If you’ve been casually referring to that celebrity or politician as “Doctor” because they received an honorary PhD, the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE) says — stop it, immediately!
In a fiery press release issued this week, the NCHE has drawn a clear line in the academic sand: Honorary doctorates are not academic degrees and should not be used to claim the title “Doctor”. The watchdog body is cracking down on what it calls a worrying trend — prominent figures flaunting unearned academic titles after receiving honorary degrees, often from both local and foreign institutions.
According to the statement, an honorary award — also known as Honoris Causa — is strictly ceremonial, often given for philanthropic or cultural contributions, and “cannot be used for academic, professional, or work-related purposes.”
The NCHE further warns that titles such as “Dr.” or even “PhD” should never be associated with honorary degrees. A person who has received an honorary doctorate must clearly indicate it as such. For example, use “Daniel Musheke, LLD (Hon. Causa),” not “Dr. Daniel Musheke” or “Daniel Musheke (PhD).”
“Members of the academia, the public and media should NOT address a recipient of a honorary degree orally or in writing as ‘Doctor’,” reads the bold directive signed by NCHE Chairperson, Professor Joy C. Kwesiga.
Honorary doctorates may only be conferred in Uganda by accredited institutions such as public universities, private chartered universities, and other approved degree-awarding bodies. They are typically issued in three categories: Doctor of Laws (LLD), Doctor of Letters (DLitt), and Doctor of Science (DSc) — all in recognition of non-academic contributions.
So before you type “Dr.” in your next tweet or news article, think twice — or risk falling into what NCHE calls “a national embarrassment.”
