"formal doctoral equivalency"

Full employment in the U.S. is achieved at about 3% unemployment. The difference is attributable to turnover, layoffs, illnesses, etc. Given the broad term "public assistance," that could include unemployment, for which people are typically eligible after just a few weeks.

This tells me that, as a group, advanced degree holders are experiencing full employment. (With individual variances, of course.)

 

Salaries for PhD students (technically stipends) are near minimum wage. That qualifies you for food assistance basically everywhere, especially if you have a family. Hopefully temporary, but something that would be solved with better funding for scholars.

 

Also I realize we are conflating a couple things here. Someone earning their PhD and being low wage is on a different income trajectory than someone who has earned the degree and is earning that same wage.

In the same way that judging medical pay through residency salaries is likely to give you a distorted picture of their future earnings. (Though they are less than you might think.)

 

Friends foreign degree was evaluated by AVMA
As equivalent to Firat Professional Degree in the USA
In Veterinary Medicine.
This allowed him with proper score in TOEFL to qualify for DVM US licensing exam.
They issued an equivalency document.

Also there are Advanced Professional Degrees out there.
DBA comes in mind.

 

You see something similar in some US states that will issue you an MD after you license with an MBBS so you can use the acronym without it being a false claim.

Edit: E.g. New York State https://www.op.nysed.gov/professions/physicians/conferral-md-degree

I don't know how the DO's feel about it though since they have identical training (and then some!) But a different postnominal.

In Canada no such equivalency is offered. I've received excellent care from an MD and an MBBS.

 

Same here.

 

There are people who pursue higher education because they aren't able to "schmooze" their way to the top. Some of these people will be autistic or otherwise not neurotypical to such an extent that it impacts their employability, no matter what level of degree they hold.

Some people may have health problems or have been in accidents and that impacts their ability to hold down a job.

Some of them may be forced to care for a family member, whether or not they are personally employable.

1.6% unemployment is negligible.

 

Decades ago the California authorities thought it would be a good idea to give all the osteopaths in the state an M.D. degree. Didn't happen. I don't recall exactly why but I think both DOs and MDs objected.

 

I think this might be what you're referring to, 1987: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-08-18-mn-2144-story.html#:~:text=Proposition%2022%20gave%20practicing%20osteopaths,be%20relicensed%20as%20medical%20doctors.

1962 to 1974, no new DOs could be licensed and most existing DOs were re-licensed as MDs. Then in 1974, the Supreme Court ruled that the ban violated the 14th Amendment so the osteopathic medical schools were allowed to re-open and they became separate licenses once again.

 

Oh, okay.