Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd say an academic masters is higher than a JD.

If you have an English MA, say, you have more extensive knowledge. A JD is just the basic law degree.

This is ridiculous. I have a Master's Degree in Public Policy. My JD was 10 times harder to get, plus, I had to take the bar exam.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd say an academic masters is higher than a JD.

If you have an English MA, say, you have more extensive knowledge. A JD is just the basic law degree.

Law School is 3 years. At UVA a maters in english takes 3 semesters.

"number of students, the most desirable plan is a rigorous course of study at the MA level. The MA may be completed in three full semesters, though students opting to write an MA thesis often take a fourth semester"

http://www.engl.virginia.edu/graduate

Not sure what your point is. Law school has no prereqs, so the first year is just bringing people up to speed.

Anonymous wrote:I'd say an academic masters is higher than a JD.

If you have an English MA, say, you have more extensive knowledge. A JD is just the basic law degree.

Anonymous wrote:Law school was more work because you were learning a new subject, not because the degree is "more advanced" or "intellectual." It's the entry-level, basic law degree. An MA in say, English or history, means you have some background in the area and you can do more advanced work.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What makes a JD or PharmD, say, an MLS, MBA, MSW, MFA, M.Arch. etc. so fundamentally different that they get "doctoral" degrees? There is no original research component for any of these degrees. Degree inflation?

You do a thesis for doctoral degree; you don't for master degrees:
http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-a-phd.htm

It really all depends on what you want to be when you grow up.

Nope, not true at all. Many MA programs will allow you to do 30 hours of coursework for the degree but some still require a thesis, which is considered the equivalent of two classes. I wrote a thesis for my MA and a dissertation for my PHd.

+1. Most master's require a thesis. DH's STEM masters was a 3 year program. I think a PhD was only a year more of coursework.

Lawyers are not doctors. Truly only academic teachers/professors and MDs should hold that title.

Your obsession with lawyers are not doctors is just weird. Who really cares what they are called? I'm a JD/MA (English) and in formal legal settings (briefings & correspondence to the Court) other attorneys sometimes put "Esquire" after my name. In the 20 years since I have graduated from law school (and passed 3 bars), exactly no one has called me Dr. My Last Name. In fact, I've never head of any JD being referred to as Dr. Last Name. That would be weird and I would correct them. It's not an academic doctorate, it's a professional one, and no one is pretending otherwise. That said, law school is a very tough path that prepares you for direct entry into professional practice (after passing the bar, of course). Saying it it less rigorous than an MA in liberal arts makes you look ridiculous. I did a 4 year JD/MA joint program, and put 85% of my time and effort in the JD piece. JD/MBAs were also common in my school, and, once again, it was 3 tough years of JD (with some business law classes to cross count) and a "slacker" year to finish the MBA.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd say an academic masters is higher than a JD.

If you have an English MA, say, you have more extensive knowledge. A JD is just the basic law degree.

Law School is 3 years. At UVA a maters in english takes 3 semesters.

"number of students, the most desirable plan is a rigorous course of study at the MA level. The MA may be completed in three full semesters, though students opting to write an MA thesis often take a fourth semester"

http://www.engl.virginia.edu/graduate

Not sure what your point is. Law school has no prereqs, so the first year is just bringing people up to speed.

Don't you need a bachelors to get into law school?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd say an academic masters is higher than a JD.

If you have an English MA, say, you have more extensive knowledge. A JD is just the basic law degree.

Law School is 3 years. At UVA a maters in english takes 3 semesters.

"number of students, the most desirable plan is a rigorous course of study at the MA level. The MA may be completed in three full semesters, though students opting to write an MA thesis often take a fourth semester"

http://www.engl.virginia.edu/graduate

Not sure what your point is. Law school has no prereqs, so the first year is just bringing people up to speed.

Anonymous wrote:I'd say an academic masters is higher than a JD.

If you have an English MA, say, you have more extensive knowledge. A JD is just the basic law degree.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'd say an academic masters is higher than a JD.

If you have an English MA, say, you have more extensive knowledge. A JD is just the basic law degree.

Law School is 3 years. At UVA a maters in english takes 3 semesters.

"number of students, the most desirable plan is a rigorous course of study at the MA level. The MA may be completed in three full semesters, though students opting to write an MA thesis often take a fourth semester"

http://www.engl.virginia.edu/graduate

Anonymous wrote:I'd say an academic masters is higher than a JD.

If you have an English MA, say, you have more extensive knowledge. A JD is just the basic law degree.

Anonymous wrote:It's not gender, nor is it anything but academics.

Some graduate degrees are continuations of what are, commonly even if FAR from universally, undergraduate programs. Think, an MA in Poli Sci.

Other graduate degrees are entirely separate, stand-alone programs, and include either research or professional practice components, causing the degrees to be terminal within their respective disciplines. JD, MD, DDS.

Still other degrees may commonly be viewed as terminal for practical purposes, but there are possibilities for further education, and these degrees also proceed from subject-matter than could at least be started to some degree at the Baccalaureate level. MBA, MFA.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems that in the female-dominated professions there is less push to give the professional degree a doctorate. Which speaks volumes about sexist assumptions in our society.

Yes the Big Three professional degrees (JD, MD, DDS) are now roughly at gender-parity but female-dominated fields like Elementary Education, Social Work or Librarianship they say a Master's is sufficient.

I'm not sure about that. Have any masters become doctorates in the last 40 years? I certainly agree the professions with doctorates have greater gender equality problems, but I think most of the push to create professional doctorates predates women being allowed to be "professionals" at all.

That's kind of the point, isn't it? 40 years ago most social workers and librarians were women, but their professional degrees were (and are) "mere" masters.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It seems that in the female-dominated professions there is less push to give the professional degree a doctorate. Which speaks volumes about sexist assumptions in our society.

Yes the Big Three professional degrees (JD, MD, DDS) are now roughly at gender-parity but female-dominated fields like Elementary Education, Social Work or Librarianship they say a Master's is sufficient.

I'm not sure about that. Have any masters become doctorates in the last 40 years? I certainly agree the professions with doctorates have greater gender equality problems, but I think most of the push to create professional doctorates predates women being allowed to be "professionals" at all.