Doctoral Online Degrees

In the United States, the first professional degrees in many clinical fields have the name "doctor" and are also known as "professional doctorates." Such fields include audiology, chiropractic, dentistry, law, medicine, occupational therapy, optometry, osteopathy, pharmacy, physical therapy, podiatry, psychology, veterinary medicine, and many others.

It is important to recognize that practitioners in these fields hold first-professional degrees, not graduate research degrees, and the level of research training is not academically equivalent to a Ph.D. For example, professional doctoral education (such as medicine and law) does not generally require completion of a thesis/dissertation to graduate, a central component of Doctoral and most Master's level research degrees. There are some exceptions though, as some law schools and a small number of medical schools require that the candidate perform original research and write a formal research paper. Even when not a requirement, most medical students still conduct some form of academic research before residency, often leading to publication. The minimum term for such a degree (M.D. and J.D.) is 3 years past postsecondary education, the same minimum term required for a research doctorate. In addition, many academic fields allow individuals to pursue teaching and research careers within their field with a professional doctorate.

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