Terminal degree

A terminal degree is a university degree that is either highest on the academic track or highest on the professional track in a given field of study. For certain professions and research grants it means the lowest degree to be considered qualified.

An earned academic (or research) doctorate such as a PhD is considered the terminal degree in most academic fields of study in the United States. However, professional doctorates may be considered terminal degrees within the professional degree track, even though they are prerequisites for research degrees. The phrase "terminal degree" is used heavily in the United States, but is used less often outside of that country. The term is not generally used in the United Kingdom or Canada, for example, and its exact meaning varies somewhat between those areas and disciplines in which the term is used. In some countries there are degrees which are more advanced than the PhD, such as the higher doctorates in the United Kingdom and Russia, and the habilitation degree awarded in Germany.

Not all terminal degrees are doctorates. For example, in professional practice fields there are often terminal master-level degrees such as MEng (Master of Engineering), MLArch and MArch standing for Master Landscape Architect and Master Architect or even bachelor-level degrees such as BArch which stands for Bachelor of Architecture or BEng for Engineers, MB (Bachelor of Medicine - UK). Most non-doctoral degrees are not terminal in academic terms, with the exception of the Master of Fine Arts (MFA). The MFA is an academically recognized terminal degree (except where this is the Doctor of Fine Arts or PhD by composition) and is given to practitioners in the fine arts and performing arts.

In academic fields, the typical terminal degree is that of Doctor of Philosophy, although others also exist. The first phase of the Ph.D. consists of coursework in the student's field of study and requires one to three years to complete. This is often followed by a preliminary or comprehensive examination and/or a series of cumulative examinations, in which the emphasis is on breadth rather than depth of knowledge. Finally, another two to four years is usually required for the composition of a substantial and original contribution to human knowledge embodied in a written dissertation that in the social sciences and humanities is typically 250 to 450 pages in length. Dissertations generally consist of (i) a comprehensive literature review, (ii) an outline of methodology, and (iii) several chapters of scientific, social, historical, philosophical, or literary analysis. Typically, upon completion, the candidate undergoes an oral examination, sometimes public, by his or her supervisory committee with expertise in the given discipline.

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