Professional studies

{{short description|Education leading to a professional degree}}

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"Professional studies" is a term used to classify academic programs which are applied or interdisciplinary in focus. The term can also be used for non-academic training for a specific profession. Research on professionals can be seen as a multidisciplinary field of research with a multiple of perspectives in theory and by methods.

Professional studies usually combine theory and practice-based professional learning, focusing on a body of knowledge that is more strictly delineated and canonical than non-professional studies. Students are trained to ensure expected standards and adequate service delivery in the best practice of a profession.{{Cite web| url=http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-professional-studies.html| title=First-Professional Studies| accessdate=2007-04-25| author=US Department of Education| url-status=dead| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071214142648/http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-professional-studies.html| archivedate=2007-12-14}}

One aspect of professional action that has been widely studied in professional studies is tacit knowledge (cf. Polyani 1967), including professional judgment, discretion or fronesis, a term from the Greek philosopher Aristotle, also called practical intelligence or knowledge (see Dunne 1997; McGuirk 2013).

Professional studies may lead to academic degrees such as the Bachelor of Professional Studies (BPS), Master of Professional Studies (MPS), or Doctor of Professional Studies (DPS). A BPS is similar to a Bachelor of General Studies with a greater emphasis on practical and technical training (and a corresponding lower emphasis on liberal arts), and therefore of greater interest to mid-career students.{{Citation needed|date=April 2007}} MPS degrees are usually course-based with a report or project component rather than a research thesis.{{Cite web| url=http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-masters-degree.html| title=Master's Degrees Programs| accessdate=2007-04-25| author=US Department of Education |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070219224943/http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-masters-degree.html |archivedate = 2007-02-19}} The US National Science Foundation considers a DPS to be equivalent to a PhD.{{Cite web| url=http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-research-doctorate.html| title=Research Doctorate Programs| accessdate=2007-04-25| author=US Department of Education |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20070303214708/http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-research-doctorate.html |archivedate = 2007-03-03}}

In Germany, new higher professional degrees were introduced at the beginning of 2020. The new Bachelor Professional and Master Professional have been equivalent to other bachelor's and master's degrees.[https://www.hfh-fernstudium.de/blog/was-ist-ein-bachelor-professional Was ist ein Bachelor Professional?].[https://www.dihk.de/de/themen-und-positionen/fachkraefte/aus-und-weiterbildung/weiterbildung/-bachelor-professional-und-master-professional--33632 "Bachelor Professional" und "Master Professional"]. Neue Abschlüsse in der Höheren Berufsbildung. The basis for this are §§ 53c and d of the Vocational Training Act (BBiG).[https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bbig_2005/index.html Berufsbildungsgesetz (BBiG)].