World Famous Honorary Doctorates

People who are working hard every day to provide accurate and useful information to people around the world. And fulfill them with knowledge and confidence. 

This blog is about the World Famous Honorary Doctorates that are given to those who are famous in their field or have presented their mastery. 

Not all awards and prizes have monetary value; some of them are just meant to appreciate someone for their achievements, or their recent accolades related to academics or something else.  

Honorary degrees are highly valuable. Any university providing this degree motivates appreciation and a pat on the back of the people putting their utmost effort to bring something new to this world. Or have been a ray of hope for the common people.  

Here is a list of the Five Top World Famous Honorary Doctorates: 

1. Sir Richard Branson

1. Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson is an English business magnate, investor, and philanthropist.  
2. He founded the Virgin Group, which controls more than 400 companies.  
3. At the age of sixteen, his first business venture was a magazine called Student, which he sold for £500 at age 19.  
4. In 1970 he set up a mail-order record business with his first wife’s help; they called it Virgin because they were virgins in business.  
5. It later became the main source of his wealth, estimated at £3 billion as of 2011.  
6. His current net worth is estimated to be $4 billion as of May 2012 by Forbes magazine; however, 

2. Stephen Hawking 

In 1978, Stephen Hawking was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Oxford and delivered a speech on black holes at the Sheldonian Theater.  

Hawking is a cosmologist, theoretical physicist, and author of several books including A Brief History of Time (1988) which has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. 
 

3. Bill Gates

1. Bill Gates received an honorary degree from Harvard University in 2007 for his contributions to business management and philanthropy.  
2. He held a Ph.D. in computer science from Oxford University and an honorary doctorate from Cambridge University in 2005 for his charitable work.  
3. He added education-focused initiatives like The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Library Fund at Stanford University’s School of Engineering. 

4. Nelson Mandela 

1. In the Morgan State University (MSU), Nelson Mandela had an honorary doctorate in 1991. After his time from prison along with 27 years of captivity under South Africa’s apartheid regime.  
2. Previously, he holds honorary doctorates by other universities including the University of Natal in 1990. 
3. Former President of South Africa, who died on 5 December 2013, received an honorary doctorate from Leiden University in 1999.  
4. Mandela’s response was modest: ‘It is not a personal achievement. It is a tribute to all those who emerged from underground, from prison, from exile…’ 

5. Aung San Suu Kyi 

1. She got an honorary doctorate from Oxford University in 2012. Precisely, for her contribution to democracy and human rights advocacy in Burma, also known as Myanmar.  
2. She was unable to receive it in person because she was under house arrest by the military regime. Ruling Burma at present time.  
3. The last time Aung San Suu Kyi visited Oxford was in 1989. While she was studying there as a student of philosophy, politics, and economics (PPE). 

The world has many people who are unknown for all the effort that they are doing. And the job that they are doing is the best. So we have to appreciate them because they deserve this. These are the people who have truly made a difference in the everyday lives of others.