Hi Donacuriosa This is just a small point but in the UK, one can earn a doctorate in the three fields you mentioned--medicine, law and theology. This is where personal (but sometimes, even if rarely, colaborative) work is undertaken on a research topic with the aim of furthering human knowledge.
Yes, there is a rush of people trying to get the prefix Dr but it is best earned the hard way for reasons of credibility. Otherwise, a guy with just a first degree (let alone the second and third phase) calls himself a doctor. This is however, the way things are going and of course, there are lots of places selling bogus PhDs because of the strong market for this 'commodity'. An interesting differnce between the UK and America is that the PhD in the UK is entirely a research degree but in America, there is a taught residential component and it is for this reason, I have had American academics register for a part-time PhD in the UK with minimal attendance that is now helped by email of course. The taught professional degree such as the EdD has now established itself in the UK but is very different from the PhD. Dr Cornel DaCosta > Rajan P. Parrikar writes To Goanet -Dr. Ferdinando > dos Reis Falcão wrote:> Because nowadays everyone > likes to a Dr. prefix to their > names, like > Ph.Ds, dentists, physiotherapists, etc. Anybody who > has an earned doctorate (PhD) is wellwithin his or > her right to use the title of "Dr." But to assume > that title for an honorary doctorate is a travesty.