selection with interpretive insight and a mature musical personality. Costa Rica In Costa Rica, a licentiate belongs to the second level of education (grade), lower than a master's degree but higher than a bachelor's degree, according to the Office for the Planning of Higher Education, part of the National Council of Rectors. Licentiate is extended to those who have fulfilled the requirements of a university program that has a minimum of 150 and a maximum of 180 course credits (public university programs usually last from four to six years of study) and a minimum duration of 10 lesson cycles of 15 weeks or its equivalent (three or four extra course semesters after the completion of the bachelor's degree). Students are also required to fulfill the requirements for graduation for each institution, with usually requires writing a thesis in some universities, attending a graduation seminar, or developing a project in order to graduate, and some degrees involve the same credits as a master's degree but not the same level of rigor. This is also the degree conferred to a practicing physician. The degree is not considered terminal, and it is not sufficient to be a rector of a private university. Denmark and Norway The licentiate was formerly awarded in Denmark and Norway, and was roughly equal to the American PhD degree. In Denmark, it has formally been replaced by the PhD degree. The proper doctorates in Denmark are considered higher degrees than the PhD (i.e. higher doctorates). Dominican Republic In the Dominican Republic, a Licenciatura is awarded to students after studies of four to six years. Some universities require students to write a thesis in order to graduate while others have to write a shorter, and less labor-intensive, monograph. The Licenciatura is one of the major University degree previous to doctoral studies. Finland and Sweden In Swedish and Finnish universities, a licentiate's degree, recognised as a pre-doctoral degree, is equal to completion of the coursework and a dissertation which is formally equivalent to half of a doctoral dissertation. In Finland, the extent of licentiate degree is 120 ECTS equivalent and it requires two to three years of full-time research. Its prerequisite is a completed 4-year academic degree at advanced level, such as a Master's degree or a Magister's degree. Licentiate degree holders are officially eligible for independent scientific research in Universities, and entitled to the right to supervise master's and licentiate