Beyond Prefixes and Suffixes: A Systematic Literature Review of Doctoral Education in Art and Design
Abstract
This systematic review examines the literature on doctoral education in art and design. We analysed 1,086 publications to categorise different approaches to art and design doctorates. Our analysis reveals three distinct doctoral types aligned with different educational aims: knowledge development doctorates emphasising systematic research and theoretical contribution; social utility doctorates focusing on professional practice and practical application; and individual development doctorates prior it ising artistic self-discovery and creative expression. The apparent confusion in the field, reflected in debates about terminology such as "research through practice" versus "practice-based research," stems from fundamental disagreements about educational purposes rather than mere semantic differences. While this diversity reflects legitimate educational values, we argue that the proliferation of different doctoral types risks undermining the doctorate's traditional aim of advancing knowledge and developing autonomous scholars. The evidence supports maintaining knowledge development as the primary aim of doctoral education, as it alone serves the university's core function of producing independent researchers capable of original inquiry and mentoring future scholars. The field would benefit from greater clarity about the doctorate's unique contribution and more rigorous attention to scholarly standards.
Keywords
Doctorate; Education; Literature Review; Doctor of Philosophy
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.362
Citation
Feast, L.(2025) Beyond Prefixes and Suffixes: A Systematic Literature Review of Doctoral Education in Art and Design, in Chang, C.-Y., and Hsu, Y. (eds.), IASDR 2025: Design Next, 02-05 December, Taiwan. https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.362
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Conference Track
Track 12 - Design Education
Beyond Prefixes and Suffixes: A Systematic Literature Review of Doctoral Education in Art and Design
This systematic review examines the literature on doctoral education in art and design. We analysed 1,086 publications to categorise different approaches to art and design doctorates. Our analysis reveals three distinct doctoral types aligned with different educational aims: knowledge development doctorates emphasising systematic research and theoretical contribution; social utility doctorates focusing on professional practice and practical application; and individual development doctorates prior it ising artistic self-discovery and creative expression. The apparent confusion in the field, reflected in debates about terminology such as "research through practice" versus "practice-based research," stems from fundamental disagreements about educational purposes rather than mere semantic differences. While this diversity reflects legitimate educational values, we argue that the proliferation of different doctoral types risks undermining the doctorate's traditional aim of advancing knowledge and developing autonomous scholars. The evidence supports maintaining knowledge development as the primary aim of doctoral education, as it alone serves the university's core function of producing independent researchers capable of original inquiry and mentoring future scholars. The field would benefit from greater clarity about the doctorate's unique contribution and more rigorous attention to scholarly standards.