Colleges and universities award honorary degrees to various prominent figures, typically celebrities, politicians, and businesspeople, to establish or maintain relationships with them. Sometimes, it's simply a matter of gaining notoriety or gaining publicity. Most recipients haven't actually done anything to earn them, but they're still considered something of an honor. However, in terms of actual credentials, they don't carry much significance. And some people who have them are quite remarkable.
10. Kermit the Frog and Donald Duck have advanced degrees.
The academic world is known to take itself too seriously at times, so in a way, it's refreshing to see that they can break free and be a little silly, just like the rest of us. That's probably the best way to explain why Kermit the Frog has an honorary degree.
Everyone's favorite Muppet earned an MBA from the Robert H. Smith School of Business in 2015. And that's not his only degree. About ten years earlier, Kermit received an honorary doctorate in amphibian science from Southampton College at Long Island University for his work in environmental conservation. So, Kermit is technically a doctor.
Kermit isn't the only fictional character to have earned a college degree. For many years, the University of Oregon's mascot was a duck. The Oregon Duck was licensed from Disney and more or less resembled Donald Duck, albeit in different attire. The relationship between Disney and the University of Oregon was so close that the university accepted Donald Duck and awarded him an honorary degree from the school.
In 2010, Disney and the university terminated their licensing agreement, and now the duck is simply Duck, not Donald Duck.
9. The Brothers Grimm received several honorary degrees.
The Brothers Grimm are the source of many of our modern fairy tales. In the modern era, they are primarily known for writing darker versions, the existence of which people grew up unaware of, thanks to the sanitized versions from Disney and children's storybooks.
During their lifetime, the Brothers Grimm were quite educated. During their careers, they even worked as librarians and university professors. The brothers received honorary doctorates from the University of Marburg in 1819. Jacob also held degrees from the University of Berlin and the University of Berslau. Although both men are primarily known for writing children's stories, they both attended school to study law.
8. Scotty from Star Trek had an honorary engineering degree.
Most people remember actor James Doohan for his role as Scotty in «Star Trek» . Duhan was born and raised in Canada and served in the Canadian Armed Forces, where he was deployed to Europe during World War II and was at Juno Beach on D-Day.
After the war, he returned to Canada and became seriously interested in acting. By 1966, he had landed the role of naval engineer Montgomery Scott in «Star Trek» . He played the role for three years, and then again in subsequent films with the original cast. All things being equal, his real-life experience in engineering was quite limited.
Due to his status as one of the most famous engineers in fiction, he was awarded an honorary engineering degree from the Milwaukee School of Engineering in recognition of his role in inspiring children to become engineers in real life.
7. Bill Nye has a bachelor's degree, but also at least six honorary degrees.
It's very rare for someone who is a true scientist to become famous in our world. We obviously know some of the most famous scientists in history, like Darwin, Newton, and Einstein, but they aren't really celebrities. In the modern world, only a handful of scientists achieve widespread fame. You could probably name them all on one hand, people like Stephen Hawking and Neil deGrasse Tyson. Along with them, you might also recognize Bill Nye, the Science Guy.
Many kids grew up watching Bill Nye on television and learning about science from him, and it's true that he's a true scientist, with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell. But in addition to his degree, Nye has reportedly been awarded six honorary doctorates over the years from Lehigh University, Willamette University, Quinnipiac University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Goucher College, and Johns Hopkins. In 2015, he also received the seventh-highest ranking in science education from Simon Fraser University.
6. Blondie's drummer received an honorary degree for his long-standing work with the drum project.
Many people study music in college and earn degrees. However, it's rare to hear of someone receiving an honorary degree solely for their drumming skills. But that's exactly what happened to Clem Burke, drummer for Blondie.
Burke was part of a drumming project run by the University of Gloucestershire. The project, designed to study the physical and psychological effects of drumming, aimed to help children considered unhealthy and obese.
A section of the study, known as the Clem Burke Drumming Project, focused on the physiological effects of drumming. It's said that a drummer's heart rate in the middle of a set matches that of a professional athlete at the peak of their game. Drummers expend a tremendous amount of energy and require tremendous endurance to do what they do.
For his contributions to the project, Burke was awarded an honorary doctorate of music.
