OzDDS said:
If the US states that they are "legal equivilents" of each other. Which it does! ie.
MD = MBBS
And where does "the US [state]" that? Is it in a statute? A court case? An adminstrative ruling?
That means one of two things:
1) Says that another countries bachelor degree is to the level of a doctorate in the US.
For
some purposes, yes.
or
2) Says that a doctorate in the US is no greater level than a bachelors.
That's a functional restatement of the first one. If A is at the same level as B (1 above), then B cannot be greater than A (2 above). Do you see why I have little respect for your intellect?
Legally.. It HAS to be one or the other. You can choose which ever one you prefer..
First, you don't understand **** about law. Don't even pretend. You're making yourself look foolish. (E.g. you don't seem to understand the concept of federalism as it relates to licensing.) Second, the fact that the law equates two things for a particular purpose does not make the two things similar in substance. It merely means that for the purposes sought by the law, they are similar enough. Third, legal usage does not dictate lay usage. Indeed, it would be ABSURD if that were the case. The law is replete with terms of art, judicial interpretations, and statutory constructions (even contradictory ones) that have nothing to do with usage
in this case. U.S. universities are not bound by a legal use for some other purpose when naming their degrees based on
ANOTHER PURPOSE.
To highlight your astonishing ignorance and the absurdity of your legal argument, let's consider some other things that are LEGALLY IDENTICAL for various purposes.
For the purpose of determining maximum allowable fine limits, jaywalking and spitting on the sidewalk are IDENTICAL in my jurisdiction. Jaywalking and spitting must be the same!
For the purpose of determining aggravating circumstances under federal sentencing guidelines, stabbing your wife with a knife is IDENTICAL to stabbing with an ice pick. Ice picks and knives must be the same!
For the purpose of determining capitalizable expenses for federal income tax purposes, putting a $50,000 swimming pool in the back yard is IDENTICAL to building a $50,000 garage. Swimming pools and garages must be identical!
an MD does not build on prior Medical knowledge and training (a previous bachelors in bio does not count as this is catagorically a different field of study)
So what? An MD is
NOT an undergraduate degree in the United States and it
IS a graduate degree. Any degree that requires a previous degree
MUST BE a graduate degree. Thus, the bachelor name is clearly inappropriate. Moreover, an MD isn't necessarily limited by
ACADEMIC FIELD considerations. It may be interpreted in terms of
PROFESSIONAL FIELD considerations. I know that probably never crossed your mind, but given your performance on this thread, that doesn't surprise me. A professional field may very well be broader or narrower than the associated academic field. There is no reason to think that a medical school cannot award and name its degrees based on professional considerations. Among those considerations is the desire to have well rounded, more broadly educated, and more mature students. Requiring the completion of previous undergraduate work satisfies those goals in their estimation.
Just because you complete a prior degree before entering medicine.. even if it is required.. that does not make it a doctorate in that field of study.
It does if the university granting the degree says it is.
I already made the academic/professional field distinction. And I already demonstrated that there are considerable structural differences between the U.S. and other countries. And you
HAVE NOT shown that a "proper" naming scheme should or must confine itself to a narrow understanding of what a "field" is when deciding what to call its degrees.
Finally, as a (relatively unimportant) matter of consistency, calling U.S. physicians, for instance, who earned MDs "doctors" is more consistent than foreign countries calling their physicians "doctors" when their degree is a bachelor degree. Oh, what's that you say? Are you saying that professional naming convensions and other factors not strictly related to the contours of an academic field are relevant to naming conventions? Yeah, I think so, too.
Peace
