What is a professional degree?
A professional degree is a type of educational program that helps prepare students for occupations in a specific field, such as education or law. These typically include graduate-level programs, such as a master's degree, and often involve completing an internship with work-based learning. These types of degrees meet specific requirements to help students become licensed or accredited in their field.
A professional degree helps students prepare for careers in specific fields, such as law, pharmacy, medicine, and education. The length of the programs vary and can span anywhere from one to five years, depending on the institution you attend.
These programs often put a great deal of focus on real-world application, with many professional programs requiring students to complete internships or projects in their field of study before graduation. This allows students to gain extensive on-the-job training and boost their resumé.
Certain professional degrees are required—by law—to be earned before you can work in a specific job, for example, as a doctor or a lawyer.
How does a professional degree differ from an academic degree?
The major difference between a professional type degree and an academic degree is that academic degrees focus on research and lead to research-oriented roles, such as an epidemiologist. Courses are often more methodological and involve analyzing data.
Professional type degrees educate individuals and prepare them to practise in a specific field of study. They are a prerequisite to certain fields, such as law or medicine. Courses follow a set curriculum to help students develop related skills. While these degrees prepare students for a specific career, academic degrees teach more transferrable skills and help prepare students for various fields of study.
What is a professional degree?
A professional degree is a university program designed to prepare a person to work in a particular industry or profession, and this degree can also be eligible for certain licenses, accreditations and certificates in the field of work.
Some professions do not allow to practice work without a professional certificate, professional degrees can contain a set of titles but they are all aimed at providing specific skills for success in a particular profession.
While all industries have jobs that require a bachelor's degree or less, some other jobs may require additional education and training, and the following industries have a large number of jobs that require a professional degree:
Engineering
Dentistry
Education
Law
Medicine
Social service
