Lady Literate in Arts

{{short description|Academic qualification at the University of St Andrews}}

{{short description|Academic qualification at the University of St Andrews}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}}

A '''Lady Literate in Arts''' ('''LLA''') qualification was offered by the [[University of St Andrews]] in Scotland for more than a decade before women were allowed to graduate in the same way as men, and it became popular as a kind of [[external degree]] for women who had studied through correspondence, or by attendance at non-university classes. Although awarded as a [[diploma]], in terms of academic standard, it was equivalent to the [[Master of Arts]].{{cite journal|last1=Smith|first1=N. Kemp|title=The Scots Philosophical Club|journal=The Philosophical Quarterly|date=1950|volume=1|issue=1|pages=1–4 |doi=10.2307/2216495|jstor=2216495}}

A '''Lady Literate in Arts''' ('''LLA''') qualification was offered by the [[University of St Andrews]] in Scotland for more than a decade before women were allowed to graduate on the same terms as men. It became popular as a kind of [[external degree]] for women who had studied through correspondence, or by attendance at non-university classes. Although awarded as a [[diploma]], in terms of academic standard, it was equivalent to the [[Master of Arts]].{{cite journal|last1=Smith|first1=N. Kemp|title=The Scots Philosophical Club|journal=The Philosophical Quarterly|date=1950|volume=1|issue=1|pages=1–4 |doi=10.2307/2216495|jstor=2216495}}

[[File:Queen Margaret College Tower Building.jpg|thumb|'''Queen Margaret College''']]

Until 1892 women were not admitted to [[Scottish universities]], and the LLA was the nearest qualification to a degree which was open to women in the country, although the [[University of Edinburgh]] offered certificates recognising achievement in classes organised by the [[Edinburgh Association for the University Education of Women]], and [[Glasgow]], [[Queen Margaret College (Glasgow)|Queen Margaret College]] was offering a university-equivalent education and awards. These particular options did not carry the same recognition or structure as a university level qualification. To obtain an LLA, the candidates had to pass examinations at a university-approved centre, which could be located both within Scotland or internationally, which made the program in a way "unusually" accessible for its time.

Formally established in 1877, the LLA{{cite web |title=University of St Andrews LLA |url=https://museumblog.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/2020/06/24/ladies-of-learning-a-brief-history-of-the-lady-literate-in-arts-diploma/ |publisher=University of St Andrews |access-date=11 April 2022 |quote=To walk upon the grass : the impact of the University of St Andrews' Lady Literate in Arts, 1877-1892}} allowed women to study a wide range of academic subjects, which includes philosophy, mathematics, science, languages, and the arts. This enabled women to gain a level of intellectual training that they had previously been denied throughout history. It allowed women to demonstrate that they were capable/ more than capable of meeting the same academic standard as men, helping to challenge the continous assumptions about women's intellectual inferiority.

Until 1892 women were not admitted to [[Scottish universities]], and the LLA was the nearest qualification to a degree which was open to women in the country, although the [[University of Edinburgh]] offered certificates recognising achievement in classes organised by the [[Edinburgh Association for the University Education of Women]], and in [[Glasgow]], [[Queen Margaret College (Glasgow)|Queen Margaret College]] was offering a university-equivalent education and awards. To obtain an LLA candidates had to pass examinations at a university-approved centre, which might be in Scotland or outwith the country.

However despite these opportunities that the LLA granted it also highlighted the limitations placed on women. While it allowed women to study and gain qualifications, it did not grant them full membership in the university. Women could not attend lectures in the same way as male students, participate fully in academic life, or receive an official degree tittle that was equivalent to a mans. As a result, the LLA functioned as a "degree in all but name," reinforcing both progress and inequality at the same time.

Formally established as the Lady Literate in Arts - LLA - by 1877,{{cite web |title=University of St Andrews LLA |url=https://museumblog.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/2020/06/24/ladies-of-learning-a-brief-history-of-the-lady-literate-in-arts-diploma/ |publisher=University of St Andrews |access-date=11 April 2022 |quote=To walk upon the grass : the impact of the University of St Andrews' Lady Literate in Arts, 1877-1892}} even after 1892, the course continued to be popular with women who wanted to study for an [[arts degree]] without needing to attend one particular institution for three or four years. Thousands of women received an LLA before it was discontinued in the 1930s.

[[File:William Angus Knight (1836–1916) painting.jpg|thumb|'''William Angus Knight (1836–1916) L.L.A. "creator"''']]

The creation/ development of the LLA was driven in large part by [[William Angus Knight]] (1836–1916), a Professor of [[Moral Philosophy]] at St Andrews between the years 1876 and 1903, he was a advocate of [[female education]] and the main force behind the university's introduction of the LLA diploma. He worked to ensure that the examinations matched the standard of the male M.A., even going as far as arranging for identical exam papers in certain subjects. His efforts were supported by other reform-minded academics, but of course they also faced resistance from more conservative elements within society and the university.{{Cite journal |last=MARGARET SMITH |first=ELIZABETH |date=June 2014 |title=To walk upon the grass : the impact of the University of St Andrews' Lady Literate in Arts, 1877-1892 |url=https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/handle/10023/5570 |journal=Thesis, PhD Doctor of Philosophy |pages=30-35}}