5. Bill Gates never graduated from college, but he has numerous honorary degrees.
Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, famously never graduated from college. However, due to his enormous success over the years, many schools have made every effort to honor him. Harvard awarded Gates an honorary law degree in 2007. Gates was once a Harvard student but never graduated.
Over the years, he has received several international degrees, including from Nyenrode Business University in the Netherlands in 2000, the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm in 2002, Waseda University in Tokyo in 2005, Tsinghua University of China in 2007, Sweden's Karolinska Institutet in 2007, and the University of Cambridge in 2009. The only other institution in the United States to award him an honorary degree was Northern Arizona University.
4. The mother of a blind law student who helped her daughter get a college degree has received an honorary degree.
Earning a college degree is a daunting task for many people. It involves long hours, a lot of studying, and a lot of stress. Not to mention the cost of education, which many face. Turkish student Berru Merve Kul had to contend with all of these challenges in addition to working on her four-year law degree while being blind.
During these four years, Kul's mother assisted her in her studies, reading her textbooks and lecture notes. When it came time for her to graduate, they made sure her mother wasn't forgotten. The school awarded Kul's mother, Havva, the same degree, albeit honorary, for having performed the same work over the same period.
3. Johns Hopkins awarded a diploma to a service dog
You might be under the impression that one of the requirements for receiving an honorary degree from the school is that you're actually human. This isn't the case. Of course, most honorary degrees are awarded to people, but back in 2015, Johns Hopkins awarded an honorary degree to Kirsch, a service dog. .
Kirsch's owner, Carlos Mora, attended the classes and earned a Master of Science degree in counseling. Because Kirsch attended all the classes with him, the dog was awarded an honorary degree along with his owner. Perhaps it was just a little PR for the school, but the heartwarming story was widely shared online, and it's never a bad thing to get some lighthearted news every now and then.
2. Bob Hope - dozens of honorary degrees
It's hard for people who've never met Bob Hope to appreciate just how famous he was. He wasn't just a comedian; he was a versatile entertainer. He didn't just work in Hollywood; he went out and entertained troops around the world during the war. Congress literally made Hope an honorary veteran, despite the fact that she didn't serve in the armed forces. He was quick-witted, charming, and had a knack for making people laugh. People loved Bob Hope.
Hope's many awards included the Kennedy Center Honors Award in 1985, the Medal of Arts from President Bill Clinton in 1995, and even a British knighthood for a British-born artist in 1998, when he was 95.
For a man so beloved and respected, it's probably no surprise that he was awarded numerous honorary degrees over the years from institutions that wanted to be associated with him. But at some point, it becomes a bit overwhelming, and there's a good chance Hope himself won't be able to keep track of them all. He received over 50 honorary degrees during his lifetime. According to his website, the final tally was 58.
His first was a doctorate in science, which he earned from Illinois in 1958. He earned numerous doctorates and diplomas in the humanities, as well as several in fine arts and law. Others focused on humanitarian service, international relations, public speaking, and even several specialties, such as aviation management and chiropractic.
1. Kanye, Missy Elliott, Taylor Swift, and Justin Timberlake received honorary degrees
In the past, it has been argued that honorary degrees are little more than a publicity stunt for the university. If they choose a popular public figure, especially a celebrity, they might gain some social media influence and perhaps some interest from potential students or donors, should that celebrity be available.
Obviously, every honorary degree is given for a reason, but some of these reasons seem a little more legitimate than others. For example, the sheer number of singers who have received honorary degrees from universities is actually quite astonishing.
Back in 2015, before his career completely derailed, Kanye West received an honorary degree from the Art Institute of Chicago for his artistic abilities.
Taylor Swift, a familiar face to both Kanye West and art, received an honorary doctorate in fine arts from New York University. In her acceptance speech, Swift noted that she never actually attended university and was almost certain she was receiving the award only because she had a song called "22" and was speaking to the class of '22.
In 2019, Justin Timberlake, along with Missy Elliott and Alex Lacamoire, received an honorary degree from the Berklee College of Music in Boston. And, surprisingly, both Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne were awarded "Teacher of the Year" in 2011 by the Better Education Place in Florida, which presented the awards because they felt children learned a lot from learning the rap lyrics of both artists. It's not exactly a degree, but does that make it any more or less legitimate?