[HPFGU-OTChatter] Joanne Rowling's Doctorates

[Shaun Hately]

On 13 May 2003 at 9:20, Coble, Katherine wrote:

> Mycropht says:
> 
> Hey. It took my 5 years of watching "The Cosby Show" to realize that the
> Educational Consultant they used who called himself "William H. [?] Cosby
> Jr. Ed.D" was Bill Cosby flaunting his honorary doctorate. I thought it was
> his father. Imagine using your Honorary Doctorate to score a job as a
> consultant.  Oh well.   

While some people have said Bill Cosby has an earned doctorate, meaning he is not 
doing this, it's quite valid to use an Honourary Doctorate as a path to employment 
provided you don't claim they are an academic degree. Generally an honourary degree 
is awarded in an area the person has gained some distinction and eminence in, and it 
tells people that the professionals in the field respect this person's achievements in that 
area. That's certainly of potential relevance to their employment.

Provided they don't claim academic training they have not had, there's no problem here 
- and in fact, most Honourary Doctorates (not all) are of types that are never given 
academically so any moderately informed person (like hopefully those interviewing for a 
position) can tell the difference from the postnominal letters.

Yours Without Wax, Dreadnought
Shaun Hately |webpage: http://www.alphalink.com.au/~drednort/thelab.html
(ISTJ)       |email: drednort at alphalink.com.au | ICQ: 6898200

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