Call me Doctor: what you really get when you buy an honorary doctorate

Minutes of a meeting you will never be invited to

A real honorary doctorate is decided long before the person being honoured hears a word.⁠​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌⁠

These minutes are illustrative: the committee and meeting are invented. Each item paraphrases a published rule of the university marked beside it (see Sources), and the sections after them are named after parts of the minutes.⁠​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌⁠

Now look for the line where the candidate pays.⁠​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌⁠

There isn't one. The only money in these minutes either buys nothing (item 3) or flows towards the recipient (item 5).⁠​‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌⁠

Some universities never hold the meeting at all. MIT's news office describes a tradition of awarding no honorary degrees, going back to a founder who dismissed them as "literary almsgiving".

Matters arising: so, can I buy an honorary doctorate?

From a real university, no. Someone else has to nominate you, and Boise State's rule is plain that money does not earn one.

What is on sale is something else: a certificate from an organisation that calls its product an honorary doctorate.

The twist: even the real one is not a qualification

A genuine honorary degree, or doctorate honoris causa ("for the sake of honour"), recognises what someone has given to a field or a community. It does not certify study.

The University of Southern Queensland calls its honorary awards "purely titular", carrying "no formal academic qualification". Boise State says its honorary doctorate is "unrelated to the academic doctoral programs" it runs.

York's rules add that an honorary degree gives no entitlement "to practise any profession".

So the whole value lies in a real university choosing you and saying why, in public. An honorary doctorate for sale is an honour with the honouring taken out.

Where selling the title becomes a crime

In England, Wales and Scotland, section 214 of the Education Reform Act 1988 covers awards that could reasonably be taken as coming from a UK institution, and that are called degrees, or claim to give the title of bachelor, master or doctor and could pass for one.

Granting or advertising one in the course of business is an offence, unless a body with the legal power to award degrees stands behind it. The law bites on the seller, and an award presented as foreign may fall outside it, which is why the checks below matter.

Standing orders: when a real honorary doctor may say "Dr"

Even a real honorary doctor works under standing orders, and each university writes its own:

• Leeds Beckett University, UK: approved letters such as Hon D Litt, but not the title Doctor unless another qualification gives it.
• University of Southern Queensland, Australia: "Dr" only in dealings with the University or at its events, not in the wider community.

A bought one has no standing orders at all: no university stands behind it to write them.

Resolved: how a real one is written, and what to look for in someone else's. Boise State's rule explains why: because its honorary doctorate is unrelated to its doctoral programmes, it must be "distinguishable in title from all degrees earned".

• Marked as honorary: Hon, h.c. or honoris causa.
• Under honours on a CV, not education.
• Never offered where a job or a licence asks for a doctorate.

Checking someone else's title? Many universities publish their honorary graduates: Cambridge, for one, lists its honorands year by year. If the name is missing, ask the university's registry or governance office.

Correspondence received: decoding an "honorary doctorate for sale" email

Hold a typical offer, invented for illustration, up against the minutes:

"Dear Distinguished Leader, the Board has shortlisted you for a Doctorate honoris causa. To confirm, please remit the conferment and gown fee within seven days. Your diploma will be posted to you after our online ceremony."

Almost every phrase breaks a minute:

The pattern to walk away from is news that you have been nominated or shortlisted, followed by something you must do to move it along: pay, register or send documents.

Two checks the minutes cannot make for you:

• Is the sender's address the university's own? The verification trap check shows whether a web address or email really belongs to a university.
• Is the awarding body on its country's official list? Check GOV.UK for UK bodies, DAPIP for US institutions or Australia's register, listed in our guide for job seekers. Then search the government warning lists.

The message scanner picks out the sales phrases. If the offer names a real university, ask that university, using contact details from its own website:

"I have received an email offering me an honorary doctorate from your university, subject to a fee. Can you tell me whether it came from you?"

Send the sender nothing, least of all ID or card details.

Already paid? Keep the evidence and ask your bank whether the payment can be disputed. Then report it: to Report Fraud in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (as nidirect's guide explains), Police Scotland in Scotland or ReportFraud.ftc.gov in the US.

If you have been using the title, take "Dr" and the letters off your CV, profiles and signature today. If an employer or client was told, read what that can cost and our guide for job seekers.

Action points: letters you can earn

Usually the pull is recognition for serious work. There are real routes to it, and none goes through a seller.

• A professional doctorate, such as a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) or Doctor of Education (EdD). The UK's Quality Assurance Agency says these are frequently "the doctoral degree of choice for mid-career professionals". They are not lighter: they "situate professional knowledge developed over time in a theoretical academic framework", and you are still assessed on research, a thesis or portfolio, and usually a viva, often part-time alongside work.
• A PhD by published work, if you have already published research. You still write a commentary and defend it in a viva, and some universities offer it only to their own graduates or staff, so check eligibility first.

Outside universities, your professional body may offer fellowship or chartered status for assessed experience. The Engineering Council's "individual route", for example, lets you show the required knowledge without an accredited degree.

If the offer was for a "PhD", read who finds out about a bought PhD.

Our admissions service can help you apply to an accredited university; the university alone decides who it admits.

One action point is yours alone. If the university is in the UK, check it on GOV.UK. Then open its professional doctorate page and look for three things: whether you need a master's degree, how much experience it expects, and whether you can study part-time. Unlike the honorary degrees committee, that is a committee you can apply to.

Sources

• Leeds Beckett University: Honorary Awards Committee: nominations and confidentiality
• Leeds Beckett University: Honorary Awards Nomination Policy: annual meeting, no conferment in absentia, use of the title
• University of York: Policy on non-academic honorary degrees and fellowships: criteria, confidentiality, due diligence, approval
• Boise State University: Honorary Doctoral Degrees (Policy 4120): no award for money, a title distinct from earned degrees, the President's invitation, in person except in serious illness
• Bowling Green State University: Honorary Degrees, Preparation Guidelines: travel, accommodation and regalia
• MIT News: No honorary degrees is an MIT tradition
• University of Southern Queensland: Honorary Award and Title Procedure: purely titular, use of "Dr"
• University of Cambridge: Selected Honorands: with its list of honorands by year
• QAA: Characteristics Statement, Doctoral Degrees
• Education Reform Act 1988, section 214: unrecognised degrees
• GOV.UK: Check if your university or college can award a degree
• US Department of Education: DAPIP
• Report Fraud: England, Wales and Northern Ireland
• nidirect: Reporting a scam: Report Fraud covers Northern Ireland
• GOV.UK: Report internet scams and phishing: Report Fraud; Police Scotland
• Engineering Council: FAQs, academic qualifications: the individual route
• Police Scotland: Contact us
• ReportFraud.ftc.gov

Also worth reading

• How long does a PhD really take? Why "6 months" is a red flag
• Every type of degree on one page, and the ones that aren't real

#HonoraryDoctorate #DiplomaMills #FakeDegrees #AcademicTitles