Honour doctor

an honour doctor (Dr. h. C.; Dr. e. h.) is a lent degree of a university or a faculty academic honour for the sake of, to which for special earnings/services one lends.

„honoris causa “

The designation honoris causa (shortened h. C.) is derived from latin and means „honour for the sake of “(originally: „Honours half “and/or. „the honour because of “). If a person got several honour doctor titles lent, then the abbreviation is h. C. mult., which stands for honoris causa multiplex, thus thoserepeated.

award

is usually lent to suitable personalities for general or direct earnings/services around the university or the faculty; frequently an award comes in addition, for political, financial or other reasons, with which it is difficult, a purchaseto recognize to the university concerned.

At the German universities the award is handled usually very reserved. Here usually takes place the awards due to outstanding earnings/services in scientific area.

Contrary to the tidy graduation no examination is intended for the award of an honour doctor degree.The proceeding and the exact conditions for the award regulate the graduation orders of the university faculties.

Usually by the honouring on the occasion of the award a scientific lecture is held.

The honour graduation right for the technical universities („Dr. - engineer E. h. “) became in Prussia by decree of emperor William II. (in its function as a Prussian king) only introduced in October 1899.

example of an honour graduation procedure

this example comes from the University of Augsburg:

„The honour graduation procedure is to be introduced on justified request of the majority of the professors of the specialist area advice. The specialist area advice orders at leasttwo technically responsible professors for the investigation of the scientific achievements of the personality who can be honoured. The request and the appraisals are to be submitted to the members of the specialist area advice and all professors of the specialist area. These can deliver written statements within a monthly. On the award of the honour doctor degree the specialist area advice decidesunder appreciation of the request and the appraisals as well as the submitted statements. “ (Excerpt out § 29 of the general graduation order of the University of Augsburg)

records

most, i.e. meanwhile 150, received the US-American catholic theologian Theodore Hesburgh, why it the Guinness book thatRecords already for decades as title owners in this regard leads. Buckminster filler received 47 honour doctorates. Likewise quite many honour doctor titles, so far 43, were lent to Tenzin Gyatso, mostly of US-American universities.

See also: Doctor, graduation (doctor), professor