傳統上，早期西方大學授予的學位為學術導向，主要在培育研究高深學術的人才。但隨著知識的專精分化、專業教育的提升，以及高等教育的擴張，專業導向之學位逐漸因應而生。本研究旨在探討學術（ academic）導向與專業（ professional）導向學位分化的國際趨勢，研究者針對德國、法國、日本、英國、美國等五國共 30所著名的綜合性大學，分析整理其學士、碩士與博士階段學位授予之規定，瞭解其學術導向與專業導向學位的修習內涵、畢業條件與學位名稱，以呈現高等教育學術與專業導向的分化面貌。研究結果發現，德國的學位授予最偏向學術導向，大學部即要求做研究，寫論文，碩士強調學術研究，博士更傾向學術導向，維持了早期中世紀歐陸大學教育的傳統。法國也是較偏向學術導向，大學部亦注重嚴格學術訓練，但與德國之不同處在於碩士階段分軌為學術研究導向（ DEA）與專業實務導向（DESS）學位；但在博士階段仍然為學術導向，沒有分化。日本的分化程度與法國類似，碩士近年來分為學術（修士）與專業（專門職）導向，但博士階段則為學術導向。相對而言，英國在學位上的分化則更進一層，不但碩士清楚劃分為研究碩士與修課碩士兩種，連博士也分化為學術導向博士與專業導向博士。這一點與美國大學的分化程度類似，碩士、博士均分為學術導向與專業導向，在入學條件、課程內涵與畢業條件上均有不同，適合不同需要的學生。本研究結果可供我國調整大學部教育、研究所教育與學位授予規定之參考。

The academic degree conferred by early universities in Europe was academically oriented, aimed at training scholars devoted to discovering advanced knowledge. With later developments such as knowledge explosion and specialization, professional education advancement and higher education expansion, professionally-oriented degree was generated to fulfill more diverse needs. This study intends to investigate if the differentiation of academic and professional degree is an international trend. Official degree conferral information and regulations from thirty major universities in five countries, including Germany, France, Japan, UK and US were gathered and analyzed at the bachelor's, master's and doctoral level to answer the question. The results showed that among the five countries, the German degree system is the least differentiated with degrees at all levels focusing on academic training, followed by the French and Japanese systems which differentiated at the master's level into academic and professional degrees. The UK and US system is highly differentiated which offers academic and professional degrees at the master's and doctoral level to meet diverse needs from massive student populations. These findings do shed light on how to improve degree conferral regulations, undergraduate education and graduate education in Taiwan.