There were significant social and institutional pushback against women's higher education during this period beyond even just the Scotland area. Many members of the [[clergy]] and those of medical profession argued that academic study would damage women's health or distract them from their [[Women's rights|"natural" roles]] in the home such as cooking, cleaning, or taking care of children. Even within universities, there was some reluctance to grant full equality, which is why the LLA. existed as a separate qualification rather than immediate admission to degree programs, like a trial for what was to come. Some critics viewed the LLA as a "scheme", unnecessary or even "mischievous", which reflected broader anxieties about the ongoing changing gender roles.{{Cite journal |last=MARGARET SMITH |first=ELIZABETH |date=June 2014 |title=To walk upon the grass : the impact of the University of St Andrews' Lady Literate in Arts, 1877-1892 |url=https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/handle/10023/5570 |journal=Thesis, PhD Doctor of Philosophy |pages=12-20}}

[[William Angus Knight]] (1836–1916), Professor of [[Moral Philosophy]] at St Andrews between 1876 and 1903, was a supporter of [[female education]] and the main force behind the university's introduction of the LLA diploma.

There were also academic and practical barriers that women still faced despite the LLA. Although the qualification was accessible, it required a high level of self-discipline, as many women studied independently without the basic support systems that were available to their male counterparts. Access to resources such as libraries, tutors, and formal instruction could have been limited during the time, particularly for those studying outside major cities, additionally, the candidates needed to arrange supervision for their examinations, which could be difficult depending on their location and social connections.{{Cite journal |last=MARGARET SMITH |first=ELIZABETH |date=June 2014 |title=TO WALK UPON THE GRASS: THE IMPACT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWS' LADY LITERATE IN ARTS, 1877-1892 |url=https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/handle/10023/5570 |journal=DEGREE OF PHD AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWS |pages=60-85}}

Even after women were admitted to universities in 1892, the LLA continued to be popular particularly among those who could not commit to full-time or residential study. Thousands of women received an LLA before it was then discontinued in the 1930s, by which time you could say it had fulfilled its purpose.{{Cite journal |last=MARGARET SMITH |first=ELISABETH |date=June 2014 |title=TO WALK UPON THE GRASS: THE IMPACT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ANDREWS' LADY LITERATE IN ARTS, 1877-1892 |url=https://research-repository.st-andrews.ac.uk/handle/10023/5570 |journal=DEGREE OF PHD AT UNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWS |pages=1-3,200-210}}

==Notable literate ladies==

==Notable literate ladies==

==References==

==References==

{{Reflist}}

{{Reflist}}

* {{cite book |first=Susan |last=Sellers |chapter=Mischievous to the Public Interest: The Lady Literate in Arts Diploma and the Admission of Women to the University of St Andrews |title=Launch-Site for English Studies: Three Centuries of Literary Studies at the University of St Andrews |year=1997 |editor-first=Robert |editor-last=Crawford |publisher=Verse |location=St Andrews |isbn=1-872612-10-5 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/launchsiteforeng0000unse/page/106/mode/2up |chapter-url-access=registration |pages=107–123}}

:* Smith, Elisabeth Margaret. 2014.To walk upon the grass: The impact of the University of St Andrews Lady Literate in Arts, 1877-1892. University of St Andrews. Accessed via St Andrews Research Repository.http://hdl.handle.net/10023/5570

* {{cite magazine |first=R. N. |last=Smart |title=Literate Ladies: a Fifty-Year Experiment |magazine=St Andrews University Alumnus Chronicle |year=1968 |volume=59}}

:* Taylor,Heather.2018. "A history of women in St.Andrews: The lady Literate in Arts scheme". Museum of the University of St Andrews Blog April 12,2018.{{Cite web |last=mbmusablog|date=2018-04-12|title=A history of women in St Andrews: the Lady Literate in Arts scheme|url=https://museumoftheuniversityofstandrews.wordpress.com/2018/04/12/a-history-of-women-in-st-andrews-the-lady-literate-in-arts-scheme/|access-date=2026-03-02|website=Museum Collections Blog|language=en}}

:* {{cite book |first=Susan |last=Sellers |chapter=Mischievous to the Public Interest: The Lady Literate in Arts Diploma and the Admission of Women to the University of St Andrews |title=Launch-Site for English Studies: Three Centuries of Literary Studies at the University of St Andrews |year=1997 |editor-first=Robert |editor-last=Crawford |publisher=Verse |location=St Andrews |isbn=1-872612-10-5 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/launchsiteforeng0000unse/page/106/mode/2up |chapter-url-access=registration |pages=107–123}}

:* {{cite magazine |first=R. N. |last=Smart |title=Literate Ladies: a Fifty-Year Experiment |magazine=St Andrews University Alumnus Chronicle |year=1968 |volume=59}}

==External links==

==External links==

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20061008081014/http://specialcollections.st-and.ac.uk/faq.htm Lady Literate in Arts]

*[https://web.archive.org/web/20061008081014/http://specialcollections.st-and.ac.uk/faq.htm Lady Literate in Arts]

*[https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~www_spa/history/mp.html William Knight]

*[https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~www_spa/history/mp.html William Knight]

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{{University of St Andrews}}

{{University of St Andrews}}