Editing Academic degree (section)

=== Evolution of the terminology of degrees ===

The naming of degrees eventually became linked to the subjects studied. Scholars in the faculties of [[The arts|arts]] or [[grammar]] became known as "masters", but those in [[theology]], [[medicine]] and [[law]] were known as "doctors". As a study in the arts or grammar was a necessary prerequisite to study in subjects such as theology, medicine and law, the degree of doctor assumed a higher status than the [[master's degree]]. This led to the modern hierarchy in which the [[Doctor of Philosophy]] (Ph.D.), which in its present form as a degree based on [[research]] and [[Thesis|dissertation]] is a development from 18th- and 19th-century German universities, is a more advanced degree than the [[Master of Arts]] (M.A.). The practice of using the term ''doctor'' for PhDs developed within German universities and spread across the academic world.

The [[French language|French]] terminology is tied closely to the original meanings of the terms. The ''[[baccalauréat]]'' (cf. "bachelor") is conferred upon French students who have completed their [[secondary education]] and allows the student to attend university. When students graduate from university, they are awarded a ''licence'', much as the [[Middle Ages|medieval]] teaching guilds would have done, and they are qualified to teach in secondary schools or proceed to higher-level studies. [[Spain]] had a similar structure: the term ''"Bachiller"'' was used for those who finished the secondary or high-school level education, known as ''"Bachillerato"''. The standard Spanish university 5-year degree was ''"Licenciado"'', (although there were a few 3-year associate degrees called ''"diplomaturas"'', from where the ''"diplomados"'' could move to study a related ''licenciatura''). The highest level was "Doctor".