Talk:Doctor of Letters

List
This list is far too long. it's a list that will never be complete. We only need to list a few, maybe varying them by field and college. --AW (talk) 14:58, 12 February 2008 (UTC)
 * I cleaned it up. --AW (talk) 20:35, 3 June 2008 (UTC)

How about information about people who happened to have a D.Litt and became famous... rather than famous people who were honored with such an honor? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.16.148.170 (talk) 11:18, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

It occurs to me that all of the people on that list got honorary doctorates, even Tolkien - although as his was awarded in recognition of his work on Anglo-Saxon literature, which would undoubtedly have qualified for a substantive DLitt, it should perhaps be considered less honorary than the others. Surely there must be cases of suitably famous people who have been awarded this degree upon submission of the requisite portfolio of published research? -- Nicholas Jackson (talk) 10:22, 5 April 2009 (UTC)

Is this really a "higher" doctorate? I was always told that a DLitt was much less respected than a DPhil, and easier to get. --67.180.129.156 (talk) 06:20, 12 August 2009 (UTC)
 * Yes, it really is a higher doctorate. Where did you hear it was "much less respected than a DPhil and easier to get"? -- Nicholas Jackson (talk) 07:42, 12 August 2009 (UTC)

I thought the same thing, though I didn't so much hear it as I did infer it from the fact that J.K. Rowling got one for writing Harry Potter.Ninahexan (talk) 14:27, 7 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Rowling's DLitt is an honorary one. Many universities have different criteria for the award of honorary degrees than for substantive (earned) ones.  Just because a university gives an honorary degree to someone whose books you (and, if I'm honest, I) don't hold in particularly high regard, it doesn't follow that they'll give the substantive versions of that degree to just anybody. -- Nicholas Jackson (talk) 20:23, 7 October 2009 (UTC)

I know what you mean, though I don't see how it is ever awarded except as a PR exercise. The article says the award is higher than a PhD, so seeing Enya get one sort of makes me wonder at the standard of a PhD!Ninahexan (talk) 00:59, 8 October 2009 (UTC)


 * Honorary degrees are often awarded as a PR exercise, and occasionally to people of questionable merit, but that doesn't change the fact that the standards for the award of substantive (that is, awarded upon formal submission of a portfolio of serious research) DLitts are extremely high. I happen to know someone who has one, in fact: an eminent professor of ecclesiastical history who has written several scholarly books and numerous peer-refereed journal articles on his chosen topic.  I can also confirm, from personal experience, that the standard required for a PhD is appropriately high.  -- Nicholas Jackson (talk) 20:34, 8 October 2009 (UTC)

I was just being facetious, I am doing a PhD at the moment.Ninahexan (talk) 00:45, 9 October 2009 (UTC)

Photo Doctored?
The photo looks doctored, judging from the hat line and the difference in tone between the clothing and the photo in the background. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.174.194.13 (talk) 01:14, 16 November 2009 (UTC)

Have a question
if so is D. Litt - and I mean Robert Conquest, does that mean, he has an academic degree, or is this a title out of honour the university (Stanford resp. the Hoover Institute) gave to him, cause he published so many works in his field. . Is D. Litt. generally an academic degree u can graduate to at a university? Would be nice, if so. could help...--88.71.70.98 (talk) 17:25, 24 April 2011 (UTC)