Honorary
Degrees
AICCS Policy Guidelines for Honorary Degrees
In response to inquiries from AICCS member schools, here are some general guidelines for conferring honorary degrees.
Unlike the earned degree, which results from taking classes and examinations and/or writing term papers or dissertations for a predetermined number of undergraduate or graduate credits, the honorary degree is given to deserving individuals “for cause.” (Latin: ”honoris causa.”) Most honorary degrees presented are on the doctoral level, although in some instances, honorary bachelor’s degrees or master’s degrees have been conferred.
The custom is for the college or seminary to award the honorary degrees during the regular graduation ceremony. The recipient of the honorary degree often serves as a speaker during the commencement exercises.
To be legitimate, the honorary degree should be authorized officially by the school’s Board of Regents, with the approval and endorsement of the administration and faculty. The honorary degree should not be “for sale” . . . advertised and sold solely based on a sizeable “donation” to the school. Such a practice is not approved by AICCS because we want to guard the honor and integrity of our member schools . . . shunning all shady practices of “diploma mills.”
The “causes” for conferring honorary degrees typically fall into five major categories:
Distinguished Service
To honor a person for long and distinguished service as a Christian minister . . . pastor, missionary, chaplain, counselor. The most common degree conferred for this cause is Doctor of Divinity. (Some colleges and seminaries offer the D.D. as an earned degree, but AICCS discourages this practice, which leads to confusion between earned and honorary degrees.)
Outstanding Bible Scholar
To honor an outstanding Bible scholar, Christian teacher, seminary professor, or academic dean. The most usual honorary degree conferred for this cause is Doctor of Sacred Theology. This degree (D.S.T.) should not to be compared to or confused with the earned Doctor of Theology (Th.D.) degree.
Outstanding Writer
To honor persons who are authors of significant books in the Christian field or writers of a series of published biblical studies, devotional articles, or discipleship workbooks within the area of church leadership or personal spiritual growth. The most common honorary degree conferred upon outstanding writers is Doctor of Literature (Litt.D.)
Noted Service to Mankind
To honor persons noted for their service to mankind through their over-and-above sacrificial involvement in church or community outreach projects or to praise persons for their generosity and philanthropy to worthy Christian causes. (Large donors to a school’s building campaign or scholarship fund are often thanked publically by presenting them with honorary degrees.) The Doctor of Humanities (L.H.D.) is the most common degree offered in this category.
Celebrities
A fifth category of honorary degrees are those presented to celebrities, such as politicians, athletes, actors, musicians, etc. Obviously, the “cause” for conferring honors on these persons is to focus public attention on the school, in hopes of augmenting its reputation and prestige . . . thus attracting more new students and potential donors. (Great caution should be exercised in conferring such honorary degrees, realizing that a celebrity’s relationship to a Christian school may become a liability rather than an asset.) There is no specific honorary degree title for this category. Some schools have used great creativity in manufacturing honorary degrees for a visiting celebrity. For example, Northwestern University gave Charlie McCarthy (ventriloquist Edgar Bergan’s dummy) the “Master of Innuendo” degree in 1938.