Post
by theabsolutetruth » Thu Apr 19, 2012 8:25 pm
People, PLEASE READ THIS MESSAGE CAREFULLY!
A "Doctorate" is ONLY a Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) degree, which is the highest ACADEMIC degree in the world (if granted by a fully-accredited academic National University in the USA). It is the certification of a Professional Researcher and Scholar in ANY field of study. The individual decides in which field of study to write their Dissertation document, in order to demonstrate skills as a Professional Researcher and Scholar, not to become an "expert" in that particular field of study. The Dissertation Committee for the Ph.D. degree is comprised of only other persons who hold the Ph.D. degree. The Commencement collar collar for the Ph.D. is dark navy blue, and ALL persons who hold the Ph.D. degree wear ONLY that color, no matter in which field they wrote their Dissertation.
The "JD" degree, although the name was changed in the 1960s for lawyers to try to get more money like the "MD" holders, is categorized as a FIRST PROFESSIONAL (entry-level) "DoctorAL" degree, just like the MD. It is granted by a "School of Law," which, like all "Schools of ____" are VOCATIONAL TRACK training programs, and NOT ACADEMIC PROGRAMS OF STUDY. The graduation collar color for the "JD" is PURPLE, not dark navy blue, and that degree is the ENTRY -LEVEL degree to the practice of Law. The original (and real) name for the "JD" degree is the "LLB" (Nonacademic Bachelor of Laws). The degree above the "JD" (LLB) is the LLM - Master of Laws. And the TRUE "DOCTORAL" degree in Law is the SJD or DSJ (Doctor of Jurisprudence), the highest NON-academic degree granted in the Legal Profession, holding a lower status (as does the Ed.D. and other DOCTORAL degrees from "Schools of_____" than the Academic Doctor of Philosophy -- Ph.D. -- degree.
Yes, there was a very stupid announcement many years ago by the American Bar Association that the "JD" was supposed to be (according to them) "equal to" the Ph.D. degree BUT ONLY FOR THE PURPOSES OF BEING HIRED AS A LAW SCHOOL PROFESSOR, and not for anything else.
If you are planning to get a "JD" degree, go ahead, and if you wish to thereafter go up the Vocational "Professional" Track in your education in the field of Law, then get your LLM, and after that, get your SJD or DSJ. But after all of that, and the expenses involved, you will still NOT have the "equivalent" to a Ph.D. degree -- because there is no "equivalent" to the Ph.D. degree -- the highest academic degree in the world.
In addition, even though the "Schools of ____" often fraudulently use the "Ph.D. robes and regalia" for their Commencement Ceremonies, and even though they "number" their courses at a usually higher than Ph.D.-level "numbering system," and even though they charge huge amounts of money for their classes -- REMEMBER THIS -- A "SCHOOL OF LAW" OR ANY "SCHOOL OF" IS A VOCATIONAL TRACK "PRACTICE TRAINING FOR A JOB" PROGRAM OF STUDIES AND NOT AN ACADEMIC PROGRAM OF STUDIES. The JD, LLM, and SJD/DSJ degrees are NOT granted under the regulations of a University, even if located on a University's property (usually to share library facilities and to get higher "status"). The degrees from "Schools of ____" are granted according to regulations established by Professional Associations, such as the American Bar Association. So, they can charge whatever they want, number their courses however they want, and use whatever "commencement regalia" they want, as they are, once again, NOT ACADEMIC PROGRAMS OF STUDY, AND NOT SUBJECT TO ACADEMIC UNIVERSITY REGULATIONS.
Think carefully as to what you want to do with your life. If you want to go into an ACADEMIC program of studies, those are ONLY the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Bachelor of Science (B.S.), Master of Arts (M.A.), Master of Science (M.S.), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees.
And, remember, the Academic degrees are NOT ADDITIVE with a Vocational/Professional Track degree. If you have an Academic Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) AND a Juris Doctor (J.D.), then all you REALLY have is the lowest-level Academic degree on the Academic Track, plus the lowest-level , entry-level degree on the Vocational/Professional Track -- WHICH STILL DOES NOT EQUAL THE LEVEL OF EITHER THE Master of Arts (MA) or Master of Science (MS), AND IT DOES NOT EQUAL THE LLM from a "School of Law" either.
Sincerely,
An author who holds--in actual order of ranking, according to the regulations of the United States College Board-- AA, AS, JD, BA, BS, MS and Ph.D. degrees (all fully-accredited).
