the use of the title Doctor

Was listening to the Today Show this morning and they interviewed "Dr" Robert Anthony Schuller (the son of the founder of the Crystal Cathedral Dr. Robert Schuller). So I decided to go and see where he got his doctorate. I figured he would have done a 'diploma mill' but he wasn't even that creative...nope,he just uses doctor because he was given an honorary doctorate.

http://www.ranchocapistrano.org/ranchabout.html

Wonder how people feel about people who call themselves Doctor after getting an honorary degree......

 

Bear and Bear discuss this in their guide.

 

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I think Billy Graham has an honorary doc too; I often hear him called "Dr "Graham. To me "Dr" is an academic not an honorary degree. Yet, I'd be embarrassed to challenge him on it!

I guess I personally prefer this, though,to such as "The Very Reverend.."

My UZ supervisor persists in addressing me as "Rev", yet I'm neither officially nor functionally that ,and I clearly wrote "Mr" on the application!

 

How about **any** degree other than an M.D.?

Interesting to note that Alan Greenspan, who has a doctorate in economics from NYU (as well as about half a dozen more honorary degrees from the likes of Yale, et al), doesn't find it necessary to refer to himself as "Doctor Greenspan".

 

"Dr" Robert Anthony Schuller's doctorate is not only honorary, but also unaccredited. At the time it was conferred (1996), the National Hispanic University wasn't even a candidate with WASC (it achieved candidacy in 1998 and received initial accreditation in June of this year).

Although it is true that The National Hispanic University has been accredited by ACICS since 1993, the scope of ACICS accreditation (as recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education) is that the evaluation and accreditation activities are directed to postsecondary institutions offering degree programs only through the master's level.

 

Re: Re: the use of the title Doctor

I know an Orthodox Rabbi who told me that it was he and not an MD that actually had a doctorate and was entitled to the term doctor. He had an Ed.D in communications. I suppose considering that as Dr. Bear pointed out in England the MD is actually an undergrad professional degree, the good Rabbi Dr. may have had a point.

North

 

Titles

There is an interesting oddity in the UK. Medical doctors who have moved on to become surgeons insist on being called Mr.

 

Re: Re: Re: the use of the title Doctor

He may indeed. Nevertheless, when a complete stranger is introduced (outside a health care or academic setting) as "Dr._____", what do you suppose the vast majority of people in the U.S. assume?

 

Re: Titles

It has been the tradition for centuries. I don't see anything odd about it.

 

Re: Re: Re: the use of the title Doctor

The three medical doctors I know in the UK all earned a Bachelor of Medicine degree, did their internship, then passed an exam by one of the professional medical societies (I'm not the last is mandatory unless a specialty is required).

 

Re: Re: Re: Re: the use of the title Doctor

I guess we don't knight people here so being no less title hungry we made medical doctors and lawyers doctorates (and now pharmacists as well). Canada also awards an MD but lawyers still earn the LLB and Pharmacists the PharmB (??). Soon we can expect pastors with the MDiv which are after all are 90 credit hour graduate degrees to request upgrade to D.Div.

Heck, lets make everyone in the US a doctoral holder. D.H.S. (Doctor of High Schoololgy), D.B.A. (Doctor of Bachelor of Arts), D.M.A (Doctor of Master of Arts). Actual holders of doctorates can be PhDES (Doctor of Philosophy El Supremo), DMinES(Doctor of Ministry El Supremo), EdDES(Doctor of Education El Supremo), etc.
In this way we could distinguish those who actually hold doctorates from those with doctor in the title and everybody could have good self esteem.

It is late I better get to bed

North

 

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: the use of the title Doctor

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

and, TBES (Taco Bell El Supremo)

 

I know a professor who was once asked "how do you address someone who has an honorary or unaccredited doctorate?"

He replied " I call them mr. or ms. but not Dr."



BMAN

 

It's no different than calling myself a doctor based upon my "studies."

Darren.

 

We know that DPharm's are not actually doctorates any more than the JD is. Both were professional undergraduate degrees in the past in the US and still are in much of the world. Today, as I was reading the social section of the Sunday paper I noticed a woman getting married and it called her "doctor". She looked rather young so I read down a little bit and low and behold she had graduated with a DPharm and either she, her family, or the newspaper were calling her *Dr.*. This does not seem to be the norm yet as I asked a friend of mine whose brother is a Pharmacist and she said he does not use the title *Dr.* because he does not have a doctorate. Will there be no end to the inflation or will we simply turn all Masters degrees into doctorates in the US.

North

 

Well, a yahoo search turned up a number of references to PharmD.'s. These ranged from private organizations to Universities. The PharmD.'s were referred to as *Dr.* Amazing the degree title inflation. I wonder what the Europeans think of our pension. As my counseling degree was 48 credit hours rather than the smaller 36 credit hour Masters degrees maybe I could get them to up my Masters degree.

North

 

And.............the same could be said for MD's. Except, when hearing the term doctor, most would think of them. What is the big deal here? Both, JD's and PharmD's have had significant graduate schooling, both in very specialized fields. Are they inferior in their field, compared to other "doctors" in their field? Are MD's inferior, compared to other doctors? Or is tradition something we can not delete without serious consequences? Please!

Tony

 

Let us not forget the scores of "doctors of chiropractic" who have been able to complete their doctorates in three years without first having to complete an undergraduate degree.

Many of the chiropracters that I know prefer to be addressed as "doctor".

Tony

 

It's been my experience that those who insist on being addressed as "doctor" are usually those who least deserve the title (I'm not referring to chiropractors per se).


Bruce

 

I have a different twist. In a lot of states the individual boards of pharmacy are giving the title "doctor of pharmay' to all pharmacists regardless of degree. I woke up a "doctor" on Oct. 1 of last year. The new licenses in Oklahoma even state 'Doctor of Pharmacy'.

I thought I felt smarter. Must be the fiber in my diet.

In the future, everyone will be called doctor for 15 minutes.