M. Lynn James and Roger A. Kovarl University of Northern Colorado Greeley. Colorado 80639
The Doctor of Arts Program-An Approach for the Preparation of College Teachers
With thegrowth in twoand four year colleges there has been an inrreasinr need tin individuals who are sperifirally trained to he teache&cholars prepared to teach on the undergraduate level (1). These individuals typically spend a relatively small percentage of their time in research. The demand upon them lies in teaching the broad range of suhjects in the undereraduate chemistrv curriculum and freauentlv this mav include crossing oveiinto other related though different discinlines. The standard doctoral nroeram leadine to the Doctor bf Philosophy degree with its ;mihasis on original chemical research and subject snecialization in a rather narrow nortion of the chosen sudject matter field may not adequately prepare these individuals to meet the demands that will he expected of them ( 2 4 ) .Furthermore, the typical PhD program contains little if anv exnosure or experience in the ~hiloaophvand techniques of caching, the thing they will spedd mostoitheir time doing. In recognition of this problem several universities have offered the Doctor of Education degree (EdD) in suhject matter fields or modified PhD programs (5). Both of these approaches have limitations. The EdD degree in a subject matter discipline may be confused with a degree emphasizing the field of education or educational administration. The modified PhD degree is not easily identifiable as a "special PhD" degree and in practice frequently does not differ significantly from the standard PhD. The establishment of a new degree and degree program designed to prepare college teachers was therefore considered hv manv educators as essential (6.7). An evolutionam nrocess occurrek at Carnegie-Mellon ~&e;sity during the &ly and middle sixties which culminated in 1967 in the development ofthe first Doctor of Arts program. Currently, 25 institutions offer Doctor of Arts programs in 27 different fields of study. A total of 416 DA degrees have been granted and 556 students were enrolled nationallv in DA programs as of fall, 1975. Evand acceptance of the DA idence reveals that f u r h e r deeree is limited in part due to a lack of under.. nroeram . st;tnding < , , i t s purrwse and functions (3).This paper will attlmDt to allwi;iu. this situation hv outlining the devekwnent and'current status of the ~ o c t o ;of Arts aegree. ~ar&dar emphasis will he placed on chemistrv DA programs and illustrative examples from the UNC chemistr; program will be included. History and General Philosophy The first Doctor of Arts programs a t Carnegie-Mellon University were available in mathematics, English, history, and fine arts including music, painting, and sculpture (8). Introduction of the DA deeree hv other universities led the C'ommittw on Gradttatr Studiesuf th1.American Association nf Swte Colleces and Universities lo r)uhlish a list of pronosed t thr guidelmes fu;rh~ Dirtor oi Arts de&e. ~ n d o r s e m i n "I nwd and vnlidity u i ~ u r ah rleeree umnsgiven hv this group at that time (7). DU& this sameperiod oftime asimil& statement and endorsement were developed by the Committee on the Preparation of College Teachers, Council of Graduate Schools in the United States (6). These documents were released in the spring of 1970. The growing interest and controversy associated with the new degree led the Council M. Lynn James and Roger A. Kovar, Abstracts 170th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, August, 1975. 390 1 Journal of Chemical Education
of Graduate Schools, with the financial assistance of the Carnegie Corporation and the cooperation of the Johnson Foundation, to sponsor a conference on the Doctor of Arts a t Wingspread, Racine, Wisconsin, in Octoher, 1970. This functioned to provide an opportunity for the airing of opposing views and a sharing of plans of action. The general consensus of this conference was that the DA deeree was here to stay and that those institutions involved with the degree must make certain that it is not an inferior deeree hut of hieh quality and designed to prepare candidates-for a careerqn teaching rather than research (9). A sunolemental statement on the I'jucm of Arts degree was d~vrl
