How the University of Basel modernized with the honorary doctorate

The star didn’t have time to come to Basel for the award ceremony, but he did send a video message expressing fulsome thanks for the “absolutely huge, fantastic, great honor.” In 2017, at its 557th Dies academicus, the University of Basel awarded an honorary doctorate to tennis player Roger Federer, the first and so far last professional athlete to have received this honor. Federer could now call himself “Dr. med. h.c.” if he wanted to, which of course he doesn’t. “H.c.” stands for “honoris causa” (honorary), and “med.” refers to the Faculty of Medicine, which nominated Federer. The faculties themselves select their honorary doctors, who are honored at the anniversary celebration of the university.

The awarding of the title met with criticism. Some media outlets made fun of the PR campaign, and some professors and many members of the public could not understand why Federer, a school dropout, king of self-marketing, and owner of a luxury apartment in Dubai, should receive academic awards. But despite this confusion, by offering Federer a doctorate, the University of Basel was doing nothing more than importing a tradition of the English-speaking world to Europe.

Dr. Marketing

In this tradition, the academic doctorate and the honorary doctorate are two entirely different beasts. An academic doctorate, otherwise known as a PhD, only became common in the 19th century. An honorary doctorate is awarded primarily for social merit and has limited academic value. In the USA, therefore, recipients of honorary doctorates may not use them as part of their names. They are awarded to patrons, famous athletes and other celebrities. The goal is clear: the universities, which are predominantly privately funded, use the awarding of titles as PR and to help find new sources of finance.

In Europe, on the other hand, the honorary doctorate is closely linked to the academic doctorate, which was introduced in the Middle Ages by the University of Bologna. This is demonstrated by Beat Münch, who holds a doctorate in Romance studies and is a former Academic Associate to the President of the University of Basel, in his book on the history of honorary doctorates from their beginnings to 2015. The focus is on the University of Basel, but Münch provides no less than a comprehensive overview of the entire development of this unique title. 

For example, the University of Basel uses the same degree certificate for both titles – honorary doctorate and conventional doctorate. The honorary doctorate has academic weight in Europe, and professors and doctors pride themselves on the title. At the beginning of the 19th century, it even contributed to the emergence of the modern university, which was conceived as an establishment for research. Basel was at the forefront of this.

At the end of the 18th century, most of Europe’s universities were in a lamentable state. Professorships were often inherited within families, and academic credentials were available for sale and not always even necessary to obtain a professorship. The new Humboldt University in Berlin put an end to this in 1810. Named after its founder, the scholar and statesman Wilhelm von Humboldt, it was an institution bent on reform.

It introduced the unification of teaching and research, as well as the concept of “free study,” which left time for leisure, and the title of “Dr. h.c.”. The faculties awarded this title to individuals they deemed to be academically proficient. A new aspect was that it was equivalent to a regular doctorate.

In 1818, the crisis-ridden University of Basel came under state supervision. However, the faculties still determined the doctoral study regulations. In 1823, they introduced the honorary doctorate in accordance with the Humboldt University model. “The university most likely owes its modernization to the German theologian Wilhelm Martin Leberecht de Wette, who had been appointed shortly before, and brought the concept with him from Berlin,” says Beat Münch.

The first to be honored was Rudolf Hanhart, principal of the Basel high school at Münsterplatz and associate professor of education, for his services to the local school system. “The honorary title was awarded to individuals who had a proven track record of academic performance, but either did not work at the university or did not have an academic title,” says Münch. Among them in the 19th century were teachers and pastors who earned achievements in geology, then an emerging field, and enjoyed a reputation throughout Europe.