A terminal degree is the highest academic degree in a given field of study. This phrase is in academic use in the United States, but is little used outside North America. The term is not generally used in the United Kingdom, for example, and its exact meaning varies somewhat between those areas and disciplines in which the term is used.
An earned academic (or research) doctorate such as a Doctorate of Philosophy (Ph.D. or D. Phil.) is considered the terminal degree in most academic fields of study in the US. However, professional doctorates may be considered terminal degrees within the professional degree track, even though they are prerequisites for research degrees. In addition, in some countries there are degrees which are more advanced than the Ph.D., such as the higher doctorates in the United Kingdom and Russia, and the habilitation degree awarded in Germany. Also, not all terminal degrees are doctorates. For example, in professional practice fields there are often terminal master-level degrees such as MLArch and MArch standing for Master Landscape Architect and Master Architect.
Read more about Terminal Degree: Research Degrees, Professional Degrees
Famous quotes containing the words terminal and/or degree:
“All sin tends to be addictive, and the terminal point of addiction is what is called damnation.”
—W.H. (Wystan Hugh)
“There is always a degree of ridicule that attends a disappointment, though often very unjustly, if the expectation was reasonably grounded; however, it is certainly most prudent not to communicate, prematurely, one’s hopes or one’s fears.”
—Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl Chesterfield (1694–1773)