A terminal degree is the highest-level college degree that can be achieved and awarded in an academic discipline or professional field. In other cases, it is a degree that is awarded because a doctoral-level degree is not available nor appropriate.[1][2][3][4][5] 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 United States, but is used less in other countries. The term is not generally used in the United Kingdom or Canada, for example, and its exact meaning varies somewhat between those areas and disciplines in which the term is used. In some countries there are degrees which are more advanced than the PhD, such as the higher doctorates in the United Kingdom and Russia, and the habilitation degree awarded in Germany and Austria.
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. MEng (Master of Engineering), MLArch standing for Master Landscape Architect or BEng for Engineers, MB (Bachelor of Medicine (UK)). Architecture was a discipline where the M.Arch was considered terminal as a professionally oriented degree, but a Doctor of Architecture (D.Arch) that is recognized by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) establishes the doctoral level as the highest level of "professional degree" in architecture in the United States.[7][8] For the same discipline of Architecture, the "Laurea di Dottore" is the terminal degree in Italy. Interior design and Interior Architecture have terminal master-level degrees such as MID, MA, MS interior design education. Most non-doctoral degrees are not terminal in academic terms, with the exception of the Master of Fine Arts (MFA), an academically recognized terminal degree given to practitioners in the fine arts and performing arts. The Master of Business Administration (MBA) is also considered a terminal professional degree.[9]
^"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.
A terminaldegree is the highest-level college degree that can be achieved and awarded in an academic discipline or professional field. In other cases...
and Master of Science in Management. The MBA is a professional and terminaldegree. Accreditation bodies specifically for MBA programs ensure consistency...
A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminaldegree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking...
university. An academic usually holds an advanced degree or a terminaldegree, such as a master's degree or a doctorate (PhD). Independent scholars and public...
in North America, a master's is the terminaldegree. Professional degrees such as the Master of Architecture degree (M.Arch.) can last to three and a half...
A medical degree is a professional degree admitted to those who have passed coursework in the fields of medicine and/or surgery from an accredited medical...
postgraduate M.D and M.S. degrees, which requires three years of further training. Post-doctorate D.M. and M.Ch. terminaldegrees are awarded by a few elite...
equal to the doctorate. The Magister's degree was, and to some extent still is, commonly the terminaldegree held by academics in the new sciences, that...
Terminaldegree Postgraduate education Licensure "Professional Degree Programmes". University of Glasgow. Retrieved 3 October 2016. These degrees follow...
standards, is an earned research-based degree. This is why the Master of Divinity is considered a terminaldegree to become a pastor or minister, with the...
Studies Piled Higher and Deeper, Life (or the lack thereof) in Academia Terminaldegree Doctor of Philosophy by publication "PhD". Oxford Living Dictionaries...
research in the field of business administration. The D.B.A. is a terminaldegree in business administration and is equivalent to the Ph.D. in Business...
designated. In these areas, professors are scholars with doctorate degrees (typically PhD degrees) or equivalent qualifications who teach in colleges and universities...
Students who complete a vocational program can often earn a terminal associate degree such as the Associate of Applied Arts (AAA) or the Associate of...
associate professor") implies a PhD or other terminaldegree; those with a master's or bachelor's degree may receive the title of "adjunct lecturer"....
as the terminaldegree. In Italy, the title of Doctor of Juridical Science (dottore in scienze giuridiche) is awarded to holders of a Degree in Juridical...
several years more than is necessary to obtain a given degree, or who pursues multiple terminaldegrees. Perpetual students might publish or work in several...
The Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) or (DrBA) is a terminaldegree in business administration. The DBA is classified as a research doctorate or...
students to be professional performers, conductors, and composers. As a terminaldegree, the DMA qualifies its recipient to work in university, college, and...
Archbishop of (Place); bishops in the U.S. commonly indicate their terminaldegree(s) as postnominals, e.g., J.C.D. or S.T.D., or Ph.D. or D.D.; His Excellency;...
environments. Psychologists usually acquire a bachelor's degree in psychology, followed by a master's degree or doctorate in psychology. Unlike psychiatric physicians...
science. An EngD is a terminaldegree similar to a PhD in engineering but applicable more in industry rather than in academia. The degree is usually aimed...
transition degree for entrance into a PhD program or as a stand-alone terminaldegree depending on one's particular educational background and institution...
A computer terminal is an electronic or electromechanical hardware device that can be used for entering data into, and transcribing data from, a computer...
publica sanitas) is a doctoral degree awarded in the field of Public Health. DrPH is an advanced and terminaldegree that prepares its recipients for...
a terminaldegree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equivalent...
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