What is an Honorary Doctorate?
An honorary doctorate is a high level academic honorary degree. A university confers honorary degree, or honoris causa, to a recipient and exempts them from the normal requirements for that academic degree. The degree is given to honor the recipient and also benefits the university or degree-giving institution by association. Recipients’ qualifications may range greatly. They can have no relationship to the school, no prior degrees, and no formal higher education, or they can already have substantial substantive education and other honorary or substantive doctorates. An honorary degree usually takes the form of an honorary doctorate but may also be an honorary masters. In most countries, a doctorate is the highest level of academic degrees. An honorary doctorate can be given for a variety of reasons decided upon by the university. The first recipient of an honorary degree on record was issued by Oxford University to Lionel Woodward in the 1470s. The practice became much more common, ho
Honorary doctorates are awarded for substantial contributions made by the recipient to the University of Ottawa, to their profession, or to society at large. An honorary doctorate acknowledges that the recipient deserves to be recognized for their unsurpassed abilities due to life’s learning and experiences. How are recipients chosen? Nominations for honorary doctorates are submitted to the Honorary Degrees Committee. The committee is a standing advisory committee of the Senate. What do recipients receive? Recipients of an honorary doctorate receive a citation, an imposition, and the conferment of a diploma. The citation is the public declaration of the reasons that led the candidate to be presented to the Chancellor for the degree. This declaration is read by a member of Senate. The doctoral insignia, which is called a “patte”, is worn on the left shoulder, over the academic hood. It is of red silk and ermine surmounted by the University coat-of-arms embroidered in metallic thread. Th
Honorary doctorates are special academic distinctions awarded to individuals whose personal and professional achievements over the years have made an invaluable contribution to the University, to their discipline or to society at large. They are presented during convocation ceremonies by the University chancellor, who makes this statement upon conferring the honour: “As Chancellor of the University of Ottawa, by authority of the powers vested in me, I do hereby confer upon you the degree of Doctor of the University, with the title, honour and privileges that are proper to it.” How are recipients chosen? Nominations for honorary doctorates are submitted to the Honorary Degrees Committee, a standing advisory committee of the University Senate. What do recipients receive? Honorary doctors receive a public citation, a special insignia and a parchment (diploma). The citation is the public declaration of the reasons for which the candidate is being presented to the Chancellor for the degree.
