In an attempt to negotiate the particularities of the
US situation that Gunnar identifies, I have tried to
characterize a PhD (or DDes) as a
'post-terminal degree,'
though that clearly results in some branding problems.
Cameron
On 12/12/09 11:45 AM, "Swanson, Gunnar" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Many of us who supervise Master of
> Fine Arts students are acutely aware that, at least in the United States, the
> MFA is a degree that serves as a license to teach the MFA's subject matter at
> the university level. How does the de facto license to teach fit into this?
> Several states in the US have laws that faculty of their public
> universities possess the highest degrees in their field. Even though the
> College Art Association insists that the MFA is the terminal degree for studio
> practice, in university practice the MFA gets lumped in with MA and MS degrees
> more often than with the PhD or other doctorates. The idea that someone with a
> masters in design has a "higher" degree in the subject than someone with a
> doctorate in design is a tough sell.
>
> I'll leave it at that for now since I am not prepared to offer even a
> semblance of a clear path to a solution. Non-PhD doctorates seem to be one
> possibility but all of the design doctoral programs I'm aware of in the US are
> PhD programs and there is no political pressure for a DFA or DDes or such.
>
> Gunnar
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