surgery (MS, MSurg, MCh, ChM, or MChir) (Usually granted after completion of surgery training program in conjunction with a research thesis)
  • 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)
  • Engineering (MEng, MASc, MMSc)
  • Ministry (MTh, ThM, STM, STD, DThP, DPT, PrD, or DMin)
  • Worship Studies (DWS)
  • Science (MS, MSc) (also offered in medicine, dentistry, and pharmacy)
  • Psychology (PsyD)
  • Computer Science (PD) ( see Columbia University [1] )

See also

References

  1. ^ "Earned" in the sense that the degree is obtained through the completion of a program of study, as opposed to by receiving an honorary doctorate
  2. ^ The LL.M. is a research degree (University of Wisconsin Law School. Master of Laws (LL.M.) Program. Accessed June 23, 2008.) as is the S.J.D. (San Diego County Bar Association. Ethics Opinion 1969-5. Accessed June 10, 2008.)
  3. ^ DePauw University Academic Handbook, Appendix 3: Terminal Degrees
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