First Professional Degree

First Professional Degree

A professional degree prepares the conferee for a particular profession by emphasizing skills and practical analysis over theory and research. Most but not all of the professions associated with professional degrees are licensed professions. For example, professional practice in architecture; dentistry; dietetics; many fields of engineering; K-12 public education; law; medicine (M.D./D.O.); chiropractic; podiatric medicine; nursing; medical laboratory science; music therapy, occupational, and physical therapy; optometry; pharmacy; radiography; social work; psychology; and veterinary medicine, all require one to first obtain a professional degree in the relevant subject area(s) prior to professional licensure, certification or registration. Other fields, such as audiology and speech-language pathology, requires the professional earn a graduate degree as well as the additional required licensing, registration, and certification to obtain employment. Most accountants, for example, need no license; but only accountants licensed as a CPA may use that professional designation; only speech-language pathologists who are also certified teachers may work in the public schools, in most states; and so on.

In some other countries, such as the United Kingdom, the study of vocational subjects at undergraduate level, and post-graduate qualifications outside the academic degree structure, also play a large role in professional training.