Final answer:
A professional degree or occupational license is a qualification required to work in certain professions, ensuring that individuals have the necessary education and skills. This is often essential in fields like medicine, law, and engineering, with about 29% of U.S. workers in jobs requiring such licenses.
Step-by-step explanation:
A degree which is required to work in a certain profession or intended to prepare the student for an exam required to work in that profession is known as a professional degree or occupational license. This type of education validates that a person has acquired the necessary skills and knowledge for a specific job, often through a combination of formal education and passing professional exams. The importance of such degrees varies across professions, with a requirement for occupational licensing ranging widely. In some fields, such as medicine, law, and engineering, an occupational license is essential to practice, as determined by governmental agencies. These licenses serve to establish quality within the labor market and show qualification for positions that require a high degree of skill.
For jobs that necessitate such qualifications, employers demand professional degrees or licenses to ensure the candidates have met the specific educational and professional standards required. Occupations like doctors, nurses, engineers, accountants, and lawyers are commonly associated with these requirements. Conversely, lower-skilled jobs may not need this level of education, underscoring the diversity of skill requirements across different sectors. Nonetheless, the trend shows that approximately 29% of U.S. workers are in positions that require occupational licenses, suggesting that professional degrees play a substantial role in the modern workforce.