“Three Magic Letters”: Exposing the Magical Demands Placed on the Doctorate of Education

• In Event: Dare Faculty Reclaim Doctoral Education: Between Buzzwords, Bullshit, and the Mythical Powers of the Doctorate

Abstract

The professional doctorate as a phenomenon has attempted to refashion an intellectual tradition rooted in the image of the PhD—what William James deemed “three magic letters”—for a variety of non-intellectual reasons. This presenter will examine the historical and contemporary purpose of the professional doctorate in education to expose the ethical quandaries that are latent in the mass production of such degrees. Although the education doctorate (EdD) was designed with different ends in mind, it has not escaped the reality that doctoral-level education weighs heavily on those who are attracted to these programs. This weight, often driven by capitalistic ends on the part of both student and institution, presents faculty with a myriad of contradictions regarding the necessity of, and efficacy in, achieving doctoral-level aims with working professionals who occupy a profession riddled with material demands that far outweigh the uncorrupted, disinterested, pursuit of pure knowledge.

Author

• Jessica Heybach, Aurora University