Bachelor of Philosophy
At other universities, the term "Bachelor of Philosophy" refers to an undergraduate bachelor's degree. Frequently, the degree is either research-based or involves additional academic components, (e.g. independent study, interdisciplinary study, foreign language requirements, etc.) For example, at Pennsylvania State University, the B.Phil. program enables students to plan their own academic programs in conjunction with a faculty preceptor. At Miami University's Western College Program, B.Phil. candidates participate in a residential program, worked with faculty to design individualized majors, and produce a thesis. At the undergraduate Honors College of the University of Pittsburgh, B.Phil. candidates must pass oral examinations of a senior thesis. Northwestern University's B.Phil. degree requires two years of a foreign language. The University of Birmingham offers the B.Phil. as a taught, research-based undergraduate degree in the fields of Education and Counselling. The University of New Brunswick offers the B.Phil. as a seminar-based degree in interdisciplinary leadership. St. John's Seminary (Massachusetts) offers the B.Phil. degree upon completion of its two-year Pre-Theologate program, (for men studying for the Roman Catholic Priesthood.) The Technical University of Kenya offers the B.Phil. to those with Higher Diplomas in various subjects. Stellenbosch University offers a B.Phil. in journalism. Prospective students must have obtained a recognised undergraduate degree in any discipline and sat for the department's entrance examination, which is written across South Africa. Top-performing applicants are then invited to interview for final selection. The B.Phil. is regarded as one of the most sought after and demanding postgraduate offerings at the University.
Medical education in Australia
Historically, Australian medical schools have followed the United Kingdom by conferring the degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) to its medical graduates, whilst reserving the degree of Doctor of Medicine (MD) to be issued to those who have completed higher research studies or given honorarily to those who have contributed significantly to the medical professional community (analogous to the PhD or honorary doctorates). While a significant proportion of Australian medical schools as of the early 1990s have shifted from undergraduate to graduate entry programs (that is, enrolling students who have already completed a bachelor's degree in another field of study), medical schools continued to nevertheless award the MBBS as its standard medical degree regardless if it was an undergraduate or graduate entry program. In order to address this, and perhaps in an effort to align themselves better with their counterparts in the United States for nomenclature's sake of awarding a doctorate degree to medical doctors so that they have an academic basis for their title of 'Doctor' (that is, where traditionally, the title of 'Doctor' for medical doctors with bachelor's degrees was more of a customary formality rather than an academic one), medical schools nowadays have moved to awarding MD (or a combination of a BSc and MD) instead of the MBBS to its medical graduates. However, given that the MBBS is categorised in the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) as a Level 7 Bachelor's level degree it had the benefit of not mandating its students to partake in a research project, whilst the MD is categorised a Level 9 Master's level degree it does require its students to formally produce a research project as part of their studies; that said, students in the MBBS program commonly did nevertheless still pursue research on an extra-curricular basis.