The term professional student has two uses in the
university
A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
setting:
*In the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, if not elsewhere, a professional student is a student
majoring in what are considered the
professional degrees. These include Doctor of Education (
Ed.D.), Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (
D.V.M.), Law (
J.D. or
LL.B.), Dentistry (
D.D.S.
A number of professional degrees in dentistry are offered by dental schools in various countries around the world.
Degrees
Dental degrees may include:
Bachelor's degree
* Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS)
* Bachelor's degree of Dentistry (BDS ...
or
D.M.D.), Medicine (
M.D.
A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of physician. This ge ...
or
D.O.
Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO or D.O., or in Australia DO USA) is a medical degree conferred by the 38 osteopathic medical schools in the United States. DO and Doctor of Medicine (MD) degrees are equivalent: a DO graduate may become lice ...
),
Doctor of Physical Therapy
A Doctor of Physical Therapy or Doctor of Physiotherapy (DPT) degree is a qualifying degree in physical therapy. In the United States, it is considered a graduate-level first professional degree or doctorate degree for professional practice. In the ...
(DPT), Engineering, Business Administration (
M.B.A.
A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...
), Nursing (
B.Sc.N.), and Pharmacy (
Pharm.D. or B.Sc.Phm.), as well as many others.
*"Professional student" is a slang term commonly used in colleges to describe a student who stays in school for many years rather than embarking on a career. To avoid these types, some four-year colleges have imposed limits on the length of time students can be enrolled in order to open up their limited slots to new students. However, those colleges allow for demonstrated exceptions (e.g., a student who holds down a full-time occupation or has a family to raise, who is clearly demonstrating progress toward a degree). See:
perpetual student.
*A less common meaning for "professional student" is an individual who makes a living writing papers and doing college work in exchange for pay from other people.
See also
*
Adult learner
*
Graduate student
Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of Academic degree, academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications usually pursued by higher education, post-secondary students who have ...
*
Progress toward degree
*
Student ghetto
References
Academic slang
University and college students
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