# How does a university decide who gets an honorary degree? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 25, 2019, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-university-decide-who-gets-an-honorary-degree/845400 "2019-12-25T13:48:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2019, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-university-decide-who-gets-an-honorary-degree/845400/21 "2019-12-27T19:16:19Z")
Brahms was offered an honorary degree by Cambridge University but could not manage the journey. Eventfully he was informed that Breslau had conferred one on him in _absentia_ . Brahms wrote to thank them, and assumed he had done everything that courtesy required. He was soon disillusioned; Breslau expected a symphony, or least a symphonic poem. Brahms let them go on expecting for a bit but he eventually produced the Academic Festival Overture, which has become a concert hall favourite. ---
**Author:** ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2019, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-university-decide-who-gets-an-honorary-degree/845400/22 "2019-12-28T16:19:14Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > It seems peculiarly English to have a Bachelor degree that is equivalent to a Masters degree, and to call it a Civil Law degree, while restricting eligibility only to students who hold undergraduate common law degrees. (Those with civil law undergraduate degrees take the Magister Juris degree.) The U.S. system of law degrees is equally peculiar. Historically (50+ years ago) the basic law degree was the Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.), which was awarded after a three year course of study following a four year undergraduate bachelor’s degree. At some point, some clever lawyer realized that attorneys in federal (and other government) jobs would get paid better if they had a doctoral degree, rather than just a bachelor’s (or two). As a result, the law schools started issuing Juris Doctor (J.D.) degrees, and would upgrade LL.B. degrees to a J.D. on request. However, there are other post-graduate law degrees. Most common is the Masters of Laws (LL.M.), which, for U.S. lawyers, is typically awarded after a one year course of study (or two years part-time) in a specialized subject, often taxation. This means that most LL.M. master’s degrees are awarded to folks who already have a doctoral degree. (Another common reason to get an LL.M. is that many states will allow foreign lawyers to sit for the bar exam and get admitted as lawyers in that state if they have a U.S. LL.M.) After the LL.M. is the rare Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) degree, which is a research doctorate equivalent to a Ph.D. The Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) is exclusively (as far as I know) awarded as a honorary doctorate. ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2019, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-university-decide-who-gets-an-honorary-degree/845400/23 "2019-12-28T22:51:03Z")
Did Trump University issue any honorary degrees? ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2019, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-university-decide-who-gets-an-honorary-degree/845400/24 "2019-12-29T00:07:14Z")
Trump University wasn’t an accredited university. It conducted three- and five-day seminars (called “retreats”). It didn’t give college credit, degrees, or grades. ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2019, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-university-decide-who-gets-an-honorary-degree/845400/25 "2019-12-29T06:33:36Z")
Unaccredited universities can issue things they call honorary doctorates, as well as all sorts of certificates for ‘life experience learning’. In fact, being unaccredited frees you from having to comply with all this antiquated mumbo-jumbo. All they need to do is provide a clear disclaimer that these are worthless pieces of paper. Here’s one I think is surprisingly candid: \*| Disclaimer | This University is not designed to qualify you for jobs. If it does assist you in getting employment then please let us know because that would be incredible. | Disclaimer | [Viceroy@UniversityofCryptozoology.com](mailto:Viceroy@UniversityofCryptozoology.com) THE UNIVERSITY OF CRYPTOZOOLOGY IS NOT ACCREDITED BY AN ACCREDITING ORGANIZATION RECOGNIZED BY THE UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF EDUCATION Note: In the United States, many licensing authorities require accredited degrees as the basis for eligibility for licensing. In some cases, accredited colleges may not accept for transfer courses and degrees completed at unaccredited colleges, and some employers may require an accredited degree as a basis for eligibility for employment\* Good ol’ TU’s business model seemed more focused on other scams than fake degrees. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2019, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-university-decide-who-gets-an-honorary-degree/845400/26 "2019-12-29T10:01:02Z")
> [@Banksiaman](#): > > Unaccredited universities can issue things they call honorary doctorates, as well as all sorts of certificates for ‘life experience learning’. In fact, being unaccredited frees you from having to comply with all this antiquated mumbo-jumbo. All they need to do is provide a clear disclaimer that these are worthless pieces of paper. > > Here’s one I think is surprisingly candid: > > \*| Disclaimer | This University is not designed to qualify you for jobs. If it does assist you in getting employment then please let us know because that would be incredible. | Disclaimer | [Viceroy@UniversityofCryptozoology.com](mailto:Viceroy@UniversityofCryptozoology.com) > > THE UNIVERSITY OF CRYPTOZOOLOGY IS NOT ACCREDITED BY AN ACCREDITING ORGANIZATION > RECOGNIZED BY THE UNITED STATES SECRETARY OF EDUCATION This candor did not prevent them from granting posthumous honorary degrees to various people vaguely associated with their area of activity, and then claiming them as [alumni](https://www.universityofcryptozoology.com/new-page). It includes names as illustrous as Edgar Allan Poe (whose middle name they misspell) or Jules Verne. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2019, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-university-decide-who-gets-an-honorary-degree/845400/27 "2019-12-29T11:18:23Z")
> [@Banksiaman](#): > > THE UNIVERSITY OF CRYPTOZOOLOGY IS NOT ACCREDITED . I’m surprised they didn’t call themselves the University of Asinophlebotomy. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2019, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-university-decide-who-gets-an-honorary-degree/845400/28 "2019-12-29T12:50:45Z")
Oops, confused myself there. To be pedantic “anoitonomismatomy” might be better for extracting money from a fool. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-a-university-decide-who-gets-an-honorary-degree/845400.md?page=1)