Professional school

graduate school level school that prepares students for specific careers

Professional School or Professional Education, in the United States and Canada, is a school that rewards professional degrees required to enter a profession, usually to become a lawyer or a medical doctor. Professional studies are sometimes confused with graduate studies. Although all professional degrees are graduate degrees, not all graduate degrees are professional degrees.

Examples of Professional Degrees include:

  • Juris Doctor (JD): A law degree required in most states to become a lawyer. In Canada, the Juris Doctor Degree replaced the Bachelor of Laws degree in the late 2000s.
  • Medical Degree (MD): A degree of medicine required in all states to become a physician, which the student must also complete post-graduate medical training known as residency to become a full license doctor.
  • Osteopathic Medicine (DO): Equivalent to a medical degree (see above). However, this degree also allows a physician to perform osteopathy on patients.