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Office of the Provost

ยป Honorary Degrees

An honorary degree is a traditional, highly valued recognition in academia, bestowed upon distinguished individuals who have earned noteworthy respect and esteem in the wider world. Chapman University confers honorary doctoral degrees on those individuals whose outstanding contributions and accomplishments exemplify the ideals expressed in the Chapman mission statement. Honorary degree nominations may be put forth by any member of the Chapman community and are conferred during the University Commencement Ceremony.

Under no circumstance should the nominee be informed that their name has been submitted. Nominations are to be kept confidential to avoid potential embarrassment to nominees and the University in the event nominations are not approved.

Candidates may be awarded one of the following honorary degrees:

  1. Doctor of Arts, honoris causa (D.Art), is conferred upon those individuals whose contributions and service distinctively fall within the fine and performing arts communities.
  2. Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa (L.H.D.), is conferred upon those individuals who have provided exemplary service to the community (i.e., civic, business, education and philanthropic), or whose accomplishments are broad in scope and far-reaching. It is the most general of the honorary degrees awarded.
  3. Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LL.D.), is conferred upon those individuals who have achieved distinction in governance or public service or have achieved preeminence in the field of law.
  4. Doctor of Science, honoris causa (D.Sc.), is conferred upon those individuals whose accomplishments in either academia or the professional world are scientific in nature and/or who have made a significant contribution to scientific endeavors.
  5. Doctor of the University, honoris causa (D.Univ.), is conferred in recognition of excellence and extraordinary achievement in a significant area of human endeavor and/or demonstrated a significant commitment toward the goals or welfare of the University, sacrificial service or altruism to humanitarian causes.

Procedure


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Responsibilities


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Questions?


The deadline and nomination form can be found under the "Nomination Process" drop-down.