Doctor of Liberal Studies

Georgetown University has created a new doctoral program, the Doctor of Liberal Studies (D.L.S.).

From their Web site:

"Unlike traditional doctorates, the Doctor of Liberal Studies degree is interdisciplinary, non-professional, and not designed to prepare its graduates for positions within the academy. The D.L.S. shifts emphasis from theoretical research (though research is required) in a specific field to interdisciplinary research in more than one field. This interdisciplinary degree focuses less on the creation of new knowledge and is more synthetic in that it combines areas of existing knowledge in new and creative ways, focusing on interdisciplinary and values-based areas of inquiry."

"In the case of the D.L.S., students are required to take four courses to familiarize themselves with the knowledge foundation of their research projects, but the degree itself is primarily built upon specialized and directed reading courses focused on their chosen areas of research and shaped through consultation with their dissertation advisers. In this regard, as a more research and dissertation oriented degree, the D.L.S. more closely resembles the structure of the traditional Ph.D." [than the current Georgetown M.A.L.S.].

"The candidates for this degree, as for the Master's, will be non-traditional graduate students in the sense that it will appeal to those students who, like the Master's candidates, are employed, slightly or sometimes significantly older than other graduate students, more conscious of the commitment in terms of dollars and time, and not seeking professional standing in academia nor expecting scholarships or fellowships. The D.L.S. provides a forum for groups of "mature" students with ongoing careers outside of academia to interact with each other and to find a community of interests in their intellectual pursuits. They are not able to find this kind of space in traditional Ph.D. programs. The D.L.S. taps into a large potential market in Washington of highly educated professionals, including members of the baby-boomer generation preparing for the second phase of their lives."

http://liberalstudies.georgetown.edu/dlsgeneral.htm

This program rolls out in the fall of 2005. With its orientation to "'mature' students with ongoing careers," this program is tailor-made for DL. Perhaps after they work the bugs out of the B&M program--or if there are not a lot of Washingtonians flocking to their doors--we might be able to persuade them to put the four required courses on WebCT, do the other courses by directed study, and so be able to provide the entire program via DL. Or nearly so. Like Florida's classics program, they will probably want you to show up for three week one summer, just so they'll know you're not someone's pet duck. They would probably want you to take your comps on site, as well.

Something worth keeping an eye on.

marilynd

 

Many of these graduate programs in liberal studies (often aimed at "mature students") seem to me like little more than a means of separating liberal rich retirees from their money. I really don't see where the degrees have much utility for employment. In fact, some MLS and MALS programs come with disclaimers saying the credits cannot be used toward advancing to doctoral programs. But hey, maybe that's changing with this new program. Still got some money left grandpa? Check our our "Doctor of Liberal Studies" program.

 

Good news.

 

This particular program appears to be residential with classes offered in the evening.

It is great that Georgetown University is offering non-traditional doctorates - maybe this will encourage other universities to do the same.

 

Looks like a very interesting program for those who need a doctorate to teach full-time at small colleges, even though it states that it doesn't prepare for service "in the academy."

The cost is a little nebulous. Is it really just a 36 credit program at $800 per credit? I must have missed something.

The requirements to complete the degree could be daunting with advisors helping to shape the dissertation. Actually, the Ph.D. has tons of this so could this even be more hassle than getting a committee to agree?

With the letters D.L.S. behind your name, could they be easily scrambled to say L.D.S. or L.S.D.? ;-)

Dave

 

I would hope that someone enrolling in a masters or doctoral program would have already made a determination on the utility of the credential with respect to their personal situation. While it may appear that there is no value added from the perspective of a college/university/CC academic, I would imagine that there are many in government (military officers immediately come to mind) and the private sector for whom it may be a worthwhile endeavor (investment??). Just my 2 cents ...

 

I consider them basically vanity degrees. They probably require a substantive amount of work and provide a lot of personal satisfaction. So long as they're viewed in this context, I have no problem with them. Otherwise, showing the diploma at Starbucks will get you a $4 cup of coffee for $4.

