History of the Doctoral Degree

The doctoral degree is typically the highest academic degree that can be earned in a discipline. To gain a doctorate, a student must typically pursue some sort of intense individual research, which results in the completion of a dissertation, essentially a book-length manuscript of the findings of said research. Although some may think the doctoral degree is a recent creation, it in fact has a long history stretching back into the Middle Ages.

Early History of the Doctoral Degree

Most experts agree that the first doctoral degree was awarded in 1150 at the University of Paris; doctorates this time were seen mostly as an accreditation for teaching rather than research (the word "doctorate" stems from a Latin word meaning "to teach.") Starting in the 19th century, however, the emphasis began to shift to a more research-centered method, due in large part to the influence of German scholars and universities.

Doctoral Degree in 19th Century America

Although many American students originally studied in German universities to attain their doctoral degrees, American universities did not take long to adopt the German model, and Yale granted its first three doctoral degrees in 1861. In 1876, Johns Hopkins University was founded, making it the first university to be based on graduate-level research. By the end of the 19th century, many academic appointments were dependent on the individual having performed some individual research. The doctoral degree had taken root.

Doctoral Degree in the Early to Mid-20th Century

Despite its growth in the American education system, the doctoral degree was not always looked at positively. In 1903, for example, a Harvard professor referred to it scathingly as "the Ph.D. Octopus" and made clear his dislike for the new system based on research credentials. However, the doctoral degree continued to grow in America, and there have been numerous studies of the degree done. Between 1916 and 1960, for example, 10 critical studies appeared in various academic media.

Doctoral Degree in the Late 20th/Early 21st Century

In the latter part of the 20th century and early 21st century, the doctoral degree has undergone extreme scrutiny as both government figures and educators struggle to come to terms with the changing face of education. As of 2010, there are several ongoing initiatives to study the changing nature of the Ph.D., including "Revisioning the Ph.D." (funded by the Pew Trust), "The Responsive Ph.D." (sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation) and the Carnegie Initiative on the Doctorate (sponsored by the Carnegie Institute for the Advancement of Teaching).

Possible Future of the Doctoral Degree

The various initiatives undertaken to study the doctoral degree indicate that there is uncertainty about the function that the degree should serve. With the rise of the Internet, there has been a shift to online degrees, including the doctorate. However, there is an ongoing debate about the actual usefulness of an online doctoral program, given the fact that so much of its value is based on the level of research, and online research is still a vague and sometimes questionable entity.

References

• Lessons from the history of the doctorate and the dissertation