The Meaning of an Honorary Doctorate Degree
Some colleges and universities issue Honorary Doctorate degrees. The recipient of an honorary degree has not necessarily completed a doctoral program with the school. The degree is used to recognize significant contributions to the subjects that relate to the degree conferred. They are generally conferred on people in the latter stages of their careers as recognition of their accomplishments and contributions.
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Degrees
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Generally, Honorary Doctorate degrees are awarded in areas that are not related to degrees offered at the school. This is to distinguish an Honorary Doctorate from other doctorate (Ph.D.) programs. For example, some schools offer Honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) for significant contributions to government or public service. Other Honorary Doctorates are for Humane Letters (L.H.D.) for contributions to humanities or human welfare, Letters (Litt.D) for contributions to literature or performing arts and Science (Sc.D.) for contributions to sciences.
Selection
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Candidates for Honorary Doctorates are typically nominated by the faculty to a selection committee. The selection committee then reviews the nominee's contributions to the designated category. This may include an interview. Once the review is completed the committee votes on the nominees. Depending upon the structure of the school, this may be the final decision, or another vote could be submitted to the faculty for final determination.
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Recipients
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According to criteria from schools like Texas A&M and Boise State Universities, recipients cannot be current students, faculty, employees or a government official in a position that could influence the welfare of the school. The degrees are also not given for monetary contributions to the schools.
Eligibility
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Schools have different criteria for recipients of Honorary Doctorate degrees. Some schools only issue honorary degrees to people who have made significant contributions in scholarly work. Other schools have broader standards and include actors, writers and diplomats as possible recipients.
Controversy
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Honorary Doctorate degrees have stirred up controversy on some campuses. In some situations, the faculty or student body may disagree with the selection based on political reasons. In some other instances, Honorary Doctorate degrees have been used to entice speakers to come to the school to speak. If a school can entice high-profile speakers with such degrees, the thought is that it will improve the school's reputation. But some opponents of this idea think this practice detracts from the celebration of the school's recent graduates, according to InsideHigherEd.com.
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References
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