 

There is a difference between job training and a liberal arts education. They have different values and different goals. Learning for learning's sake is not vanity simple because there is no monetary pay-off at the end.



marilynd

 

Well, OK. I'll go along with that. "Vanity" was a poorly chosen word. It would be hard for a person to complete these programs were they not motivated by a desire to learn. Still, I think they are designed mainly for self-satisfaction rather than preparation for a career (or a second career). There's nothing wrong learning for learning's sake.

 

I just reread my first post. I thought that I had made it clear that this is not a DL program as currently constituted, but it appears I left that part out somehow.

Ian is right. This is NOT a DL program. It is worth keeping a eye on for future developments, however.



marilynd

 

I admit I wonder what it's FOR.

It soulds like another "attack of the fuzzy thinkers", you know, the same group that renamed the venerable LL.B. as "Juris Doctor" then cast the title into Latin so NO ONE would know what it meant...

Speaking of which, this is just as inappropriate a place as any to log a pet peeve...lots of American law schools title their J.D.s as Juris Doctor, which I guess translates as Doctor of Law. (Wisconsin-Madison actually says that on their J.D. diplomas)

But some major (and minor) schools call it a "Doctor of Jurisprudence", when most grads take not a SINGLE course in the subject, which is the science of law.

Grr. They shold know better.

 

In which case, they would be DJs instead of JDs.

Spin those hits!



marilynd

 

It needn't be, I think. There is certainly a place for broad assessments of the role of the intellectual life in society, or for developmental assessments of ideas in society.

Something akin to "the history of ideas" approach popularized by Boas and Johns Hopkins University awhile back.

Traditional Ph.D. programs are far too narrowly focused for such studies.

marilynd

 

Sure they are. But THIS program apparently isn't designed for researchers or academy professionals...so what, exactly, does one DO with it?

On the OTHER hand, what do I intend to DO with my LL.M. if I ever earn it?

Okay. I get it.

 

Actually, it is a research degree, and the caveat about academic employment is just that . . . a caveat.

My guess is that over time, an earned DLS from Georgetown will get you into some teaching jobs. It is, after all, an earned doctorate from Georgetown. They just don't want people signing up in expectation of employment in higher education. As the dust settles, well . . .

There are probably non-teaching jobs for which this degree would be an employment vehicle, if the point was employment: non-profit organizations, humanities councils (almost every state has a pocket full), government education departments, etc.

Of course, as you implied, it's not what the degree will do for you but what you do with the education the degree represents that often matters most.

Don't let the law get you down.



marilynd

 

As with Union's program, this one seems designed to allow students to "thread" approaches and studies in several disciplines to research a particular problem or situations. For example, my program stretched across business administration, human resource management, and education. Staying inside education would not have allowed me to set the framework for my reserach questions, which really sit in a nexus of all three fields.

My question, as usual, relates to degree utility. Who would use this?

 

Actually, I think the whole thing sounds like fun...but I happen to like school for fun!

 

A couple of thoughts:

a. educational consultants who want to do extensive work in education and another area (statistics, business, economics, etc.)

b. writers who want advanced education to better understand their particular field (and, perhaps, tie divergent fields together)

c. university administrators who do not hold doctorates

d. and so on...


This is much more attractive to me than almost all of the Ph.D. programs on the planet because I have no desire to study the use of clitics in Finnish (or some other equally silly topic - and, yes, my master's degree is in linguistics). While I do understand why some have a fascination for learning about some quite small academic subject, it certainly holds zero interest for me.

However, being able to tackle broader issues at the doctoral level sounds quite intriguing. And to be able to do that at a quite well-respected university, even moreso.



Tom Nixon

 

A thought... The dissertation does not reflect the full qualification of the doctor. While the Ph.D. is about adding a specific piece of knowledge in a well-defined discipline, the reading list and literature search digested to matriculate the doctoral program and develop that knowledge is usually quite broad. In other words, the dissertation is a few hundred pages written, but not the tens of thousands of pages that were read...

Dave

 

I agree.

It's all true.

However, the end-product is still that one little, bitty, tiny area of knowledge.

I'm not saying that is a bad thing at all. We have learned much from folks who are focused on the minutiae of life. No doubt.

Just not my cup of tea.




Tom Nixon