ABSTRACT
Doctor’s degree (doctorate): An earned degree that generally carries the title of Doctor. The Doctor of Philosophy degree (PhD), the Doctor of Science degree (DSc), and the Doctor of Engineering Degree (DEng) are the highest academic degrees and require mastery within a field of knowledge and demonstrated ability to perform scholarly research. Other doctor’s degrees are awarded for fulfilling specialized requirements in professional fields, such as education (EdD), musical arts (DMA), business administration (DBA), and engineering (DEng or DES). Many doctor’s degrees in academic and professional fields require an earned master’s degree as a prerequisite. The doctor’s degree classification includes most degrees that NCES formerly classified as first-professional degrees. Such degrees are awarded in the fields of dentistry (DDS or DMD), medicine (MD), optometry (OD), osteopathic medicine (DO), pharmacy (PharmD), podiatry (DPM, PodD., or DP), veterinary medicine (DVM), chiropractic (DC or DCM), and law (LLB or JD).
