What Is an Honorary Degree?
Honorary degrees are academic awards given by universities to individuals to recognize their exceptional contributions to society or lifetime achievement in their field. Recipients of honorary degrees do not have to meet any of the typical requirements for a doctorate, such as passing examinations or completing a thesis. Honorary degrees can be conferred on people from all walks of life. For example, Harvard University has awarded over 2,300 honorary degrees since its establishment in 1692. Since 1892, Temple University has awarded over 900 honorary degrees. Are honorary degrees worth anything? Like the title implies, honorary degrees are awarded to honor an individual; they hold no real-world value beyond this.
What Is the Purpose of an Honorary Degree?
People often ask whether an honorary degree is a real degree, are honorary degrees valid, do honorary degrees count, do honorary degrees mean anything, what is the purpose of an honorary degree, and what can be done with an honorary degree? In the sense that an honorary degree is awarded by an accredited college or university, it is a real degree. However, these degrees are not equivalent to a Ph.D., doctorate in education, clinical research, or any other area, nor are most of them honorary Ph.D.s.
There are no academic or professional privileges associated with honorary degrees. Individuals can be called ´Doctor´ by others but should not use the title when talking about themselves, nor should it be used in written communications, including business cards. However, the degree abbreviation can be used after the recipient´s name. Recipients can also note on their résumés that they have been awarded the degree, but they should put the words ´honoris causa´ or ´honorary´ after the degree to show that the degree has not been earned through successful completion of an academic program.
What Is an Honorary Doctorate?
Each school determines the types of honorary degrees it will confer, but often they are honorary doctorates. Here is a list of some of the more common honorary doctorate degrees:
• Doctor of Arts (D.A.)
• Doctor of Education (D.Ed.)
• Doctor of Fine Arts (D.F.A.)
• Doctor of Humane Letters or Doctor of Letters (L.H.D. or sometimes D.H.L degree)
• Doctor of Public Service (D.P.S.)
• Doctor of Science (D.S.)
How Are Honorary Degree Recipients Chosen?
No doubt, many people are curious to know how to get an honorary degree. Schools that award honorary degrees engage in a selection process to identify those individuals who, in their opinion, have made significant contributions to society or a specific field. The selection committees may have rules regarding whether candidates can be contributors to the school, are running for public office, have high ethical standards, or possess any of the other criteria the school has established. It is not usually a requirement that the recipient is a graduate of the school conferring the honorary degree, though. Also, not all schools confer honorary degrees. For example, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT),Stanford University, and the University of Virginia do not offer honorary degrees.
Who Has Received an Honorary Degree?
Some of the more recent and well-known recipients of honorary degrees include Steven Spielberg (Harvard 2016),Chris Matthews (Temple 2011),Tony Bennett (Fordham 2012),Rivka Carmi (Brandeis 2019),and James A. Baker, III (Yale 2019). Notable names from the past include many of the founding fathers of the United States. George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin received honorary degrees from Harvard University. General Omar Bradley, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Frank Lloyd Wright are a few recipients of honorary degrees from Temple University.
An uncommon honorary doctorate degree was awarded to Kermit the Frog in 1986. Southhampton College in New York conferred the degree. Kermit was recognized with an honorary doctorate of amphibious letters.
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FAQs
In awarding Honorary Degrees, the University accomplishes several purposes: It pays tribute to those whose life and work exemplify professional, intellectual, or artistic achievement. It recognizes and appreciates those who have made significant contributions to society, the state, and the University.
What are the benefits of an honorary degree? ›
Honorary degrees are a form of recognition for people who have made significant contributions to society or their profession. It also allows you to share your achievements with others, which can help encourage future success.
Is an honorary degree a real degree? ›
The term honorary degree is a slight misnomer: honoris causa degrees are not considered of the same standing as substantive degrees earned by the standard academic processes of courses and original research, except perhaps where the recipient has demonstrated an appropriate level of academic scholarship that would ...
