# Use of the term "M.D." - academic or professional? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 24, 2006, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-the-term-m-d-academic-or-professional/377730 "2006-10-24T17:24:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2006, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-the-term-m-d-academic-or-professional/377730/21 "2006-10-26T05:59:01Z")
I wish I had a better source than Wiki, but [According to this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Higher_doctorate#Higher_Doctorates_in_the_United_Kingdom.2C_Ireland_and_the_Commonwealth), > [@](#): > > Higher Doctorates in the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Commonwealth > > The notion of doctorates that are higher than the Ph.D. is one that is rare in the United States and Canada, but more established in the U.K., Ireland and Commonwealth nations, where the Ph.D. is a relatively recent (early 20th century) introduction. Some universities (Oxford and Cambridge, for example) maintain a notional ranking of the seniority of different doctorates; typically Doctors of Divinity rank above all other doctors. > > Higher doctorates include: > > ``` > * Doctor of Divinity/Divinitatis Doctor (D.D.) > * Doctor of Canon Law (in the UK this degree did not survive the Protestant reformation) > * Doctor of Civil Law (D.C.L.) > * Doctor of Laws/Legum Doctor (LL.D.) > * Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D., J.S.D.) > * Doctor of Medicine/Medicinæ Doctor (D.M. or M.D.) > * Doctor of Letters/Litterarum Doctor (D.Litt. or Litt.D.) > * Doctor of Science/Scientiæ Doctor (D.Sc. or Sc.D.) > * Doctor of Music/Musicæ Doctor (D.Mus. or Mus.D.) > * Doctor of Technology (D.Tech.) > * Doctor of Governance (DGov) > * Doctor of the University (D.Univ.; usually honorary) > > ``` > > The degree of Doctor of Engineering (D.Eng. or Eng.D.) usually indicates a qualification comparable to a Ph.D. Moreover, the MD in the UK is apparently now, or was formerly a higher degree than the US MD, which is more akin to the MBBS ChB credentials. ---
**Author:** ![QuizCustodet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ba0ec/32.png) [@QuizCustodet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuizCustodet)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2006, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-the-term-m-d-academic-or-professional/377730/22 "2006-10-26T12:14:04Z")
[QUOTE=cerberus] I wish I had a better source than Wiki, but Moreover, the MD in the UK is apparently now, or was formerly a higher degree than the US MD, which is more akin to the MBBS ChB credentials. [/QUOTE] Hopefully these links will work (from the Exam Degrees and Regulations of the University of Oxford): [Doctor of Divinity](http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/examregs/31-67_General_Regulations.shtml) [Doctor of Civil Law](http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/examregs/29-63_General_Regulations.shtml) [Doctor of Medicine](http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/postgraduate/courses/dm.shtml) In general, these degrees are awarded on the basis of a substantial body of academic work, both original and more significant than would be required for a D.Phil. (Oxford’s Ph.D. equivalent). These are emphatically not equivalent to the continental higher doctorates, however: as I understand it, the continental degrees are required for a permanent appointment. The Oxford higher doctorates are primarily intended as an honor to bestow on particularly eminent scholars or other people who the University wishes to recognize. They are not well-known outside of the academic community, which probably explains the puzzlement of some other UK posters. ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2006, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-the-term-m-d-academic-or-professional/377730/23 "2006-10-26T16:01:57Z")
[QUOTE=Kizarvexius] If this person has taken no further steps towards acquiring a license to practice, is he still entitled to call himself an “M.D.” here in the U.S.? Note – I’m not asking if he’s allowed to practice medicine, but whether he can legitimately claim to be an M.D. [/QUOTE] In Tenn. you may call yourself an engineer or architect but you MAY NOT advertise as such unless you have been examined and issued a license as a Registered Engineer or Architect. I assume this principal applies to most if not all other professions as well. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2006, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-the-term-m-d-academic-or-professional/377730/24 "2006-10-26T16:19:55Z")
[QUOTE=Kizarvexius] Let’s say that someone has earned a medical degree outside of the U.S., and would be fully qualified to practice in his own country. Suppose further that his degree has been evaluated stateside and found to be academically equivalent to a degree earned in the U.S. If this person has taken no further steps towards acquiring a license to practice, is he still entitled to call himself an “M.D.” here in the U.S.? Note – I’m not asking if he’s allowed to practice medicine, but whether he can legitimately claim to be an M.D. [/QUOTE] Yes. Foreign MD’s are often employed in research hospitals–to do research. Lab work, data analysis, etc. They are often addressed as “Doctor” & “MD” appears on their office door. However, they are NOT practicing medicine. They must pass special exams & go through a residency program (even if they did so back home) in order to become licensed. Reasons? (1) To protect the USA from badly trained foreigners. (2) To protect the AMA from competition. ---
**Author:** ![threemae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@threemae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threemae)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2006, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-the-term-m-d-academic-or-professional/377730/25 "2006-10-26T18:29:45Z")
[QUOTE=Bridget Burke] To protect the AMA from competition. [/QUOTE] Sorry, pet peeve, but the AMA _does not_ license physicians, and only around a third of practicing American physicians are members of the AMA. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2006, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-the-term-m-d-academic-or-professional/377730/26 "2006-10-26T20:36:23Z")
[QUOTE=QuizCustodet] They are not well-known outside of the academic community, which probably explains the puzzlement of some other UK posters. [/QUOTE] Not well-known outside of Oxbridge, I suspect! (Until today, I wouldn’t have thought of a DMus as being any different from a DPhil or PhD in the subject…) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/use-of-the-term-m-d-academic-or-professional/377730.md?page=1)