Honorary Degrees

How to Use My Honorary Doctorate with My Name?
I hold a few degrees and am about to receive an honorary doctorate. How do I indicate the doctorate with my name. I currently have BBA, B.Th, and an MRE. The honorary doctorate will be in Theology.
-- Marc Coffee

I have just been granted an honorary doctorate. Am I correctly addressed as "Dr. (Name)" now?
-- Sandor Green

Dear Mr. Coffee & Mr. Green:
       An honorary degree is a great honor, but it is an honor, not the same thing as an earned degree.
   Honorary-degree recipients may be addressed as Dr. (Name) orally during the ceremony or in correspondence from by the granting university.
       But recipients are not addressed orally or in writing as Dr. (Name) by other universities – and not correctly addressed as Dr. (Name) in their professional/personal life. They continue to be addressed orally and in writing with the form of address to which they entitled prior to receiving the honor. E.g., Mr./Ms./Mrs.
       They may use the pertinent post-nominal abbreviation for the honorary degree with their name if they use the words honoris causa with the post nominal for the degree -- to note that the degree is honorary, not earned.
       On one's resume/CV, honorary doctorates are listed with honors or awards, not as education with your earned academic degrees. In a complete introduction it would be stated that "Marc Coffey received an honorary Doctorate in Theology from (Name of Granting Institution)"
       The best source on this topic is Academic Ceremonies: a handbook of traditions and protocol by April Harris. Google it. You'll find it. It's the bible on the use of academic degrees.
     -- Robert Hickey

Use of an Honorary Doctorate with The Honorable?
       We have an newly elected official who received an honorary doctorate. She wants to be addressed as Dr. I’ve always followed the rule not to use a double honorific. But to this person, it’s important. (What can I tell you!)
        So is it:
                The Honorable Dr. Mary Jones
        Or is it:
                Dr. The Honorable Mary Jones?
              -- Anne Lesley

Dear Ms. Leslie:
      1.) In the USA "The Honorable" is not used in combination with honorifics. We just one thing at a time. So she is: The Honorable Mary Jones
      2.) If she wants to be addressed as Dr. then in a salutation or in conversation she'd be:
            Dr. Smith
      3.) Everyone is entitled to have their name be what they want it to be, But recipients of honorary doctorates are not entitled to be addressed as Dr. except at the granting university.
      In the USA all honors and distinctions would be mentioned on a resume under honors or noted in an introduction that she was a awarded a honorary doctorate etc. See the posting above on the use of honorary degrees for the details.
      You can't tell that to her of course, unless she asks your opinion, but she's going to look either ignorant of the correct style (not good for a person holding a doctorate I'd say) -- or pretentious if others know she's asking to be addressed as Dr. when the degree is an honorary one.
       -- Robert Hickey

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For forms of address for invitations, place cards, name badges, introductions, conversation, and all other formal uses, see Honor & Respect: the Official Guide to Names, Titles, and Forms of Address.

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