Can you call yourself Dr. with an honorary doctorate? ›
Recipients of an honorary doctorate do not normally adopt the title of “doctor.” In many countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and the United States, it is not usual for an honorary doctor to use the formal title of “doctor,” regardless of the background circ*mstances for the award.
What does it mean for a university to award an honorary degree? ›
The awarding of an honorary degree is recognition of a person whose life and achievements serve as examples of the University's aspirations for its students. It should be offered well before the end of a career, while the accomplishments are recent and the activities worthy of highest commendations.
Do honorary degrees have any value? ›
Having an honorary degree doesn't grant you any certain privileges professionally, but it can provide you with prestige and additional recognition. Typically, it grants you the following: Having formal recognition as a person with a high honor. Using the title "doctor" after stating your name.
What are the rules for an honorary degree? ›
Criteria for an honorary doctorate degree
- The recipient isn't a staff member or appointed or elected government official. ...
- The recipient accepts the degree without receiving payment. ...
- The recipient may not have conflicts of interest with the university. ...
- The recipient has a strong reputation in their field.
Levine, former president of the Teachers College at Columbia University told The New York Times in 1999, "Sometimes they are used to reward donors who have given money; sometimes they are used to draw celebrities to make the graduation special." Levine approved of honorary degrees, seeing them as teaching opportunities ...
How hard is it to get an honorary degree? ›
Achieving an honorary doctorate is not an easy feat. It requires a significant amount of dedication, hard work, and achievement in a specific field or contribution to society.
Who has the most honorary degrees? ›
Ted Hesburgh, CSC, president of the University of Notre Dame from 1953–1988, had 150 honorary doctorates in his lifetime, and is still listed in many resources as having the record. Tenzin Gyatso (14th Dalai Lama), Elie Wiesel, David Attenborough, Maya Angelou, and Charles Malik also have dozens to their name.
A directive baked into California's Medical Practice Act makes it a crime for any healthcare professional other than licensed physicians or surgeons to call themselves “doctor” or put “Dr.” on signs, business cards, or letterhead, or in ads. Anyone caught violating this prohibition faces fines and loss of license.
Do people with honorary doctorates use the title? ›
Honorary degree recipients are properly addressed as “doctor” in correspondence from the university that awarded the honorary degree and in conversation on that campus. But honorary degree recipients should not refer to themselves as “doctor,” nor should they use the title on business cards or in correspondence.
Is Taylor Swift a doctor? ›
Even though the highly decorated singer and songwriter never received her college diploma, New York University honored her with a doctorate in fine arts just last year. Chloe Appleby is an associate writer for BestColleges.
What are the benefits of honorary doctorate degree? ›
Recognition: An honorary doctorate is a recognition of one's accomplishments and contributions to a particular field or society as a whole. It can be a great honor and provide a sense of validation for one's work. 2. Flexibility: Pursuing an honorary doctorate provides flexibility in terms of time and location.
What is the difference between a PhD and a doctorate? ›
A PhD is an academic degree focused on original research, data analysis, and the evaluation of theory. A professional doctorate focuses on applying research to practical problems, formulating solutions to complex issues, and designing effective professional practices within your field.
Why is a doctorate given to actors? ›
By conferring upon him the honorary doctorate degree, the university acknowledges his stellar achievements in the film industry and his unwavering commitment to social service, inspiring countless individuals to pursue their dreams while making a positive impact on society.”
What is the purpose of honorary membership? ›
An honorary title or membership of a group is given to someone without their needing to have the necessary qualifications, usually because of their public achievements.
What is the highest honorary degree? ›
The honorary doctorate degree is a standard means by which universities recognize distinguished performance. The honorary doctorate is routinely regarded as the highest form of recognition a university can bestow. Typically, recipients will participate in the commencement ceremony where the degree will be conferred.
Can you teach with an honorary doctorate? ›
In other words, don't expect the honorary doctorate to qualify you for an academic position. Quite a few profs in writing programs have no degree beyond the MFA. I imagine that if Steven Spielberg wanted to spend some time teaching, film schools would line up to have him, even if he has only a bachelor's degree.
