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They are different degrees. An md can also earn a phd.

M.D. does not equal Ph.D.

Ph.D pertains to a specific discipline such as physics, engineering, business, english, etc.

MD=medical doctor, they went to medical school.

An MD has to research and write up a special thesis outlining something new in his/her field of expertise to get a Ph.D. So a Ph.D. is a higher step in knowledge. Much the same sort of reasoning applies to a doctor of science who must make a leap in knowledge to get a Ph.D.

A BA moves up to MA and then up to Ph.D. (some american universities conveniently skip the MA).

An M.D. would make you a doctor of medicine; a Ph.D. is a doctor of philosophy. (A J.D. would be doctor of jurisprudence--many lawyers have that one, but they don't usually mention it in casual conversation.)

It's like B.A. is a bachelor of arts degree, while B.S. is a bachelor of science.

You can get all the degrees you want, just have to take the correct coursework to be elegible for each specific one.

that is a good question, never thought of it.

I believe an MD is specifically for medicine, or specializing in medicine, while a Ph.D. is for an advanced degree in pretty much anything.

Ph.D.'s are used to teach other people what you studied at a university level