The University
How honorary graduates are chosen
About Honorary Doctorates
The following Doctorates may be conferred honoris causa:
Doctor of Divinity (DD)
Doctor of Law (LLD)
Doctor of Letters (LittD)
Doctor of Science (ScD)
Doctor of Music (MusD)
Other doctoral degrees conferred by the University by formal academic assessment, such as the MD, VetMD, PhD, and EngD, are not conferred as Honorary Degrees. The University of Cambridge does not confer a DUniv or HonD degree. From time to time the University may confer an honorary MA degree, to recognise service to the University or city of Cambridge, but such awards are rare.
Early in the calendar year, when the Council has approved a short-list and the consent of the nominees has been obtained, the nominations are published. They are submitted as 'graces' to the Regent House, the governing body of the University that must approve all proposals for degrees. Occasionally there may be a vote. About eight distinguished persons are usually nominated each year.
Criteria and conditions of eligibility
Honorary Doctorates are conferred only on those who have achieved the highest national or international prominence in their field.
There are few formal exclusions or requirements.
- Existing recipients of an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Cambridge may not be considered for a second such honour
- A person who already holds a substantive Cambridge Doctorate cannot be considered for the same degree honoris causa (so, for example, the holder of a Cambridge ScD degree will not be considered for an Honorary ScD)
- Current employees of the University and Colleges, although not formally excluded from consideration, are not usually considered, and an exceptionally high standard will be applied by the Honorary Degrees Committee in considering such cases.
- The grounds for the nomination must be appropriate for recognition under one of the available categories of honorary doctorate (DD, LLD, LittD, ScD, or MusD)
Making a nomination
Any member of the University – whether student, academic staff, assistant staff, or alumnus – may make a nomination. All nominations are welcome, but nominators are asked to exercise their judgment, and to bear in mind the context and implied standard provided by previous recipients. A list of Honorary Graduates since 1977 is available in the Notable Recipients section.
Successful proposals for Honorary Degrees must be considered by the University Council’s Honorary Degree Committee, the University Council itself, and finally by the Regent House. Strict confidentiality should be observed until a proposal is made public by submission to the Regent House.
A nomination may remain under consideration for several years, and accordingly feedback is not given on the progress of nominations.
Nominations may be made using the Nomination Form:
The title of this document is:
The University
URL:
http://www.cam.ac.uk/univ/degrees/honorary/nominate.html