Types of Honorary Doctorates: D.Litt., D.Div., DHL & More

Every “Dr” that you see on the stage is not the traditional degree earned through tests and a thesis. Many people who use “Dr” with their name on the stage have earned it through a lifetime of their contributions and selfless hard work. Universities confer a special award on these candidates; that special award is known as an honorary doctorate. 

There are different types of honorary doctorate awards. Each one of them matches a specific kind of achievement or impact. This article will act as your guide that will help you understand the common types of honorary doctorates. The complete information will be in an easy and understandable language so that you understand each one of them clearly. 

What do you understand by an Honorary Doctorate? 

Simply jumping to the different types of honorary doctorates can be a bad idea. Understanding the categories before you know what the prime topic is about can create ultimate confusion. A university gives out an honorary doctorate to recognise an individual’s real and selfless contribution to society instead of spending years of study in a traditional classroom. There is no required coursework, no drafted thesis, and no tests or exams involved. Instead of that, there is a committee that is formed to nominate a person, and the university’s board approves the final decision.

An honorary doctorate is called “Doctor Honoris Causa” in Latin. This phrase stands for “Doctor for the sake of honour”. This title is a symbol of public respect and not proof of academic training. 

What are the different types of honorary doctorates?  

Imagine there are different types of achievers in a school, and you award all of them with a single category; it will be unfair, right? Similarly, there are various ways that people create an unforgettable impact on people or society, and awarding all of them with a single category can be unfair. This is why universities created various types of honorary doctorates, each of them specifically dedicated to a particular field, like literature, science, law, religion, or public service.

Creating separate awards for each category also helps universities match the award with the individual’s real-life work. For example, a religious leader will receive a different title than a scientist, even though both of them may receive the same level of respect and recognition. To feel more personal and meaningful with this honour, you must understand each honorary doctorate of this sort. 

The following are the most common types of Honorary Doctorates:

The Doctor of Letters (D.Litt)

The Doctor of Letters, usually written as D.Litt. or Litt.D., is counted amongst the oldest and most respected types of honorary doctorates. The Latin name of this award is Litterarum Doctor. It stands for “Doctor of Letters” or “Doctor of Writing”. 

The following are some important facts about this honour: 

• The writers, poets, historians, philosophers, and scholars of the humanities who have made an important change to the world are eligible for this award.  
• It is given to recognise the outstanding contributions of literature, culture, or intellectual thought of these literary geniuses.
• This award is usually given by universities that have a strong literature or humanities department.
• Achievements required to be eligible for this award are a lifetime of published work, cultural influence, or major contributions to storytelling and language. 

This type of honorary dr degree focuses on celebrating ideas and words. It honours people who have shaped the way this society thinks, writes, or reads. 

The Doctor of Divinity (D.Div.)

The Doctor of Divinity, commonly known as the D.Div., focuses on impactful religious leadership and moral guidance. It is one of those older types of honorary doctorates that have their roots going back centuries in European universities. 

The following are some of the core traits of the D.Div.:

• The religious leaders, such as pastors, bishops, rabbis, imams, and interfaith peacebuilders, are eligible for this award.
• This award is given to recognise the individual’s service to a specific faith community, moral leadership, and contributions to theology or ethics. 
• The standard achievements that make you a potential nominee for this award are decades of religious services, peace-building work, or major selfless contributions to religious or spiritual teaching. 
• The scope of this title depends more on faith and moral guidance than on academic theology alone. 

Candidates or recipients who receive the D.Div. are generally remembered or recognised for guiding communities through both good times and struggling times. 

The Doctor of Humane Letters (DHL or L.H.D.)

The Doctor of Humane Letters, usually written as the DHL or L.H.D., is one of the most commonly conferred honorary titles in the current scenario. It is a wide-ranging honour, which is one of the reasons that this award shows up so often at the graduation ceremonies.

The following are some of the important facts about DHL:

• The public personalities, philanthropists, brand heads, and cultural icons are some of the important personalities that are eligible for the DHL. 
• This award is given to recognise an individual’s wide yet relevant contribution to society; usually, it spans various fields at once.  
• The standard achievements required for this award are charitable work, community leadership, or a body of work that has impacted or improved people’s lives. 
• The most common reason for conferring this award is that it is a wide-ranging award. Universities usually use this award to celebrate some well-known public personalities who have done work or provided services that could not fit in a single category, such as science or medicine alone. 

The DHL is the most flexible type of honorary doctorate degree. This makes it possible to recognise people whose contribution or impact touched many areas of people’s lives. 

The Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)

The Doctor of Laws, usually written as LL.D., refers to “Legum Doctor” in Latin. It is one of the most respected honorary doctorates. It is usually reserved for the people in law, government, and public service. 

