is a professional degree higher than a phd
A distinction is drawn in the US between professional doctorates and ``doctor's degree - research/scholarship'', with the latter being ``(a) Ph.D. or other doctor's degree that requires advanced work beyond the master's level, including the preparation and defense of a dissertation based on original research, or the planning and execution of an original project demonstrating substantial artistic or scholarly achievement.'' Internationally, US professional doctorates (which, unlike research doctorates, are not defined as requiring work beyond the master's level) are not generally considered to be doctoral level qualifications. The classification of ``Doctor's degree - other'' also exists for doctorates that do not meet the definition of either professional doctorates or research doctorates.
Professional degree