List of women who obtained doctoral degrees before 1800

Although doctoral degrees appeared in the universities of West Europe in the 12th and 13th centuries, for a long time they were given only to men. Below is a list of the women who obtained doctoral degrees before 1800. The list includes only academic degrees, not Doctors of Divinity.^{[clarification needed]}

Constance Calenda (fl. 1415) may have received a medical degree from the University of Naples.^[1] Juliana Morell "defended theses" in 1606 or 1607, although claims that she received a doctorate in canon law in 1608 have been discredited.^[2] The putative 13th-century instance of Bettisia Gozzadini at the University of Bologna is discounted by Holt N. Parker.^[3]

Person	Year	University	Degree
Elena Cornaro Piscopia	1678	University of Padua	Doctor of Philosophy
Laura Bassi	1732	University of Bologna	Doctor of Philosophy
Cristina Roccati	1750	University of Bologna	Doctor of Philosophy
Dorothea Erxleben	1754	University of Halle	Doctor of Medicine
Maria Pellegrina Amoretti	1777	University of Pavia	Doctor of Laws
María Pascuala Caro Sureda	1779	University of Valencia	Doctor of Philosophy
María Isidra de Guzmán y de la Cerda	1785	Complutense University of Madrid	Doctor of Philosophy
Dorothea von Rodde-Schlözer	1787	University of Göttingen	Doctor of Philosophy
Maria Dalle Donne	1799	University of Bologna	Doctor of Medicine

References

^ Whaley, L. (2011). Women and the Practice of Medical Care in Early Modern Europe, 1400-1800. Springer. p. 15. ISBN 978-0230295179. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
^ Morley, S. Griswold (January 1941). "Juliana Morell: Problems". Hispanic Review. 9 (1): 137–150. doi:10.2307/469691. JSTOR 469691.; Morley, S. Griswold (July 1941). "Juliana Morell: Postscript". Hispanic Review. 9 (3): 399–402. doi:10.2307/469606. ISSN 0018-2176. JSTOR 469606.
^ Morata, Olympia (2007). Parker, Holt N. (ed.). The Complete Writings of an Italian Heretic. The Other Voice in Early Modern Europe. Vol. 52. University of Chicago Press. p. 30, fn.155. ISBN 978-0226536712. Retrieved 6 June 2019.

Cavazza, Marta (1997), "Minerva e Pigmalione. Carriere femminili nell'Italia del Settecento", The Italianist, 17 (1): 5–17, doi:10.1179/ita.1997.17.1.5 (complete list for 18th century)