History of the Doctorate
– The term ‘doctor’ derives from Latin, meaning teacher or instructor.
– The doctorate (Latin: doctoratus) appeared in medieval Europe as a license to teach Latin (licentia docendi) at a university.
– Its roots can be traced to the early church where the term ‘doctor’ referred to Christian authorities who taught and interpreted the Bible.
– The right to grant a licentia docendi was originally reserved to the Catholic Church.
– The granting of the licentia docendi became a bone of contention between the church authorities and the universities.
– The right to grant the licentia docendi was granted by the pope to the University of Paris.
– The licentia held a higher prestige than the bachelors degree.
– The bachelors degree became an intermediate step to the masters degree and doctorate.
– The first doctoral degree was awarded in medieval Paris around 1150.
– The Islamic ijazah issued in early madrasahs may have influenced the medieval European doctorate.
– The doctorate of philosophy developed in Germany in the 17th century.
– The term philosophy referred to all fields of study, not just philosophy itself.
– The Doctorate of Philosophy was reintroduced in Germany as a research degree in the early 19th century.
– Germany differentiated between doctorates in philosophy, natural sciences, and social/political sciences.
– The doctorate came to be regarded as a higher qualification than the masters degree.
– The use and meaning of the doctorate have changed over time.
– The MD became the standard first degree in medicine in the US during the 19th century.
– The modern research degree (PhD) was first awarded in the US in 1861.
– Professional doctorates developed in the United States from the 19th century onward.
– Professional doctorates in the UK were established in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
– The Juris Doctor (JD) was established in the US in 1902, replacing the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) in the 1960s.
– The JD and LLB curriculum were identical, raising criticism that the JD was not a true doctorate.
Types of Doctorates
– Types of doctorates include research doctorate, licentiate, higher doctorate, post-doctoral degrees, and professional doctorate.
– Research doctorates are awarded for publishable academic research.
– The most well-known research degree is the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.).
– Other research-oriented doctorates include Doctor of Education, Doctor of Science, Doctor of Arts, Doctor of Juridical Science, Doctor of Musical Arts, Doctor of Public Health, Doctor of Social Science, Doctor of Management, Doctor of Business Administration, Doctor of Engineering, Doctor of Natural Science, and Doctor of Economics and Social Science.
– Licentiate degrees vary in meaning and can be doctoral-level qualifications in some countries.
– Sweden and Finland award licentiate degrees at the doctoral level.
– In Belgium, the licentiate was equivalent to a bachelor’s degree.
– In France and other countries, the licentiate is a bachelor’s-level qualification.
– In the Pontifical system, the Licentiate in Sacred Theology is equivalent to an advanced master’s degree.
– Higher doctorates may be awarded based on a portfolio of published research.
– Examples include Doctor of Science, Doctor of Divinity, Doctor of Letters, Doctor of Law or Laws, and Doctor of Civil Law.
– The habilitation teaching qualification is considered a higher doctorate in several countries.
– In Germany, the habilitation results in the award of a formal Dr. habil. degree.
– Professional doctorates may be research degrees or focused on professional performance.
– Many professional doctorates are named Doctor of [subject].
– Professional doctorates often have little or no research content.
Types of Doctorate Degrees
– Professional doctorates are defined by the US Department of Education as degrees that require a minimum of six years of university-level study and meet the academic requirements for professional licensure in the discipline.
– Professional doctorates do not require a dissertation or study beyond the master’s level, unlike research doctorates.
– There are also doctorates that do not fall into either the professional practice or research/scholarship categories.
– In countries like Canada and Australia, professional degrees such as Doctor of Pharmacy, Doctor of Medicine, and Juris Doctor are not considered doctorates.
– However, research doctorates like Doctor of Business Administration and Doctor of Education qualify as full academic doctorates in Canada.
– All doctorates in the UK and Ireland are third cycle qualifications in the Bologna Process, comparable to US research doctorates.
– Professional doctorates in the UK and Ireland include taught components in addition to a thesis.
– Professional doctorates like DClinPsy, MD, DHSc, EdD, DBA, EngD, and DAg are considered full academic doctorates.
– In 2009, there were 308 professional doctorate programs in the UK, with the most popular being EdD, DBA, EngD/DEng, MD/DM, and DClinPsy/DClinPsych/ClinPsyD.
– Similar to the UK, Australia also has professional doctorates that are research degrees.
Honorary Doctorate
– Honorary doctorates are granted by universities to recognize an individual’s contributions to a field or philanthropic efforts.
– These degrees are awarded honoris causa, waiving the usual requirements for granting a degree.
– Not all universities award honorary degrees, such as Cornell University, the University of Virginia, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Doctoral Degrees in Different Countries
– In Argentina, the doctorate is the highest academic degree.
– Candidates are required to produce original contributions in their field of knowledge.
– A dissertation or thesis is prepared under the supervision of a tutor or director.
– The degree is conferred after a successful dissertation defense.
– In 2006, approximately 14% of postgraduate careers in Argentina were Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctorate
A doctorate (from Latin doctor, meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism licentia docendi ("licence to teach").
In most countries, a research degree qualifies the holder to teach at university level in the degree's field or work in a specific profession. There are a number of doctoral degrees; the most common is the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), awarded in many different fields, ranging from the humanities to scientific disciplines.
Many universities also award honorary doctorates to individuals deemed worthy of special recognition, either for scholarly work or other contributions to the university or society.
