They are many reasons why honorary degrees are a joke-but for the purposes of this post, I will just discuss top 3 reasons why honorary degrees area a joke.
Read on to know top 3 reasons why honorary degrees are a joke.
What exactly is an Honorary Degree?
Let us know what a honorary degree is before we slide into the top 3 reasons why honorary degrees are a joke.
Honorary degrees are academic degrees for which a university waives all traditional prerequisites.
It is also known by the Latin terms honoris causa and ad honorem.
The degree, which is usually a doctorate or a master’s degree, may be awarded to someone who has never been involved with the academic institution.
Or who has never completed any higher education.
This is an example of how to recognize a recipient of this award: Doctor of business administration
The degree is frequently conferred in honor of a prominent visitor’s contributions to a certain field or to society as a whole.
It is sometimes advisable to include these degrees in the awards section of one’s curriculum vitae (CV) rather than the education section.
When it comes to this honorific, institutions of higher education generally request that recipients “refrain from adopting the misleading title”
And limit the use of the title “Dr” before their name to any engagement with the institution of higher education in question rather than within the broader community.
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Top 3 Reasons Why Honorary Degrees Are a Joke
Here are the top 3 reasons why honorary degrees are a joke.
1. It diminishes the efforts of deserving students
One of the other reasons why honorary degrees are a joke is that they are given to people for the purpose of fame.
Such as celebrities who have not completed the preparatory course work or the hard work required to successfully complete the academic programs in which they are enrolled.
Read also: How to Get into Human Resources Without a Degree
2. Honorary degrees are a disservice to people who get them.
I’ve been thinking of getting Justin Timberlake an honorary doctorate in music from Berklee (admittedly, I know very little about music academics, but this is mostly just an example).
Timberlake has clearly made huge contributions to the music industry.
He has obviously worked hard to get to where he is now, and he is a fantastic musician.
I feel he deserves to be recognized for his achievements, but granting him a doctorate is extremely disrespectful to others who worked tirelessly to obtain it.
It also misrepresents his credentials.
3. It is given to people who are wealthy or have accomplished something outside of school
Honorary doctorates are frequently bestowed upon those who have accomplished considerably more than anyone with a doctorate could possibly dream to.
Will HM The Queen’s Doctor of Civil Law degree from Oxford University increase her status?
Is Dr. The Hon. Louis Cha OBE, the best-selling living Chinese author (over 100 million official copies sold on the strength of just 14 traditional Chinese novels).
Co-founder, and first editor-in-chief of a legendary paper.
Going to deceive the public by accepting an honorary Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Cambridge?
It will deceive the general public in some cases.
Even with the aforementioned celebrity instructor, it is difficult to imagine that an ordinary Ph.D. student could have created anything remotely close to what any of these people have.
When Dr. Cha inquired about earning an actual doctorate after receiving his honorary one.
The then-Vice Chancellor of Cambridge reminded him that persons who have been honored have already advanced well beyond that level of success.
And there is no longer any need to obtain an academic degree.
Read also: How to Become a Certified Programmer Without a Degree
The Advantages of Honorary Degrees
Giving out honorary degrees helps universities gain connection and visibility.
By offering these degrees, the university gains free media exposure, which ultimately attracts more students to the institution.
Gifts are taken seriously by universities around the world since they represent an important source of funding.
By bestowing honorary degrees on well-known personalities, the college attracts contributions.
Even though the practice of conferring honorary degrees has been criticized in the past.
Many academic institutions continue to do so.
Why stop when it benefits both colleges and celebrities?
Also There are various benefits to receiving an honorary doctorate.
An honorary degree can be utilized to gain self-esteem and recognition.
Overall, recipients of honorary degrees can put them to use in their jobs.
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