[PhDGirl]

Originally Posted by MossadConspiracy

salam

thanks for the clarification.

I dont know if theres a formalized hierarchy of academic degrees anywhere, but as I understood it there are alot of degrees that are equivalent to the PhD which would obviously include MD, DO, DDS, JD, DVM, DPM, and all the other professional doctorates, but also other research degrees like DrPH and so on. MD or DO is the highest degree a person can achieve in medicine. You cant get a PhD in orthopedic surgery or internal medicine or whatever.

Is the academic hierarchy a self-declared one created by PhD-holders?

There is a formalized hierarchy, but you're right that probably only academics care about it