JD
Abbreviation with 3 meanings
| Stands for | Juris Doctor |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 3 |
| Categories | Education & Academia, Business & Finance, Units & Measurements |
JD has three meanings. The most common are Juris Doctor (degree) and Job description (human resources); it can also stand for Julian date (Julian Day number).
Meanings of JD at a glance
| # | JD stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Juris Doctor | Education & Academia › Degree |
| 2 | Job description | Business & Finance › Human Resources |
| 3 | Julian date (Julian Day number) | Units & Measurements › Time |
1. Juris Doctor
Education & Academia · Degree Abbreviations
Three-year professional law degree that is the standard qualification for practicing law in the United States, earned after a bachelor's degree at a law school accredited by the American Bar Association. Graduates must also pass a state bar exam to be licensed.
Example: She graduated with a JD from Georgetown and passed the New York bar exam that July.
Written J.D. in AP style. The University of Chicago introduced the JD in 1902, and American law schools converted from the LLB to the JD during the 1960s. By convention US lawyers do not use the title "Dr." despite the doctoral name; "Esq." appears in correspondence instead. Part-time evening programs usually take four years.
2. Job description
Business & Finance · Human Resources Abbreviations
Document describing a position's purpose, duties, qualifications, reporting line and working conditions, used for job postings, pay grading and performance expectations. In the US, it often lists the "essential functions" relevant to disability accommodation.
Example: Can you send me the JD so I can tailor my resume to it?
Pay transparency laws in states such as Colorado, California, Washington, New York and Illinois require many postings to include a good-faith salary range, changing how JDs are written. In law, JD means Juris Doctor, the US law degree; context usually makes the meaning clear.
3. Julian date (Julian Day number)
Units & Measurements · Time Abbreviations · also used in science
A continuous count of days used in astronomy, starting at noon Universal Time on 1 January 4713 BC in the proleptic Julian calendar. It lets astronomers compute intervals between observations without dealing with months, leap years or calendar reforms.
Example: The variable star reached maximum brightness on JD 2460615.5.
Joseph Scaliger devised the underlying Julian period in 1583, and astronomers later turned it into a day count. Modified Julian Date (MJD) subtracts 2,400,000.5 to give smaller numbers that start at midnight. In manufacturing and the military, "Julian date" is used loosely for the day of the year (001 to 366), which is a different system.
Related abbreviations
More degree abbreviations
- HND – Higher National Diploma
- Hons – Honours (honors degree)
- JCD – Juris Canonici Doctor (Doctor of Canon Law)
- JCL – Juris Canonici Licentiatus (Licentiate in Canon Law)
- LHD – Litterarum Humanarum Doctor (Doctor of Humane Letters)
- LLB – Legum Baccalaureus (Bachelor of Laws)
- LLD – Legum Doctor (Doctor of Laws)
- LLM – Legum Magister (Master of Laws)
See all 139 degree abbreviations →