The Medicine Doctor or Doctor of Medicine (M.D. or D.M.) is a
doctorate level degree held by medical doctors. See Physician or
Medicine for a fuller discussion of the holders of this degree and
their field of study.
The M.D. in Canada and the United States is a doctorate level
degree. It is a first professional doctorate degree much like the
J.D. (juris doctor) is. All programs require a previous
undergraduate degree or some undergraduate coursework to be
completed before acceptance into a medical school. The M.D.
typically is earned in 4 years.