Honorary Doctors
Your recognition is the start of something wonderful.
Individually, each Honorary Doctor is remarkable. Collectively, you are one of the most powerful assets and resources your University has. The Society exists to connect you to your University and to each other. Imagine what you will achieve together.
PeopleKnowledgeServiceSocietyWhat Fellowship provides
A place to offer support, and connect with an exclusive global network of people for conversation, knowledge exchange, opportunity or impact.
The post-nominal FSHD
Fellows of the Society may use FSHD after their name, a mark of a distinction earned and a commitment made.
A verified Fellowship
Every award is confirmed before Fellowship begins. That is what gives the network its trusted standing, making connections between Fellows valid and valuable.
Support that fits your life
Masterclasses, guest lectures, panels, strategic board sessions and mentoring. You choose what you take on, and how often.
A global hive mind
Remarkable minds from every field, in every part of the world. When a challenge is opened beyond its chapter, the whole Fellowship can solve it.
A real seat at your University
Your chapter engages directly with the leadership of the institution that honoured you, on their strategic aims and the challenges that stand in their way.
The Honorand
Insight and inspiration from across the Fellowship, four times a year, written by Fellows in their own words, including you.
As the Society grows, its surplus will fund projects chosen by chapters for their communities.
Share your perspective
Every article in The Honorand is written by a Fellow of the Society. We would be delighted for you to share your insights and expertise.
Read The Honorand
In the Spotlight
The people Universities have chosen to honour, and their remarkable stories and achievements.
Explore Spotlight
Challenges
Deliver value and support beyond the honour
In awarding honorary doctorates, Universities created an extraordinary resource. However, that resource largely remains untapped and certainly siloed internationally. Honorary Doctors can play an important role in advancing institutional goals and creating lasting value and impact.
A University might be testing a strategy, trying to understand a sector, or looking to overcome a challenge. The solution will be out there. They just need to access it.
Each chapter can issue its Challenges privately to its own network, or open them up to the whole Society, either anonymously or publicly. In answering the call to their challenge, you play a vital role in the advancement of the institution. Support where you can or feel inclined to. Your support goes directly to the chapter that asked.
Not only can you help your University and chapter, but you might be able to help Universities from across the globe. Challenges can come from anywhere, and so can the solutions. If you can help, please do.
The ‘Challenges’ feature is open to Universities where chapters are established.
Frequent questions
Before you apply
Eligibility and the model are set out in full on the membership page.
Membership and the modelWho can join?
Fellowship is open to holders of an honorary doctorate from any recognised University in the world. How we check an institution.
What does it cost?
The first fifty Founding Fellows become Fellows free for life. After that, Fellowship carries an annual membership fee, published before it takes effect. If your University has signed up with the Society and has an active chapter, your first year of membership is complimentary, courtesy of your University. No card details are taken at application, and no one is charged automatically.
How is my award verified?
Every award is confirmed before Fellowship begins, either with the awarding University or from its published conferment records. We will keep you updated on where your application has reached, and we will inform you of the outcome either way.
What does FSHD mean?
FSHD simply means ‘Fellow of the Society of Honorary Doctors’. Fellows may use FSHD after their name as a mark of a distinction earned and a commitment made. We encourage Fellows to use FSHD as an alternative to Dr on their LinkedIn profile, to raise awareness and promote the work of the Society.
What happens after I apply?
We verify the award, either with your awarding institution directly or from published conferment records where that is quicker. Verification usually takes a few weeks.
Become a Fellow.
Application only takes a few minutes.