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Honorary doctorates are awarded by universities to individuals who have made significant contributions in a particular field or have provided support to the school. It is not based on academic achievement and does not require formal study at the awarding institution. Recipients may include public figures, artists, and donors, and the degree may confer status and strengthen the association between the recipient and the school. The selection of recipients is based on alignment with the school’s mission and may be used to recognize key supporters.
A university will typically award an honorary doctorate to someone who has made outstanding contributions in a field important to that particular school or as a thank you for assistance and support. This type of degree is not awarded on the basis of scholastic results and does not indicate that the recipient has formally studied at the school that awards the honorary doctorate. Public figures, artists and major donors are often honored with this type of diploma. Anyone wishing to receive an honorary doctorate must work towards achieving greatness in a specific field or strive to become a staunch supporter of a school.
The precise meaning of an honorary doctorate varies somewhat from recipient to recipient. In many cases, these degrees are marks of respect, but not markers of scholastic achievement. Some recipients, however, are honored with this type of degree as a result of specific academic or scientific work they have undertaken and completed. A great poet, for example, might receive an honorary doctorate in literature, understanding that this degree was a true marker of intellectual achievement.
An honorary doctorate is issued to confer status on a recipient and strengthen the association between a specific school and the public figure who receives the honorary degree. Distinguished public figures with histories of community service often receive this type of diploma. Celebrities are also commonly honored with this type of degree, and in turn agree to link their names to the award-winning university or to speak at one or more events on campus, as an induction, to increase the university’s prestige. .
Schools that offer honorary doctorates for achievement or association building often select public figures whose work and accomplishments align with the award-winning school’s academic and social mission statements. A music school, for example, is much more likely to award a degree to a great blues artist than to a prominent microbiologist. A famous law school, on the other hand, is less apt to honor a blues musician than a renowned jurist.
Universities also use honorary degrees to recognize and reward key supporters. The award of an honorary doctorate is one of the ways in which a school can recognize assistance provided by a generous benefactor or strong legislative supporter of the school’s endowment or mission. When awarding this type of degree, the school usually tries to select an award appropriate to the specific field of endeavor in which a given benefactor has achieved greatness, but a perfect match is not always possible. Generous contributions and support for a specific school does not guarantee this award, but it does make it much more likely.
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