First professional degrees are academic degrees earned through the development of practical skills related to the day-to-day operations of a specific profession. This is in contrast to undergraduate degree programs, which place a greater emphasis on subject matter analysis and theories that underpin a particular field. A first professional degree is usually pursued after a student has completed an undergraduate degree and has a firm understanding of both theory and analysis as they pertain to the field.
While the exact structure of a first professional degree program will vary greatly depending on the educational standards established the country of residence, there are a few elements that are more or less universal in most cases. To begin, a professional degree program usually necessitates the completion of an academic degree program in the same field. The goal of this procedure is to ensure that the student understands the fundamentals of the profession, as well as general theory. The concepts and information learned in the undergraduate program will prepare students for practical application during their professional degree studies.
Following that, a first professional degree program is frequently linked to a field or profession that is governed the government in some way. A professional degree in religious studies, for example, or a profession with a broad and direct impact on the nation, such as medicine, engineering, or law, may be subject to indirect regulation. Basically, if a licensing process is required in addition to obtaining educational credentials, the profession in question is likely to be one of those that requires graduate and possibly post-graduate work before a government agency will grant the license.
Finally, some professions may view this type of degree as just one more step on the way to a successful career in a particular field. Following the completion of the academic degree and the first professional degree, the student may pursue an advanced professional degree and possibly a terminal academic degree. Each of these types of degrees adds to the student’s professional proficiency and helps to expand the student’s ability to function in a specific field.
There are times when the first professional degree also serves as the terminal academic degree, depending on the demands of the profession. This is true when no additional degree programs are available to help the student broaden his or her knowledge and experience. When this is the case, the first professional degree includes both the practical application of theory in skill-based work like an internship and the in-class requirements that come with any type of formal education.