Academic Degree

An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived

all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrase "Honoris Causa" ("for the sake of the honour") and honorem ("to the honor").

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Academic Degree

An honorary degree is an academic degree often conferred

as a way of honoring a distinguished visitor's contributions to

a specific field or to society in general.

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Honored With Distinction

The honorary degree is one of the highest distinctions the university bestows upon an individual. Awarding them is

a long-standing tradition. Honorary degree recipients are

an inspiration.

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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.

 

Presidents That Have Received Recognition

Sixteen presidents of the United States have received honorary degrees from Harvard, some before they became president. They are George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, Theodore Roosevelt, Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and George Herbert Walker Bush. 

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Criteria for Selecting Honorary Degree Recipients

On recommendation of the Honors and Awards Committee and the President, the Board of Regents may vote to confer honorary degrees on distinguished individuals. The Board should award an honorary degree only in recognition of extraordinary and lasting distinction. The award should represent the highest intellectual and moral values; it should reflect the very character and quality of the University itself.

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Career Achievements

The awarding of an honorary degree is the 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.

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