The earliest doctoral degrees (theology - Divinitatis Doctor (D.D.), law - Legum Doctor (LL.D., later D.C.L.) and medicine - Medicinæ Doctor (M.D., D.M.)) reflected the historical separation of all higher University study into these three fields.
The University of Paris used the term "master" for its graduates, a practice adopted by the English universities of Oxford and Cambridge, as well as the ancient Scottish universities of St Andrews, Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Edinburgh.