Are University Degrees in Martial Arts legitimate?

15 Answers

• You can't learn martial arts by books, video, or college classes. Only training will give martial arts skills. As for college degrees as mentioned from some university offering martial arts degrees, that is academic and is simply a classroom history lesson.

  Note: there are many organizations that offer all kinds of bogus martial arts degrees. The Mcdojo boom was first. Then idiots began forming organizations that are nothing but McOrganizations. These organizations will certify anyone as a Soke, Doctor of Martial Arts. Master of Martial Arts, ...etc. Some don;t even require any skill demonstration on the part of the person applying. All required is to send in a resume, and copies of your rank certificates. I know several people that fell victim to these McOrganizations. Another group that has become a big Farce is the "Hall of Fame" organizations. There are more of them than most people realize. Every year since the late 1980's i have gotten offers to be included in some Hall Of Fame. The catch is that they don't care who they give these to. They want you to pay them a big fee to have them then give you your award.

  As with anything else worth having, it takes dedication and hard work. Anything that is easy to get is usually not worth having.

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• Martial Arts Degree

• There are a few places offering martial arts degrees. I have known a few that were involved in them. I'm sorry to say that they teach more class room material and less practical martial arts. Several groups have attempted to get such degrees recognized by the academic community as legitimate. Last I heard they were not recognized by the academic community. Best thing I can recommend is just to train with a knowledgeable instructor that can offer rank back up by a legitimate organization. By that I mean study under a recognized organization rather than training somewhere that will give dojo ranks that are from the doj itself.

• No this does not go against TMA. If you noticed the 2 schools that the one school teaches theory. It also has as its faculty high ranking martial artists of several different arts. Therefore those student also have to learn under a qualified instructor. This actually support what TMA say. You need a qualified instructor. There is nothing wrong with books or videos. They do not take the place of an instructor. They supplement what you have been taught.The other school with the graduate degree program displays martial artist from all over the world coming together to learn and having the ability to communicate. This too goes along with what a TMA would also teach. The standard is the same. You can communicate or speak the same language in MA as long as you keep it traditional. In other words you speak the same language ex. dojo is still called a dojo not a studio or gym. It will be recognized as a dojo no matter what language you speak. I can train in Germany and it is still dojo. I can train in Japan and it is still dojo.

  I don't know a traditional martial artist that do not have some books or videos. We all do. But we all realize that we need or needed an instructor to help, guide, critique, and correct. The video or book can never do that.

  There are not many schools that will offer this type of degree. When seeking employment after college this degree will not open many doors for career opportunity. It would pretty much limit you to some sort of running a martial arts school. Most higher education schools do not have any type of martial arts in their programs with the exception of a few local extra curricular type program or woman's self defense classes. The few schools that do offer classes for credit hours usually offer them as a Health or PE credit hour.

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  RE:

  Are University Degrees in Martial Arts legitimate?

  Bachelors, Masters, Doctorates, etc. I've seen people write that they have these. I've never heard of a Masters in Martial Arts. I don't even think that's offered at our university.

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• Several universities offer martial arts degrees. The University of Bridgeport is one of them. You can check out their website here: http://www.bridgeport.edu/academics/undergraduate/... Amerstate University also offers a graduate degree http://www.auwi.org/

  These degrees focus more on the theory and history of martial arts. When you go to a local gym or dojo to learn martial arts, you are most likely going there for self defense and a workout. If you are pursuing a degree in martial arts, then most likely you are going there to learn about the theory and history of martial arts.

  Many people who decide to open up their own martial arts school or gym decide to get a degree like this. Although it's more..."limited" of a degree than other degrees you could be getting, it definitely serves its purpose well if you plan to work in martial arts.

  Hope I helped.

  EDIT: oh yea. definitely. Just because you have a degree in martial arts, does not mean you have completely mastered it. Nobody can completely master their art(in my opinion). I just recently received my black belt and would still consider myself a beginner.

• Bridgeport CT is the only accredited university in the U.S. that gives a B.A. in Martial Arts. They require physical participation in either Tae Kwon Do or Tai Chi lessons as well as cultural and historical credits (plus the Gen Ed reqs). No other U.S. based degree is recognized by the University Academia. There is no Masters or PhD program in the U.S. for martial arts.

  I researched this quite thoroughly for several years. I'd have definitely gotten my PhD by now if there was a program.

  The best martial artists that were PhD's that I've met were 1) a PhD in Philosophy and 2) PhD Medical Anthropology.

  I'm met several martial artists with Masters Degrees in different fields, usually Business or Physical Education.

• Nope...even the Bridgeport one is not recognized no matter what they say. It is a money scheme most of the time. To point it out. I actually got a Doctorate's of Martial Arts Science and Philosophy from a certain organization just because I had been training for 30 years non-stop and they were trying to get me to join. It is hanging on my wall in my dojo office with an investigation paper underneath it that proved it was a bunch of bull larky.

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  Hi Wyne ! Depending on the state / or country you belong. Any dojo with legitimate organizational affiliation can offer the formal education that you're seeking. Karate do not offer "Degree" per se, rather they ranks and certifications. Try contacting an organization of that particular style on the internet and ask if they can refer schools or certified instructors available in your local area. Please note that there are good number of good instructors that do not advertise or teach for commercial purpose thus you won't see them advertise anywhere. They are mostly located in private gyms or community centers. Just them a call and even if they don't have a program ask to see who they can refer you to. Hope this helps and good luck with your search.