Doctor of Letters

==France<!--'Doctorat ès lettres' and 'Docteur ès lettres' redirect here-->==
In France, the ''[[Doctorate#France|doctorat]]'' is awarded with a speciality, but there is no official list of these. Candidates for a ''doctorat'' in literature are awarded a '''''Doctorat ès lettres'''''<!--boldface per WP:R#PLA-->, abbreviated '''''Dr ès l'''''<!--boldface per WP:R#PLA-->.

There is a higher degree, the ''[[Habilitation à diriger des recherches]]'', which is obtained following different rules in each field. In literature, the candidates must also present a new and unpublished work. The habilitation (which is not followed by an indication of the field) allows holders to apply for a position of professor in French universities.

Before the 1950s, the now-abolished ''[[Doctorat d'État]]'' degree was called ''Doctorat ès lettres''<ref name="Schrift p. 208">Alan D. Schrift (2006), ''Twentieth-Century French Philosophy: Key Themes And Thinkers'', Blackwell Publishing, p. 208.</ref> (in France, "letters" is equivalent to "[[humanities]]").