Editing Doctor of Arts (section)

{{short description|Doctoral degree}}
[[File:Nigel_Planer.jpg|thumb|right|British actor [[Nigel Planer]] wearing the [[academic dress]] of a Doctor of Arts, awarded as an [[honorary degree]] by [[Edinburgh Napier University]]]]

The '''Doctor of Arts''' ('''D.A.'''; occasionally '''D.Arts''' or '''Art.D.''' from the [[Latin language|Latin]] ''artium doctor'') is a [[List of academic disciplines|discipline]]-based [[terminal degree|terminal]] [[doctorate|doctoral]] [[academic degree|degree]] that was originally conceived and designed to be an alternative to the traditional research-based Doctor of Philosophy ([[Doctor of Philosophy|Ph.D.]]) and the education-based Doctor of Education ([[Ed.D.]]). Like other doctorates, the D.A. is an [[academic degree]] of the highest level. The D.A. is also frequently conferred as an [[honorary degree]] with the added designation of [[honoris causa]].

The [[Carnegie Corporation of New York|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 (education)|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]].{{citation needed|date=March 2021}}

Three prominent earned Doctor of Arts degrees offered in the United States are the D.A. in English Pedagogy from [[Murray State University]], the D.A. in the Great Books of the Western World from [[Harrison Middleton University]], and the D.A. in Music from [[Ball State University]].