differences between different degrees; PhD, BS etc.

Factual Questions
21

Many U.S. universities make a distinction between “graduate” programs and “professional” programs.

A graduate program generally is one that leads to a degree of M.A., M.S., or Ph.D. They are considered academic programs, and not programs leading to a professional qualification. They usually (always for Ph.D.) require a thesis/dissertation.

Professional programs, on the other hand, usually lead to a specific degree in a specific area, such as M.Ed., M.B.A., M.S.W., J.D., M.D., D.D.S., etc. The programs are usually more structured than “graduate” programs, and often do not require a thesis.

A note on the J.D. degree. Traditionally, U.S. law schools awarded their graduates the LL.B. degree (bachelor of laws). In the 1950’s (I believe), some lawyers realized that the federal government paid its employees with doctoral degrees at a higher rate. They convinced their law schools to award a J.D. (juris doctor) degree rather than an LL.B. (and to offer to convert the degree for existing graduates), thereby qualifying for a higher pay scale.

This leads to a bit of a quirk in the advanced law degrees. The basic law degree awarded is a J.D. After your J.D., you can go for another law degree, an LL.M. (master of laws), which is usually a 1-2 year program in a specific area of law (commonly tax). The highest law degree is an S.J.D. (doctor of juridical science), which is an academic degree requiring a dissertation like a Ph.D. The degree of LL.B. (doctor of laws) is almost exclusively given out as an honorary degree in the U.S.

I understand that something similar is often the case with medical doctors in Commonwealth universities. Rather than the M.D. (medical doctor) degree universally awarded in the U.S., doctors will earn a M.B. (bachelor of medicne) and/or Ch.B. (bachelor of surgery) as their basic medical degree.

On the undergraduate level, the difference between a B.A., B.S., and other bachelors degrees depends heavily on the policies of the individual college/university. Often in a university, different subjects will be administratively grouped into different “schools” or “colleges,” which may award different degrees.

Where I went as an undergraduate, (University of Pennsylvania), there were four schools that awarded undergraduate degrees. The College of Arts and Sciences awarded the B.A. degree for all of its programs, including the hard sciences. The Nursing School awarded a B.S.N. (bachelor of science in nursing). The Wharton School (business school) awarded a B.S.Econ. (bachelor of science in economics) to its regular graduates, and a B.B.A. (bachelor of business administration) to its graduates from its evening school. The School of Engineering and Applied Science awarded two degrees, a B.S.E. (bachelor of science in engineering), which is the usual degree to qualify as a beginning engineer, and a B.A.S. (bachelor of applied science), which is a less rigorous, non-professional engineering degree.

Some other universities will offer B.A. degrees to arts and humanities majors and B.S. degrees to science majors. Others will offer both B.S. and B.A. degrees in the same fields, with the B.S. degree usually being more rigorous with more math/science requirements. Other common bachelors degrees include B.S.B.A. (bachelor of science in business administration), B.F.A. (bachelor of fine arts), B.Mus. (bachelor of music).

I have no idea how colleges choose which bachelors degrees to award for their programs, particularly when there are several that are essentially identical (B.B.A./B.S.B.A./B.S.Econ.)

22

The faculties? Well, I’ve heard of professors being petty and competitive, but it’s rare here for them to get involved in that kind of stuff. In the U.S., it would usually be the students defacing the trash cans.

In the United States, you get get your J.D. at most law schools without ever doing any “practical” work.

The way I’ve usually heard the terms used –

 graduate program = master's degree program
 doctoral or post-graduate program = doctorate degree program

 I think you meant "LL.D." The degree LL.B. I think is largely defunct in the United States.

 In India, physicians get the M.B.B.S -- Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery -- all together.
23

Well, just to add a slight correction to those of you saying a PhD ALWAYS requires a dissertation… my university offers a little-used alternative. If a doctoral candidate produces three original research papers worthy of publication in a refereed journal, that will suffice. I know of no one who has done this in my field.

As EdD and PhD–I believe my grad program (in Education) offers both, but there is little difference in the programs they take. I believe EdD students focus more on practicums, and their dissertations may tend to deal with more applied research, but there is little if any difference in rigor. My advisor happens to be an EdD.

