what is the difference betwwen a professional and doctorate degree?

Answer 1

A Professional Degree usually refers to a terminal graduate degree in a particular field that is geared towards training people in a given profession. These degrees include -- but are not limited to:

MBA -- Master's in Business Administration
DDS -- Doctor of dental Science
MD -- Medical Doctor
JD -- Law degree
DD -- Doctor of Divinity
MFE -- Master's in Financial Engineering

Other professional degrees include certain MS degrees in fields like engineering and architecture.

You may notice that some of these degrees are doctoral degrees and others are Master's degrees.

The PhD (doctor of philosophy) is also a doctoral degree -- but is an academic, rather than professional, degree. The PhD is, technically, a higher degree than the other doctorates mentioned (including MD).

Most professional degrees involve a certain number of years of classroom experience (MDs go for four years, JD for three, MBAs for two). Some of these disciplines involve tests or more studies to practice. For example, lawyers take the Bar exam after graduating if they want to practice law. Medical Doctors do an internship and residence of about three years and then become Board Certified to practice. But that is not part of their degree. An MD can start working as a stock broker after four years of medical school and still put "MD" after his name.

The PhD usually involves about three years of classwork, a written Preliminary Exam after the second year, an Oral Preliminary Exam after the third year, a Doctoral Dissertation that exhibits important and original work and (at most universities) an oral defense of the dissertation. It can take anywhere between four and ten years.

Answer 2

A "professional degree" is in a specific field and and mandated to practice in that particular field. For example, Lawyers get a "JD" (Juris Doctorate) and Doctors get an "MD" (Medicinae Doctorate). A doctorate degree is an advanced degree in a more general field. Like a PhD in History or Art or Philosophy. Basically, JDs and MDs are more specific doctorate degrees.

Answer 3

A doctoral degree deals more with the philosophy of a particular disipline (that is what they are called Ph.D.'s, it stands for doctor of philosophy). A professional degree deals with learning how to be a part of a particular profession. So, a philosophy professor would hold a doctoral degree (Ph.D.) and a medical doctor would hold a professional degree (M.D.)

Answer 4

Professional degrees are Usually masters degrees. 2 years of schooling. Doctorate Degrees are between 3 and 4 years of schooling.