>>Someday I'll expect you to call me Dr. Helland.
>
>Can you start right out with a doctorate? I didn't know that was possible. Seems like trying to enlist as a general.

A PhD doesn't have to command anyone, nor is it any hierarchy; it's simply a recognition of one's stature in the science (or similar ;) world.

So you either make it or not, there aren't any prerequisites (nor should there be), other than the court of one's peers (to be). There's some good reasoning for this - for those who would become PhDs in areas where they are the first (someone had to be the first PhD in microbiology, right?), or where an area was monopolized, or where a genius dropout just wanted to go formal.

Which also means that nobody's granted a degree - it's quite possible that one may fail several times, despite good previous academic record.