Anonymous
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Anonymous
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In academic hierarchy, the PhD is the highest degree that can be earned. MDs rank below Master's degrees of any type, and barely are qualified to be called "doctor" (latin root "ducere" = "to lead") based on the standards of academic degree levels in the United States. The hierarchy is very simple:
PhD-level (may include Doctor of Arts, Doctor of Theology); master's degrees (MS, MA, MBA, MN, MPharm, etc.); professional doctorates (MD, DO, DDS/DMD, OD (optometry), etc.); bachelor's degrees; then associate's degrees.
In case the pompous ass who wrote this is still around 4 years later, I'd like to point out that he's an idiot. "Doctor" = agent noun formed from "doctus", the perfect passive participle of "docere" ("to teach"). In other words, the literal translation of "doctor" is "teacher" (whereas "ductor" = "leader"), so take it easy, champ.
In any case, some PhDs are smart, and others are just glorified lab monkeys. Believe me. I was in a PhD program, and I got bounced out because I sucked at performing the specific laboratory tasks I was called on to perform--not because I didn't understand science. The flip side of that is that lots of people make it through their PhD programs because they're great at moving clear liquids from one Eppendorf tube to another, even if they have a pretty tenuous grasp on the science behind it. This becomes painfully clear to me when I discuss preclinical/clinical studies with these dudes.
Sincerely,
Guy who is neither a rep nor an MSL