The following are some of the important points that you must know about the LL.D.:

• The judges, lawmakers, and civic leaders who have contributed to the field of law for many years are eligible to receive this award.
• It basically recognises the individual’s contribution towards justice, governance, human rights, or public policy.
• The standard set of achievements required for this award is landmark legal work, years of public service, or major reforms that improved a country or community. 
• Some universities, like the University of Oxford, also confer the Doctor of Civil Law (D.C.L.) instead of the LL.D. for the same kind of achievements. 

Recipients chosen for the LL.D. are generally the people who have worked to shape laws, rights, or even systems that impact many lives. 

The Doctor of Science (D.Sc. or Sc.D.)

The Doctor of Science is a bit different from what you have read about before. This degree honours people who have made a real difference in scientific fields. It is one of those honorary doctorates that are more on the technical side. It is usually conferred on the researchers, inventors, and innovators. 

The following are some important facts about the D.SC.:

• The scientists, engineers, doctors, and researchers who have contributed their intelligence to the fields of science and technology receive this award. 
• This award basically recognises the discoveries, inventions, or major advances in science, medicine, or technology.
• The standard achievements required for this award are some groundbreaking research, medical breakthroughs, or technology that has the capability of changing how people live. 
• There are some fields that use related titles, like Doctor of Engineering, for those people focused specifically on applied technology. 

This honorary doctorate degree honours candidates who have curiosity and hard work, leading to societal progress.

The Doctor of Fine Arts (D.F.A.) 

The Doctor of Fine Arts is an honorary doctorate that is supposed to recognise creative achievement instead of scientific or literary work. It is a visually striking type of honorary doctorate. It is usually awarded in the arts-focused ceremonies.

The following are some of the key factors of the D.F.A.: 

• The painters, sculptors, designers, filmmakers, and other visual artists are chosen to receive this award. 
• It recognises an individual or a body of creative work that has influenced culture, design, or the arts.
• The standard achievements required for this award are museum exhibitions, influential film work, or a career spent shaping visual culture. 
• It is commonly conferred by art schools or universities with a firm fine arts programme.

This award is strong proof of the fact that creativity is fully capable of leaving a lasting impact in the world.

The Doctor of Music (D.Mus.)

The Doctor of Music is an award that honours musical talent and lifelong contributions to sound and performance. Among all the types of honorary doctorates, this one is closely tied to concert halls, recording studios, and music schools. 

The following are some of the important pointers about the D.Mus.: 

• The composers, performers, conductors, and music educators receive this award.
• This award recognises a lasting influence on music, either through composition, performance, or teaching. 
• The standard achievements that are required for this award are a long-spanning career of concerts, recordings, or musical innovation that shaped a genre or generation. 
• The D.Mus. generally overlaps with cultural impact, as music can shape identity and community. 

The Doctor of Public Service (D.P.S.) and other honours 

Apart from all the popular titles above, universities also created other types of honorary doctorates to match some of the newly discovered achievements.

The following are some of those honorary doctorate titles: 

• The Doctor of Public Service (D.P.S.): The D.P.S. is usually conferred on people who are known for long-term civic leadership or public administration.
• The Doctor of Commercial Science (D.C.S.): The D.C.S. is designed to brand heads with a history of making a huge impact on trade, industry, and entrepreneurship. 
• The Doctor of Education (D.Ed. or Ed.D.): The D.Ed. is basically an award created for people who have advanced education, teaching, or school leadership.
• The Doctor of Hebrew Letters (D.H.Litt.): The D.H.Litt. is a specialised honour that has its roots tied to Hebrew scholarship and Jewish studies. 
• The Doctor of Theology (D.Th.): The D.Th. acts like a close cousin of the D.Div., which is generally awarded for scholarly work in religious studies instead of pastoral leadership alone. 
• The Doctor of Engineering (D.Eng.): The D.Eng. is conferred on people who solve real-world problems through their applied engineering. It is usually counted separately from pure science.

Explore Honorary Doctorate Awards at Hawkins University

Have you made meaningful contributions to your profession, community, or field of expertise? Explore the honorary doctorate awards offered by Hawkins University and learn about the nomination process for recognition of distinguished achievements.

Explore Honorary Doctorate Awards

Conclusion:

There are many kinds of honorary doctorates, and every one of them has a story behind it. The Doctor of Letters is given to writers and thinkers. The Doctor of Divinity is an honorary degree given to religious leaders. The Doctor of Humane Letters, or DHL, is awarded for broad public service. The titles “Doctor of Laws", “Doctor of Science", “Doctor of Fine Arts", and “Doctor of Music” each signify a different sort of eminence. It’s a D. Litt, a D. Div, a DHL, or any other honorary doctorate degree. Whatever it is called, the point is the same – to thank publicly someone whose work has made a real difference. Knowing what the award categories are means everyone – students, graduates, and the general public can appreciate the honour for what it is: real respect for real achievement.