diff --git a/lib/helpers/schema/getIndexes.js b/lib/helpers/schema/getIndexes.js
index 899d309b5ed..877156a2878 100644
--- a/lib/helpers/schema/getIndexes.js
+++ b/lib/helpers/schema/getIndexes.js
@@ -36,7 +36,8 @@ module.exports = function getIndexes(schema) {
 
       if (path.$isMongooseDocumentArray || path.$isSingleNested) {
         if (get(path, 'options.excludeIndexes') !== true &&
-            get(path, 'schemaOptions.excludeIndexes') !== true) {
+            get(path, 'schemaOptions.excludeIndexes') !== true &&
+            get(path, 'schema.options.excludeIndexes') !== true) {
           collectIndexes(path.schema, prefix + key + '.');
         }
 
diff --git a/lib/options/SchemaDocumentArrayOptions.js b/lib/options/SchemaDocumentArrayOptions.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..0a17a87e5e4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/options/SchemaDocumentArrayOptions.js
@@ -0,0 +1,48 @@
+'use strict';
+
+const SchemaTypeOptions = require('./SchemaTypeOptions');
+
+/**
+ * The options defined on an Document Array schematype.
+ *
+ * ####Example:
+ *
+ *     const schema = new Schema({ users: [{ name: string }] });
+ *     schema.path('users').options; // SchemaDocumentArrayOptions instance
+ *
+ * @api public
+ * @inherits SchemaTypeOptions
+ * @constructor SchemaDocumentOptions
+ */
+
+class SchemaDocumentArrayOptions extends SchemaTypeOptions {}
+
+const opts = require('./propertyOptions');
+
+/**
+ * If `true`, Mongoose will skip building any indexes defined in this array's schema.
+ * If not set, Mongoose will build all indexes defined in this array's schema.
+ * 
+ * ####Example:
+ * 
+ *     const childSchema = Schema({ name: { type: String, index: true } });
+ *     // If `excludeIndexes` is `true`, Mongoose will skip building an index
+ *     // on `arr.name`. Otherwise, Mongoose will build an index on `arr.name`.
+ *     const parentSchema = Schema({
+ *       arr: { type: [childSchema], excludeIndexes: true }
+ *     });
+ *
+ * @api public
+ * @property excludeIndexes
+ * @memberOf SchemaDocumentArrayOptions
+ * @type Array
+ * @instance
+ */
+
+Object.defineProperty(SchemaDocumentArrayOptions.prototype, 'excludeIndexes', opts);
+
+/*!
+ * ignore
+ */
+
+module.exports = SchemaArrayOptions;
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/lib/schema.js b/lib/schema.js
index 2cbfe7da9b7..1aac5594522 100644
--- a/lib/schema.js
+++ b/lib/schema.js
@@ -72,6 +72,9 @@ let id = 0;
  * - [timestamps](/docs/guide.html#timestamps): object or boolean - defaults to `false`. If true, Mongoose adds `createdAt` and `updatedAt` properties to your schema and manages those properties for you.
  * - [storeSubdocValidationError](/docs/guide.html#storeSubdocValidationError): boolean - Defaults to true. If false, Mongoose will wrap validation errors in single nested document subpaths into a single validation error on the single nested subdoc's path.
  *
+ * ####Options for Nested Schemas:
+ * - `excludeIndexes`: bool - defaults to `false`. If `true`, skip building indexes on this schema's paths.
+ *
  * ####Note:
  *
  * _When nesting schemas, (`children` in the example above), always declare the child schema first before passing it into its parent._