Doctor of Arts

History

It first appeared in the 12th-13th centuries in Great Britain, Italy and France.

Despite the name, nowadays the degree has no practical relation to philosophy (only historical) and is awarded in almost all scientific fields, for example: Doctor of Philosophy in Literature or Doctor of Philosophy in Physics.

This situation is connected with traditions dating back to the days of medieval universities, the standard structure of which usually assumed the presence of faculties of philosophy, jurisprudence, theology and medicine. Therefore, in addition to the Ph.D. degree, there are also a limited number of other doctoral degrees of the same rank; Doctors of Medicine are awarded to physicians, Doctor of Laws to lawyers, Doctors of Divinity to theologians, and Doctors of Philosophy to all others.

The Carnegie Foundation was the first to fund ten universities with seed money to initiate the degree.

The D.A. differs from the Ph.D. and Ed.D. degrees in its shift in emphasis from research (though a project or thesis is generally required) to the advanced study of a specific discipline, content area expertise, learning theory, and curriculum design. As such, it is often described as a "teaching doctorate". The D.A. differs from the Ed.D. in its strong disciplinary focus, while still embracing the Ed.D.'s concern for issues in education, and a theoretical as well as practical preparation in pedagogy.

National variations

Australia

In Australia, the Doctor of Creative Arts degree is offered at several universities as a terminal degree in the field.

Europe

In 2016, ELIA (European League of Institute of the Arts) launched The Florence Principles on the Doctorate in the Arts. The Florence Principles, relating to the Salzburg Principles and the Salzburg Recommendations of the EUA (European University Association), define the differences between a Doctorate in the Arts compared to a scientific doctorate or Ph.D. degree. The Florence Principles have been endorsed by the European Association of Conservatoires, CILECT, the Cumulus Association, and the Society for Artistic Research.

In Finland, the Doctor of Arts degree is a research degree awarded by the University of Art and Design Helsinki, upon successful completion of studies and a dissertation in the fields of art and design.

North America

While the Ph.D. is the most common doctoral degree in the United States, the U.S. Department of Education and the National Science Foundation recognize a number of research-oriented doctoral degrees such as the D.A. as "equivalent", and do not discriminate between them.

The idea for a Doctor of Arts degree was originally proposed at the 1932 meeting of the Association of American Universities by Wallace Atwood, then president of Clark University. In 1967 Carnegie Mellon University (formerly Carnegie Institute of Technology), began to offer the D.A. in Mathematics, History, English and Fine Arts. The first Doctor of Arts degree in the United States was awarded in 1968, by Carnegie Mellon University, to Donald H. Taranto in the field of mathematics. Guiding principles for the Doctor of Arts degree were established in 1970 by the Committee on Graduate Studies of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and by the Council of Graduate Schools in the United States.

The National Doctor of Arts Association (NDAA) was founded in 1991 at Idaho State University.

South America

In Argentina, the Doctorate of Arts is offered by the National University of Córdoba and the National University of Rosario.