Colorado Technical University

Is a juris Doctorate degree a Bachelers, Masters or Doctoral Degree?

I'm interested in practicing law, and am curious.

Public Comments

1. I'd considerate it a doctorate
2. I believe it is technically considered a doctoral degree, but in terms of how long it takes to get it, it is actually much closer to a master's. Many doctorates take 6-8 years to complete, whereas JDs take 3 and MAs take 2. Be advised, though, that those three years may seem like MUCH longer... law school is tough stuff.
3. Hmmmmm, was that Juris Bachelor? Juris Master? Let's see, no. It was Juris Doctor.
4. I understand the confusion. Its a first degree. Thats the way it can be best explained. Its not a terminal degree, which happens to be the highest degree one can hope to attain in his/her field. For instance, a Ph.D. happens to be a terminal degree, while a Bachelors' is a first degree. A J.D. or Juris Doctorate is what we call a professional doctorate, similar to the M.D. program for those in the medical profession. Professional doctorates in the United States In the United States, there are numerous degrees which incorporate the word "doctor" and are known as "professional doctorates." Such fields include law, medicine, dentistry, optometry, pharmacy, and many others that usually require such degrees for licensure. These degrees are also termed "first professional degrees," since they are also the first degree in their field. Professional doctorates were developed in the United States in the 19th century during a movement to improve the training of professionals by raising the requirements for entry and completion of the degree necessary to enter the profession. These first professional degrees were created to help strengthen professional training programs. The first professional doctorate to be offered in the United States was the M.D. in 1807, which was nearly sixty years before the first Ph.D. was awarded in the U.S. in 1861. The Juris Doctor (J.D.) was subsequently established by Harvard University for the same reasons that the M.D. was established. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_doctorate#Professional_doctorates There has been much debate in the United States as to whether J.D. recipients may use the title of Doctor and refer to themselves as "Doctor". A recent law article on the topic appeared in the November 2006 issue of the American Bar Association Journal, entitled "Lawyers Are Doctors, Too". ABA Informal Opinion 1152 (1970) allows those who hold a Juris Doctor (J.D.) to use the title doctor. (See also ABA Model Code of Professional Responsibility, Disciplinary Rule 2-102(E).) The North Carolina Bar Association permits the use of the title in post-secondary academic contexts in that state. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juris_Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D.), like the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.), is a professional doctorate. The Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.), or Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.S.D.) ("Scientiae Juridicae Doctor" in Latin), and Doctor of Comparative Law (D.C.L.), are research and academic-based doctorate level degrees, comparable to Ph.D. degrees in other fields or doctoral degrees in law in Europe (such as the Dr.iur. degree in Germany). In the U.S., the Legum Doctor (LL.D.) is only awarded as an honorary degree. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_of_Lawyers_in_the_United_States#Academic_degrees