Doctor of Letters
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Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D.,
In addition to being awarded as an earned degree, this doctorate is also conferred as an
Britain, the Commonwealth and the Republic of Ireland
In the United Kingdom, Australia, India, and Ireland, the degree is a
At the
By 2015, The Oxford University Examination Regulations called for a faculty board at Oxford to "appoint judges to consider the evidence submitted by any candidate, and to report thereon to the board. In making their report, the judges shall state whether the evidence submitted constitutes an original contribution to the advancement of knowledge of such substance and distinction as to give the candidate an authoritative status in some branch or branches of learning."
In June 2016, the Oxford D.Litt. was suspended, pending a reform of the higher doctorates.[17] The reforms were completed in June 2018 and applications reopened in September 2018. The new regulations reduced the number of higher doctorates to five by dropping the Doctor of Medicine as a higher doctorate. The standards for the remaining doctorates, including the D.Litt. (now also referred to as "Doctor of Letters" rather than Doctor of Literature[18]), require the judges "to consider whether the evidence submitted demonstrates excellence in academic scholarship and is:
- a) of the absolute highest quality;
- b) substantial in scale and in the contribution it has made to knowledge;
- c) sustained over time and showing current and continued contribution to scholarship;
- d) authoritative, being able to demonstrate impact on the work of others;
- e) of global reach and international importance within the field; and
- f) of such breadth or covering such branches of knowledge appropriate to the field and in line with disciplinary norms and expectations."[19]
United States
In the United States, the degree may be conferred as an honorary degree or an earned degree.
Numerous American universities regularly award the honorary Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) degree, including Harvard University,[20] Columbia University,[21] and Yale University,[22] among others.
At Drew University, the earned Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.) program requires the completion of 45 graduate credit hours beyond the master's degree, including the successful development and defense of a 150- to 220-page doctoral dissertation.[23]
France
In France, the doctorat is awarded with a speciality, but there is no official list of these. Candidates for a doctorat in literature are awarded a Doctorat ès lettres, abbreviated Dr ès l.
There is a higher degree, the
Before the 1950s, the now-abolished
India
In India the DLitt degree was earlier called the Doctor of Letters, but presently DLitt is an abbreviation of "Doctor of Literature", since the year 2014, after a Gazette Notification by the Government of India mandated a change in the nomenclature.[25] The DLitt is the highest postdoctoral degree awarded in the fields of arts, humanities and social sciences. The DLitt may be "earned" through research in a public university, or bestowed as an honoris causa award for distinguished achievements. For an earned DLitt degree, the entry requirement is a Doctor of Philosophy degree and evidence of substantial contribution to the field after completion of PhD. The DLitt Thesis is expected to be of an exceptionally high order, and is reviewed by eminent experts in the subject. The new vistas of knowledge embodied in the DLitt Thesis must also be publicly defended. DLitt (honoris causa) are conferred by public universities, usually on visiting dignitaries or on experts who may or may not have the prescribed qualification, but have substantially contributed to academic or professional development of a field of knowledge. The Honorary DLitt are considered an award, and not an academic degree in the strictest sense.
Similarly, the highest educational degree at the postdoctoral level in Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit, Indic religious studies, Oriental literature and Indology in India is termed Vidya Vachaspati, which is legally recognized as the equivalent to the DLitt.[26]
Enrollment in a Vidya Vachaspati program generally requires both having published works and the previous attainment of a Vidya Vairidhi degree, which is equivalent to a PhD.[27]
The title of Vidya Vachaspati may also be awarded honoris causa to distinguished scholars who may otherwise lack the educational qualifications to be eligible to register for the earned degree, but whose expertise and contributions are deemed to be deserving of the honour.
References
- ^ "Catalog: Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.)". Drew University. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- ^ "Doctor of Letters (Doctorado en Letras)". Faculdad de Humanidades, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata.
- ^ "Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico". Program: Masters and Doctorate of Letters (Programa de Maestria y Doctorado en Letras).
- ^ "Higher Doctorates". University of Oxford.
- ^ "University of Saskatchewan Terms of Reference for the Award Of Doctorate Degrees for Scholarly Work D.Litt. and D.Sc. Degrees" (PDF). University of Saskatchewan.
- ^ Martin, Krista. "The Difference Between a PhD & DLitt". The Classroom.
- ^ "How to Use My Honorary Degree? How to Use My Honorary Doctorate with My Name?". The Protocol School of Washington. 25 May 2020.
- ^ "The New York Times". MARK TWAIN, D.LITT., OXON. Students Give a Great Ovation to Him - Degree for Mr. Reid Also. June 27, 1907.
- ISBN 9780415890588.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ "Honorary Doctorates". Nelson Mandela Foundation. Archived from the original on 16 December 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
- ^ Conferment of the Degree of Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa) on Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela: The Oration and Acceptance Speech, 2000. Open University of Tanzania. 2000.
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ignored (help) - ^ "Tanzania: Open University of Tanzania Honors Mandela". AllAfrica.
- M.G. Brockand M.C Curthouys, eds., The History of the University of Oxford., vol. VII, part 2: Nineteenth Century Oxford, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000), p. 619.
- ^ Brian Harrison, ed., The History of the University of Oxford, vol. VIII: The Twentieth Century (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994), p. 125.
- ^ "University of Oxford. Examination Regulations". Archived from the original on 19 October 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
- ^ "Report of the Review of Higher Degrees, University of Oxford, 2016, table 1, page 8" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 July 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
- ^ "Education Committee: Suspension of higher degrees, Oxford University Gazette vol. 146 no. 5137 (16 June 2016)". Archived from the original on 13 July 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2016.
- ^ "Higher Doctorates". University of Oxford.
- ^ University of Oxford Regulations for Higher Doctorates
- ^ Honorary degrees awarded at Commencement. Harvard University Gazette Online. June 5, 2008.
- ^ "PADMA DESAI TO RECEIVE HONORARY DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF LETTERS". Columbia University, Harriman Institute. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
- ^ "Paula Vogel MA '76, PhD '16, receives honorary Doctor of Letters from Yale". Cornell University, Department of Performing and Media Arts.
- ^ [1], Drew University
- ^ Alan D. Schrift (2006), Twentieth-Century French Philosophy: Key Themes And Thinkers, Blackwell Publishing, p. 208.
- ^ [2]
- ^ Mr. Narendra Kumar Chouhan vs State Of Rajasthan & Ors, Rajasthan High Court (11 September 2014)
- ^ Vidya Vachaspati (D.Litt.), Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, Tirupati, Indcareer (Accessed 2 May 2018)