What is a doctorate in numismatics?

Longacre

I saw this on Kagin's website. Does anyone know what school offers a doctorate in numismatics? I did a quick Yahoo search and I couldn't find anything that was very clear. Anyone have any thoughts? Are there other doctors in the house?

DONALD H. KAGIN, Ph.D.

Numismatist Donald H. Kagin has unique credentials as a numismatic authority. He earned the first Bachelor of Arts degree in Numismatics granted by Northwestern University, simultaneously earning another B.A. in history. Graduate and post-graduate studies at Northwestern, Drake University, John Hopkins University, the American Numismatic Society Museum, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Union Graduate School earned Don the first Doctorate in Numismatics ever granted in the United States.

BigE

Maybe the Wizard Of Oz gave it to him when he visited The Emerald City--------------BigE

XpipedreamR

Check out the last posts in this thread...



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ziggy29

I know I don't recall seeing a degree program in it, or else I wouldn't have been a CS major...

ms70

But can he tell NT from AT?

Stuart

I think that it's called a Ph$D

relayer

He's a coin doctor

Myqqy

I was wondering the same thing- I think there was a mention about him in the latest issue of "coinage" magazine.....

uncleb

As I look back twenty-some years ago, when I was considering my college options, I remember searching far and wide for a school that offered a course in numismatics. I found one, a private college somewhere in the Northeast and so very expensive that I did not even consider checking into the program.
I do not currently know of any US college that offers a program in numismatics, though some offer numismatic-related classes. There are several overseas universities that do have delineated programs.
However, there are a number of liberal arts colleges that will allow a student to craft a degree program in any area of study if the student can establish it to the satisfaction of the whatever bureaucratic organ has jurisdiction. This works for any level of degree - from simply an educational emphasis or special studies all the way to a doctorate.
For numismatics, for example, a student might suggest the basic degree requirements, plus work in art history, history, metallurgy, economics, and museum sciences. There would be other departments with valuable coursework that could be added as well.
One of the greatest failings of the ANA is that they have not worked with any university - even the one whose campus the ANA headquarters is located at - to devise any type of accredited degree program, or even a menu of suggested coursework.
Regarding the custom degree programs, my understanding is that the approval process is aided greatly if daddy has lots of bucks to give to said colleges - especially to the point where entire buildings are named after daddy.

Conder101

That is exactly how Kagin got his degree. Jonathan Kern got his degree in Numismatics the same way. As far as I know they are the only two professional dealers with degrees in numismatics. (Kern's is not a PhD, I forget if it is a Bachelors or a Masters.)

northcoin

Donald Kagin and I are both graduates of Northwestern University and we were back for our respective reunions several years ago. To the best of my knowledge their are no buildings named "Kagin" on the Evanston campus.

EVillageProwler

UncleB is correct. Most liberal arts colleges, and even some fine arts and technical colleges, will allow custom-crafted "inter-disciplinary" academic programs of study to fulfill a significant graduation requirement.

EVP

earlwbollinger

I thought you only had to send a couple of thou to the mail order Univeristy of "XXXXX" and they whip up a diploma for you?
What was it now hummm... Ah yes, "Life Experience", that was it.

roadrunner

I wouldn't harp much on a paper document. The "real" story of the Kagin's were their dealings in the 1960's through 1970's and into the early 1980's with the coin buying public, and in particular through their auction company.

roadrunner

astrorat

At present, there are no structured degree programs in numismatics. Both Don Kagin's bachelor and doctorate degrees and Jonathan Kern's bachelor degree were specialized programs that were crafted specifically for their individual courses of study.

European universities do offer degree programs in numismatics, but none exist (as of yet) in the US. Perhaps that will change in the future if there is a demand.

Don's Ph.D. research was on pioneer gold. You can read his dissertation, essentially, by reading his book on the subject. In addition to numismatics, Don also has a passion for education (which is quite evident even after spending just a few minutes with him on the subject).

What a degree in numismatics? Then make your concerns known. Tell people why you want it and why it will be benificial to you and the hobby/profession. This is not the type of degree that will just appear without specific need.

What is a doctorate in numismatics? Well, it is an advanced degree program focused on a specific area of study in numismatics. Like all Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) programs, it involves an intense research effort with the specific intent of creating and disseminating new knowledge. Students in doctoral programs have entry-level degrees (bachelor level and sometimes a master's degree) before beginning their course of study. To some extent or another, all quality Ph.D. programs are self-directed (usually the research is "self-directed", with help from the advisor). Don was innovative in his approach, in that he basically built the didactic and research from scratch. It is unfortunate that a structured program did not spawn from his work.

Lane