Students interested in practicing law must study for a juris doctor degree. Juris doctor degrees are offered by law schools and typically take three years to complete. The first year is spent fulfilling law school requirements, such as courses in tort law, but the second and third years are spent taking electives, including courses in constitutional law. Students who wish to attend law school need to have a bachelor's degree and take the Law School Admission Test (LSAT). Juris doctor degree holders who pass a state-administered bar exam are eligible to practice law in that state.
A master's degree program gives students the chance to specialize in a field of study while working with a professor or faculty member. Full-time master's-degree students fulfill degree requirements during their first years. Graduate courses will be more rigorous and time-consuming than undergraduate classes. During their second years, students can choose an area of research and either complete a thesis or final project. Students wishing to attend graduate school must have a bachelor's degree and in most cases take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or for business school the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT).
In pursuing a doctoral degree, students become experts in a scholarly subject and prepare to teach as full-time faculty members at the collegiate level. Students pursuing doctoral degrees conduct research while working with a professor or other faculty member. In addition, doctoral students are required to take a heavy load of graduate courses during their first years. Many doctoral students are invited to study through fellowships from their universities that can subsidize tuition costs. They also can teach undergraduate courses. Doctoral students are almost always required to complete a dissertation and defend it successfully against a panel of professors and faculty members.
Medical degrees are four-year degrees that combine classroom and lab work with hands-on experience at hospitals affiliated with the medical school. According to Princeton Review, the first two years are spent fulfilling course requirements, including classes in biochemistry, pharmacology and anatomy. The second two years are spent at hospitals assisting in patient care and other basic medical procedures. Students who wish to attend medical school must have a bachelor's degree and take the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). Most medical schools interview students in whom they are interested.