Juris Doctor

The Juris Doctor degree (J.D. or JD), sometimes known as the Doctor of Law or Doctor of Jurisprudence degree (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of numerous Doctor of Law degrees offered by universities and colleges. In spite of the fact that it is a graduate degree, the J.D. is the most common degree received to practise law in the United States since there is no such thing as an undergraduate 'legal degree' in the United States. As a result of finishing law school, the Juris Doctor degree is awarded in many common law nations, including Australia, Canada, the United States, and numerous European countries.

A professional doctorate (as opposed to a research doctorate) is the academic equivalent of a master's degree in the United States, where the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES, U.S. Department of Education) has discontinued the use of the term "first professional degree" as of its 2010-2011 data collection and has instead adopted the term "doctor's degree - professional practise." A master's degree in Australia and a second-entry baccalaureate degree in Canada are the academic equivalents of this qualification. For purposes of comparison, it is equivalent to other professional degrees, such as a bachelor's degree in law, as well as the degrees necessary to be a practising physician or dentist (M.D. / D.O., DDS, DMD, and DDS), in each of the three jurisdictions where it is accepted. A J.D. is superior than a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) even if it has been renamed in the United States. This is due to the greater educational requirements of a J.D. A law degree is not sufficient for registration for the Bar test in numerous states in the United States, including California.