Doctor of Arts
1
7.1
- noun
- /ˈdɑktər əv ɑrts/
- Specialized
- She earned her Doctor of Arts in the humanities after years of dedicated study.
Examples
-
The Doctor of Arts in teaching program recently instituted at George Mason University, which is designed to merge comprehensive preparation in an academic discipline with special emphasis on working in a community college setting, holds some promise for the future.
Academic text (1995) -
Based on the data collected for this research, programs such as the Doctor of Arts in college teaching or Doctor of Philosophy in English, with a strong cognate and internship in community college work, seem to hold the most promise for the future.
Academic text (1995) -
The Doctor of Arts degree allows graduates to pursue careers in education and academia.
-
Many universities offer a Doctor of Arts program for professionals seeking advanced knowledge in their field.
Synonyms
24
9.0
A university degree for people who teach in an arts or science subject
A university gives a degree as an honor for work in the arts
How Advanced
- Specialized
1
7.1
70
3.3
41
2.7
328
2.7
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an advanced or honorary academic degree in the arts or humanities' is directly and compositionally derived from 'doctor' (a holder of a doctorate) + 'of' (indicating specialization) + 'arts' (the field). This 'Doctor of X' construction is common cross-linguistically and follows a standard noun + of + field pattern, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily infer the overall meaning.
Etymology
Doctor of Arts comes from the old meaning of Doctor as a 'teacher' or expert and Arts meaning subjects like literature, music, and history. So the name became a way to say someone has an 'advanced degree' in those subjects.