24

Well, just to add a slight correction to those of you saying a PhD ALWAYS requires a dissertation… my university offers a little-used alternative. If a doctoral candidate produces three original research papers worthy of publication in a refereed journal, that will suffice. I know of no one who has done this in my field.

As EdD and PhD–I believe my grad program (in Education) offers both, but there is little difference in the programs they take. I believe EdD students focus more on practicums, and their dissertations may tend to deal with more applied research, but there is little if any difference in rigor. My advisor happens to be an EdD.

25

Another distinction is between a terminal master’s degree and a master’s en route. If you sign up for a program with the intent of just getting a master’s degree, this is a terminal master’s. In physics, at least, a terminal master’s degree is the standard for someone going into industry. On the other hand, if you want to go all the way for the Ph. D., probably with the aim of becomming a professor, then you may be required to get a master’s degree en route. This is where I currently am, and my qualifications are, on paper, the same as someone with a terminal master’s degree. However, if I were to step out of my schooling right now and start look for a job, I would probably be passed over. Stopping with an en-route M.S. makes it look like you just weren’t able to make the cut for the Ph. D.

Generally, in my experience, the terminal M.S. involves a thesis, while the M.S. en route does not. At my school, though, there is no specific requirement for this: You can do a thesis or non-thesis plan for either purpose (the non-thesis plan has more coursework).

26

So far the thread has discussed about a million different degrees, but they can mostly be broken into a few categories:

The Associate’s degree (A.S., etc.) – a two-year degree; not equivalent to a full college education but often the primary requirement in certain occupations such as information technologies.

The Bachelor’s degree (B.A., B.S., etc.) – the basic college degree.

The Master’s (M.A., M.F.A., etc.) – an advanced degree which is not a doctorate and may or may not require the production of an original thesis.

The Doctorate (Ph.D., etc.) – a final degree in most fields, requiring a thesis, and typically qualifying the recipient for any job in his field

Professional degrees (J.D., M.D., D.D.S., M.B.A., etc.) – specialized degrees qualifying the recipient to practice in a specific field of endeavor; in the U.S., candidates for these degrees must typically already hold a Bachelor’s, and in most cases students can go on for advanced degrees in the field.

–Cliffy, A.B., J.D.

27

One thing: Some professional programs (at least UF’s vet school) do require a special written project ( I suppose not as rigorous as a master’s thesis or dissertation) in order to advance to the final part of the program. If the person does not finish the project on time, then he/she cannot continue.

28

I should mention the MLS–Masters of Library Science. Odd note–most MLS programs will accept virtually any Bachelor’s Degree programs. The idea is to create Librarians with a broad range of educational backgrounds.

29

Anyone know what H.B.A. means? Does it mean Honours Bachelor of Arts, or does it mean Honours Business Admnistration?

30

Just to reply to Cranky-

In my program, it is now the norm to simply bind together 3 (or more) published or submitted peer-reviewed papers as a doctoral thesis. It makes the whole shebang 10 times easier.

MM

31

Generally, in my experience, the terminal M.S. involves a thesis, while the M.S. en route does not

Hmm. In my experience, the MS or MA en route to a doctorate often requires comprehensive exams and a thesis or major paper, which is sometimes a pilot study for the dissertation.

While we’re naming degrees, “PsyD” hasn’t been mentioned yet. It’s a doctorate of Psychology, showing that the person has been specifically trained as a practitioner (only some PhDs and EdDs in psychology are so trained).

32

There’s also M. Arch., Master of Architecture, which is the standard architecture degree. You can get a PhD in architecture, but most people going on to commercial careers stop at M.Arch.

33

No one’s mentioned the PharmD yet? 6 year degree to become a pharmacist. Don’t know whether it requires a dissertation, but it’s interesting how they skip the entire Master’s step.

34

This thread contains everything you’ve ever wanted to know about getting a Ph.D.

35

Well, it seems to be a professional degree like the J.D. or M.D., which are typically open to applicants with just a Bachelor’s.

–Cliffy