Painting is one of the oldest artistic disciplines and is an excellent course of study for those who aspire to be artists. Students who pursue one of these programs may learn who to improve their technique for creating portraits, still lifes, landscapes, or modern works of art.

The PhD is a doctoral degree, specifically called a "doctor of philosophy" degree. This is misleading because PhD holders are not necessarily philosophers (unless they earned their degree in philosophy!). That said, PhD recipients are able to engage in thought experiments, reason about problems, and solve problems in sophisticated ways.