Honorary Doctorate Degrees are awarded for recognizing  distinguished contribution by reputed experts in their field. Honorary Doctorate Degrees are superior compared to academic degree, because they are earned from prestigious contribution, which sets standards for others to follow. Because of well established contribution of Legends, Honorary Degree do not require the candidate to complete course work, and course duration like in academic degree. Indeed, Honorary Degree is ‘honor’, the best a candidate can be recognized! Examples of Honorary Degree are Doctor of Social Work, Doctor of Science, Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of Humanity, Doctor of Literature.

Generally Honorary Degrees ( Awards ) are well known as Most superior degree at par in academics. Honorary Degree is top most tier in career, where everyone wants to reach for bright career opportunities and prestigious international recognition. The word ‘degree’ in ‘Honorary Doctorate’ defines perspective of recognition for the sake of honour (high respect; great esteem) which is different from word ‘degree’ used in ‘academic degree’. Similarly in the context of angle in Geometry, word ‘degree’ is defined for ‘turn’; ‘inclination’ which is measured in ‘degree’. In the context of temperature the word ‘degree’ is defined for set change on given scale. The word ‘degree’ can also be observed in degree Celsius * degree centigrade * degree days * degree of frost * degree Fahrenheit * first degree burn * master’s degree * second degree burn, degree of saturation, degree of luminescence. Thus in different context the meaning of word ‘degree’ is different. In Chemical Science the word ‘degree’ is referred to denote ‘level’ of  saturation and solubility of solutions. In the context of Degrees of Freedom, ‘Degree’ can be defined as the total number of observations minus the number of independent constraints imposed on all observations. In statistics, the number of degrees of freedom is the number of values in the final calculation of a statistic that are free to vary. Knight and knighthood are also honorary degrees. Mahamandaleshwar is referred as honorary degree for saints in India. ‘Sir’ is also honorific degree conferred to pay respect for their esteem. ‘His Excellency’, ‘Your honour’ are also honorary degree, which demonstrate degree of respect served due to position and contribution of distinguished person in society. Honorary degree is referred as honorary award. His Excellency is honorary degree for males used when referring to heads of state, heads of government, governors, Ambassadors, Ecclesiastics such as Catholic Bishops, Nuncios, Royalty, and others holding equivalent rank to serve respect.  ‘Emeritus’ is honorary degree for knowledgeable person, who has demonstrated excellent skills and intellectual properties. Honorary degrees are even earned / awarded posthumous, but academic degree can’t be awarded ‘in posthumous cases. For paying respect to a female ‘Madam’ word is referred as honorary degree. Thus honorific title (honorific degree) conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for social contribution, position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. This page contains details of only honorific degree which are absolutely different from regular academic degrees awarded by universities.

While a candidate with or without academic degree earned from university, receives or conferred with award of honorary degree of Surgery, it does not give him or her the rights or privilege to perform surgery/ operations in hospitals or clinic, as long as the nature of ‘degree’ is honorary. Thus although honorary degree are awarded in scientific, technological, arts, literature, social domains, and  even in specialties but still honorary degree or honorary doctorates are termed as ‘un-academic degree’. Essential ingredients of academic degree are completely absent in ‘honorary degree’, even if they are present, ‘honorary degree’ are referred as  ‘un-academic degree’. Honorary degree are known as honoris causa, in short denoted as ‘h.c.’ Thus word ‘degree’ in ‘Honorary degree’ has no resemblance with word ‘degree’ in ‘academic degree’. Honorary degree are classified as non academic degree. For professional qualification and eligibility & for acquiring license one must procure ‘academic degree’ instead of ‘honorary degree’. ‘Academic degree’ are governed and regulated by licensing authorities as per rules and laws of government in different countries. Honorary degree are symbol of great prestige instead of mark of eligibility and qualification. Honorary degree are awarded to world-renowned personalities.

Honorary Doctorate degree is not an academic degree. In any way, Honorary degree does not form part of qualification of candidate. Other hand academic degree constitutes the qualification of candidates. Despite of this often celebrities with honorary degree gain multi fold higher popularity than candidates equipped with academic degree. Politicians, Bureaucrats, Sportsperson, Celebrities, Scientists, Presidents, Prime Ministers, Ambassador, Chief Justice, Diplomats and Artists are among most beneficiaries of Honorary doctorates. In many countries of world sometimes in conferences and meetings of delegates, the word ‘Professor’ is used to address ‘respectable person’ in honorary nature, even while they do not hold minimum qualification as may be prescribed in academics (e.g. PhD + experience of certain years ). ‘My Lord ‘ is also ‘honorary degree’, which is sometimes referred to address Judge, although he/she is not ‘God’, here the word ‘degree’ never represents ‘academic degree’. Here honorary degree is way to pay respect to judge; a learned person who distinguishes between good & bad due to his/her intelligence.

Honorary Doctorate Degree can not construct part of qualification, not to be considered as license, has no role with (and does not come under the purview of) degree approval authorities and the procedure is bypassed, because neither it is ‘academic degree’ nor recognized degree, but instead a mark of honour because of his high position, dignity and esteem. Many bureaucrats, politicians and celebrities around the world are awarded with un-academic Honorary degree  ‘honoris causa’ due to their great contribution in society and mankind. Awarding honorary doctorate or Honorary Degree to a ‘respected person’ brings a lot of moral responsibilities, dignity, responsible citizen, inspiration and tuning with ethics in addition to world level prestige. That is why they are regarded as ‘World Heritage’.